One he pointed out was Manitoba’s Mal Juravsky, who has not been at the Garden in 50 years since he inscribed the inspiring messages on the Peace Chapel walls.
Chapman has only been on the job for a couple of months and this was his first major event. There were a few challenges in making the anniversary work, but he said it would help them in the future.
“It was a good learning experience for me and the staff. We really are trying to attract people, to get people to come here. We really want to make people feel included.”
Music performances, children’s entertainment and a presentation from Manitoba’s Burrowing Owl Recovery Program, including Ko’Ko the owl, were included in the weekend. On Sunday there was the official opening ceremony with several dignitaries giving greetings and sharing experiences.
Rob Nedotiafko, Director of Manitoba Parks and Protected Spaces has always shown great interest in the Peace Garden. He said everyone was well aware of the history and purpose of the space, a landscape set aside to mark the friendship between two neighbours, Canada and the United States. It has now been 85 years since an estimated 50,000 people came to the spot to mark its dedication with the laying of a cairn. He also remembered his first trip there in 1975.
“All the beauty,” Nedotiafko explained, “the colourful gardens, the sprawling landscapes, the waterways, the facilities, as mentioned - that memory still stands vividly in my mind.”
For 85 years, he continued, the Garden has been creating positive experiences for the many visitors who come. It is these future experiences of people that must be preserved in the Peace Garden.
Brandon-Souris MLA Larry Maguire knows the Peace Garden well, coming from the area and having attended the Legion Athletic Camp and having kids at the International Music Camp. As well, his grandparents attended the opening and he has pictures of the event.
Maguire said although both nations have grown in different ways over the many decades since 1932, the friendship and peaceful relations remain. As he was speaking, meetings were being held between Midwest US states and Canadian western provinces. The Peace Garden is a place “for growing our youth” and giving them friends for a lifetime. As well, he mentioned those who made the attraction what it is.
“I want to commend the many hundreds of volunteers over the years that have worked so hard to make the Peace Garden a reality,” Maguire stated. “Without you and the cooperation between Manitoba and North Dakota, none of this would be possible. Let me remind all of you how important it is to take time out of our busy lives to gather with our neighbours, whether it is to the north or to the south, to continue to build on this friendship.”
As well as the dignitaries, who also included Peace Garden Vice-President Dorothy Dobbie and Director of North Dakota Parks Melissa Baker, two letters from American government officials were read out. Kaitlyn Weidert read one from North Dakota Representative Kevin Cramer while Chapman read the other from Senator John Hoeven. The Garden also honoured four employees for their long periods of service, being as Chapman said, the “backbone” of the operation. Both Deb McCallum and Keith Burton are in their 27th year at the Peace Garden, while Connie Lagerquist at 30 years and Rodney Lagerquist at 42 years, have contributed for even longer.
“It was great to be able to recognize them,” Chapman said. “Their jobs are behind the scenes but they have contributed so much here.”
Chapman said everything is going well at the Peace Garden overall, with the staff putting in a lot of hard work to get everything together, and him learning as he goes. They are working on the planning for the pre-9/11 5km run/walk for September 8, as well as bringing together communities from both sides of the border. He said the 85th was important to celebrate.
“It’s to remind people that we are striving for international peace, to not just be a monument, but to bring people in to discuss the issues we represent.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff