Kicking off on August 9, the Village of Carbon will be celebrating its past; the rich history that made the community what it is today.
“Carbon is a very active fun community, just about every month we have something going on here and there’s so much support. This is why we need to celebrate,” said Donna Hay, chairman of the Carbon Hall Board.
Thursday evening, events will begin in the Carbon Community Centre featuring a souvenir booth, the “Carbon Stars,” on the wall of fame, and a chance to catch up with friends and family all weekend long.
Friday’s festivities
Rising with the birds on Friday morning, starting at 10 a.m, a traditional Stampede Breakfast will be held. Line dancing demonstrations will be taking place during breakfast, opportunities will be given to have your picture taken with “Harry the Horse,” and the antics of the Batter Boys will be going on as they serve up some golden pancakes and sausage.
Following the morning meal, guests can venture over to the Farmer’s Exchange Museum to enjoy coffee or tea, view the garden and take in a special presentation of two real-life Carbon murder mysteries.
Throughout the weekend tours of the three churches in Carbon and a photo presentation at the school will be held, inviting guests to “walk” through the last 100 years of history in the village.
Guests are invited to check out the Carbon Lions Centennial Park. Personalized paver stones, consisting of historical family names, is sure to take you for a walk down memory lane.
Starting at 4 p.m, the curling rink will be hosting the All-Star Centennial Stage, for the two-day music festival. The Molson Canadian beer gardens will also be open at this time. The Carbon Municipal Library Board will be serving up some chili at the curling rink as well.
Rob Hudec will initially take the stage, serenading crowds with blues and rock music. Starting at 9 p.m, the Thoz Guyz, a tribute band out of Red Deer, will be rocking crowds with everything from Bob Seger to AC/DC.
Saturday’s soirée
The Carbon Hall Board/Legion will be serving up a free breakfast from 8-10 a.m, and any donations made will be graciously accepted.
Operating throughout the day, a train carrier will be provided to transport guests back and forth to each venue, free of charge.
The Centennial Parade judging will begin at 10 a.m, and the parade will start at 11 a.m. Carbon invites families, past or present, to gather all the generations of their family and be represented in the parade.
Following the parade, people can head over to the All-Star Stage for opening ceremonies and an afternoon of free entertainmet including a hypnotist.
Bouncy castles, games, clowns, balloons, and face painting will be taking place at the Free Kids Fun Zone, located next to the entertainment stage. Throughout the afternoon, the 4-H Club will be running a concession out of the curling rink for guests convenience.
Later on in the evening, the gates will re-open to the music festival. The ZanZee Band will open the show, highlighting the women of rock and country, playing everything from Patsy Cline, Shania Twain to Lady Gaga.
At 9:30 p.m, Canadian country music artist Aaron Lines will take the stage. Once the sun has set, Aaron’s band will take a break so guests can watch the night sky light up with a beautiful explosion of fireworks. Following the display, the band will finish off the rest of the evening.
Sunday finale
Taking place at the hall, the weekend will finish up with a continental breakfast, an interdenominational church service and ATB/T Reed Agencies will be serving up hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch.
“There is a core group of 10 of us that have been working just about 2 years on this project, we are all proud of Carbon’s history. We have logged many hours trying to get the right mix of entertainment and projects to interest all ages,” said Hay.
For more information on Centennial celebrations in Carbon, visit www.villageofcarbon.com. or call the Village Office at (403) 572-3244.
