Emo centennial coming together

Things are coming together well as Emo prepares to stage its centennial celebrations next Thursday through Saturday.
Mary Curtis, one of the organizers, said with a week to go, things are looking excellent so far.
“If the weather holds, it will be perfect,” she remarked.
Opening ceremonies are set to go at next Thursday (July 1) at 1 p.m., with the Shortreeds, whose family first settled in Emo back in 1899, coming down the river by boat to kick things off.
“They are going to be met by council and reeve, and be piped in by Bruce Lidkea, great-grandson of ‘Piper’ McDonald,” Curtis said.
After that, Curtis said everyone will head up to the municipal office to do the dedication and unveiling of the plaque and cairn as a tribute to the early settlers and the First Nations.
Boat rides and tours through the “Walk Through Time” display get underway at 2 p.m. “Passports” for both will be on sale at Emo’s Little House on the main drag, as well as at the arena, for $2.
“We have a special children’s passport for ages seven to 14,” Curtis said, which also costs $2. “In it, there are 10 questions they can find questions to and answer them and enter a free draw.”
The “Walk Through Time” is set out over 10 large booths in the arena, with each depicting a decade of history of Emo, the district, Canada, and the world for the last 100 years.
“We’ve had teams gathering information, pictures, and articles for that,” Curtis noted. “And there’s demonstrations every afternoon–weaving, hooking, spinning, woodcarving, canoe making, and ski-making.”
About 20 booths altogether will be set up in the arena, including a CN one depicting different trains throughout the century.
Another must-see event is the “Transportation through the Century” parade, which gets underway at noon next Saturday (July 3).
“One mode of transportation for each year from 1899 to 1999–that’s what we’re striving for,” Curtis explained. “It will be done in story form so we’re asking people to go to the grandstand so they can hear the story.”
Of course, they’ll be no shortage of food and drink during the centennial festivities, either, Curtis said, with several community groups taking turns putting on dinners and suppers throughout the weekend.
For a complete listing of all the events, please see the Emo Centennial special edition included with this week’s Times.