A 100th birthday is no small achievement.
This weekend, from Aug. 2-5, the Summer Village of Gull Lake will be holding its centennial celebration.
Sharon Williamson, vice-chair of the Gull Lake Centennial Committee, said that the centennial is a good reason to celebrate.
“It’s an important milestone for the village,” said Williamson. “It’s a good excuse to get old-time Gull Lakers back together again.”
Williamson said that the Summer Village of Gull Lake is the oldest summer village in the province.
She added that the village also boasts some of the original cottages, over 100 years old, which are still standing.
Also as part of the centennial, a history book has been put together that features 110 stories about the cottages in the village and the people who have lived in them, said Williamson.
She added that copies of the book will be sold throughout the weekend.
Highlighting the number of activities and events to celebrate this milestone will be the dedication of Gull Lake’s new Centennial Park on Sunday.
Williamson said that the Centennial Park was chosen to become the centennial landmark because residents wanted something that everyone in the village could enjoy.
“We wanted a long-lasting remembrance of the one hundredth birthday,” said Williamson.
Gull Lake’s Centennial will continue to be an ongoing project after the weekend as well, said Williamson. So far, landscaping has been done in the park with tennis and pickleball courts being installed.
Williamson said they are currently in the process of adding picnic areas and new flowerbeds to the park.
She added that the park has already seen a lot of use with its current features.
The decision to install pickleball courts in the new park was an interesting one, as the sport is not very well known in Canada.
Williamson said the decision was made because the Summer Village of Gull Lake is home to many snowbirds who visit Mexico and California in the winter, play pickleball the whole time and want to play at home too.
“Pickleball is all the rage in the south.”
Pickleball is a racquet game similar to tennis. It is played on a smaller court (the same dimensions of a badminton court) with a lower net, hard paddles and a ball that looks like a similar version of a wiffle ball.
“The wonderful thing about pickleball is that all ages can play it,” said Williamson. She added that there is not as strong of a learning curve in the sport as other racquet sports like tennis and it doesn’t take a great deal of skill to play the game well.
For those inexperienced in pickleball but who would like to give it a try during the centennial celebrations, lessons will be offered from a talented couple who will be visiting Gull lake from Kelowna on the weekend, said Williamson.
Other highlights on the weekend include social events like the Art Show Wine & Cheese on Friday night at the Gull Lake Community Hall, the barbeque, street dance and beer gardens on Saturday night and a pancake breakfast.
Gull Lake Summer Village resident John Acorn (The Nature Nut) will also be making a presentation Saturday afternoon.
A variety of fun games and activities like horseshoes, slo-pitch, sail boat races, beach volleyball, sandcastle building, wiener roasts and more will be taking place throughout the weekend as well.
“It’s going to be a really busy, fun weekend,” said Williamson.
For more information about the Summer Village of Gull Lake Centennial Celebration, including a list of events, visit www.gulllakecentennial.com.