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Embracing Squamish’s past

Culture and Heritage Festival promises fun for the whole family
Ben Lypka/The Chief
Alice Guss leads a weaving class at the Squamish Culture and Heritage Festival at the inaugural festival in 2012.

 

Quest University will be a hub of activity as Squamish embraces its past and looks ahead to the future at the 2014 Squamish Culture and Heritage Festival on May 2 and 3.

The free event, put together by the Squamish Historical Society, will feature student research projects, guest speakers, films, workshops and so much more about the culture and history of Squamish.

It all gets underway on Friday, May 2, at 7 p.m. inside the multi-purpose room at Quest, with guest speakers Dr. Robert Campbell and Bill McLennan addressing two drastically different topics.

Campbell will speak on the history of hotel beer parlours in British Columbia, while McLennan will present his discussion on the images and voices from the St. Michael’s Residential School. 

Action continues on Saturday, May 3, at 9 a.m. with speeches occurring in two different rooms at Quest on a myriad of topics. Pairs of speakers will then host new topics at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The topics are as varied and diverse as the history of Squamish, with Cliff Miller chatting about the history of mountain biking in Squamish and Ellen Grant talking about the role that geography has played in shaping Squamish. Other topics include: the history of the Squamish forest, Whistler and Squamish links, the contributions of Lloyd Ingraham to the Squamish Valley, the history of Sikhs in Squamish, a look at the 100th anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident and also a presentation on tracing the movements of the Squamish Nation through oral history and X-ray archaeology. 

After the talks, two films will be aired, In the Shadow of the Chief and The Diamond Head Chalet, both at 3:30 p.m. The talks and films are planned in either the Quest library or in room L123 in the library building. 

Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend one of two exclusive workshops at the event. Alice Guss will host a weaving and drum-making workshop and Diana Billy hosts a herbal medicine and basket weaving clinic. Both workshops occur from 1 to 3 p.m. on the third floor of the Quest library. All interested are expected to arrive 15 minutes before the workshop to register and there is a cost of $25.

In addition to the talks and workshops, there will be loads of attractions and live entertainment to check out all day on May 3. Special guests include: Squamish Days Loggers Sports representatives, Trevor Mills and his steam engines, the Sea to Sky Singers, musician Cam Salay and Squamish Nation drumming and singing. 

Attendees will also have the chance to win a huge prize pack that includes a night’s stay at the Executive Suites Squamish, day passes to the Squamish Valley Music Festival, Sea to Sky Gondola and Squamish Days Loggers Sports, discounted passes to the Britannia Mine Museum, the West Coast Heritage Railway Park and Whistle Punk Hollow Adventure Golf. The winner will also receive a gift certificate to Devlin Salon, an official Culture and Heritage festival T-shirt and a one-year membership with the SHS.

Drawing for the grand prize package occurs on Saturday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. and the winner must be present to claim the honours. 

For more details on the event, visit www.squamishhistory.ca/#!2014-culture-heritage-festival/cf1w.

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