Birthdays are always occasions to celebrate, but turning 100 is something really special.
This past weekend, the Summer Village of Gull Lake celebrated its centennial with a number of events in the village, at the beach, and on the lake.
Being the site of Alberta’s first provincial park and oldest summer village, there is a lot of history to be enjoyed in Gull Lake. As such, a big party was necessary to properly enjoy the event.
Events took place at Gull Lake all weekend starting with an art show and social on Friday night and closing with the pancake breakfast Monday morning. In between, there were tons of fun activities for all ages including horseshoe and ball tourneys, beach activities like sandcastle building and beach volleyball and great party events like the street dance and beer gardens.
To provide all those who attended the event with a permanent keepsake of the centennial, a special history book was put together and was sold throughout the weekend. Contained within its pages are 110 stories of the people and places of Gull Lake, including the histories of some of the village’s original cottages.
The big highlight of the weekend was the official opening of Centennial Park, a new park in the summer village that will stand as a lasting memento of Gull Lake’s centennial and remain a gift that the entire community will continue to enjoy.
In fact, locals have already starting making use of the park and its new tennis and pickleball courts. At the official opening of the park speaker Gwen Moriarty said that the pickleball court had not gone unused for a single day since it was opened to the public.
Centennial Park’s official opening ceremony featured entertainment courtesy of the Wildrose Yodelers, speeches by dignitaries about the history and future of Gull Lake and of course, birthday gifts and cake. After the ceremony, those in attendance were invited to continue enjoying the park, which will certainly be a place of enjoyment for many years to come.
