The hot, humid weather didn’t deter the over 200 people coming for Perryvale’s centennial last weekend.
People came from as far away as the U.S. to celebrate Perryvale’s 100th birthday, as well as a homecoming and the school reunion.
“People are happy to be here,” said committee member Bonnie Speers. “It's humid, it's hot, but we've got people as far away as Oregon come to visit. As young as babies (and) as old as Larry Speers’ mother (who) is 97.”
The event started on Friday with a meet and greet. During Saturday, there were some outdoor activities, like facepainting and a car show, and the event ended with a dinner on Sunday.
“Then tThe ladies that are doing the catering are from Fort Assiniboine, and the profits from the supper (Saturday) are going to Juvenile Diabetes Foundations,” said Bonnie. “We have a concession today because it's not a large metropolis. We have one store. All the profits go to victim services.”
Bill and Linda Locher came from Chase, B.C., to visit where Bill went to school from 1948 to 1957.
“(There’s been) lots of changes,” said Bill. “Only half the town is here. The school's closed down. There's a lot missing. But, a lot of the people are still here. (They) stuck around.”
That said, they enjoyed the centennial and they do like the Perryvale area.
“When we lived in Vimy, we brought our motor home different times and camped down here,” said Linda. “We kind of liked it. It's quiet, peaceful.”
Like them, most of the 250 people came out because they either lived or went to school in the area – or they were related to somebody who did. They came to celebrate the town, meet people they haven’t met seen in a long time, and take a look at a little bit of history.
“In the past 100 years, thousands of people have come through this area. Many passed through, some stayed a while and others left to follow their dreams,” said committee member Larry Speers during a speech to the crowd. “Others stayed to build a community and carved a living through the struggles and challenges of life.”
Bonnie added, “We’re (lucky) to have (had) the homesteaders that created this country for us. We're benefiting from all the hard work and the struggles that they had.”
