The centennial celebrations in Delia were given a boost with a huge donation from some of the community’s alumni.
The Golden Flashbacks Reunion Committee, a group comprising Delia High School students who graduated in 1959, donated $1,780.77 to the centennial celebrations, which are scheduled for August 2 and 3, 2014.
“They figured they were old enough that they wouldn’t have another class reunion. So, they donated their reunion fund,” said Stan Marshall. “It’s pretty good to have support coming in, we’re pleased so far, that’s for sure.”
The Delia Centennial Committee has also received $2,450 from Tera Environmental Consultants, Calmena Energy Services, Drumheller Bank of Montreal Staff, and Alta Gas Utilities to date.
Planning for the centennial has been ongoing since summer last year, but fundraising for the big weekend has only just begun.
“We’ve been working at it for a couple months. We’ve got a few pretty good donations so far and hopefully we get more,” said Marshall.
Delia Centennial Committee Chair Stan Marshall (left) and Mayor John Rogers (right) accept a $1,780.77 donation from Barry McLeod, chair of the Golden Flashbacks Reunion Committee. The donation is one of the first received in the two month old fundraising campaign.
There isn’t a fundraising goal, but Marshall feels the more donations, the easier it will be to accomplish everything being planned. So far, the budget is roughly $150,000.
“We’re trying to get a handle on how much we need, so we can figure out how much to charge for registrations. We’re not trying to make a huge amount of money. If we can cover some of the costs, we’ll be pretty happy with that,” said Marshall.
With over a year to go until the centennial weekend in Delia, a host of events and projects are currently being planned. One project aims to spruce up the village in time for the weekend.
“We’re hoping to get some murals and finishing our cenotaph for its grand opening. It’s something to decorate the town. Communities in Bloom is working to pretty up our town for next year. The Ag Society and Elks are working on our campground to get it landscaped next year,” said Marshall.
For murals, the Delia Centennial Committee has tasked a group to come up with designs that would express the village’s spirit.
Anyone interested in helping plan the centennial is encouraged to contact the Delia Village Office at 403-364-3787.
“We’ve been at it for just over a year and it went by pretty fast. We’ve got another 14 months, but that doesn’t seem like very long,” said Marshall. “We could always use more volunteers. More hands make the work a lot lighter.”
