Looking Back - 1997: Neepawa's first Lily Festival
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- Published on Wednesday, July 19, 2017
By Cecil Pittman
The Neepawa Press
80 years ago: Tuesday, July 13, 1937
Doctor H. H. Hutchinson recently installed in his office two instruments of latest design to be used in his practice. One is a Diathermy, which is used for electrical treatments, and the other is a Victor X-ray with fluoroscope and attachments. The fluoroscope enables the operator to make X-ray examinations without a plate.
70 years ago: Thursday, July 17, 1947
So far, no authentic reports have been received as to flying saucers being seen in the vicinity of Neepawa, but the old cynic says there will be more crockery than saucers flying if a little more discretion is not used in some of the Saturday night extra - marital romances. The ice is really thin in July.
60 years ago: Thursday, July 25, 1957
The Gladstone community celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Towns’ incorporation last week and a large number of Neepawa residents journeyed to the friendly Manitoba centre to join in the festivities. Some of the local citizens who went to Gladstone once resided in that town. The largest Neepawa contingent probably made the trip Thursday, when the big parade was the feature of the five day pioneer pageant. The hundreds of spectators which lined the downtown streets Thursday morning were rewarded with a colourful spectacle which would have been a credit to the city. Officials who were in charge of the Gladstone event planned well for this highlight of the anniversary week and they are to be congratulated on the success of the undertaking.
50 years ago: Tuesday, July 18, 1967
Two teachers from the Beautiful Plains School Division area who left Manitoba in 1964 for teaching assignments in developing countries have been transferred to other areas. They are Oalfur A. Olson, of Neepawa, who recently completed his three year assignment in Nigeria and who will teach at Teso College in Oloet, Soroti, Uganda, during the coming school term and Beverley D. Randall of Eden, who completed his three year assignment at Tanzania College in Kingston, Jamaica during 1967-1968. Among these are seven Manitoba teachers selected this year for assignments starting this fall and 16 others selected in the past years who will continue their assignment in countries such as Uganda, Jamaica, Ghana and Kenya.
40 years ago: Thursday, July 14, 1977
The siren that went off on Monday afternoon startling people downtown and calling out the Neepawa Fire Department, turned out to be a false alarm reported by kids to the wrong authorities. The apparent cause of panic was a disconnector that had burnt up and the door on the mechanism was swaying back and forth in the wind and blowing rain, which caused an electrical arc when it came in contact with the power source. This disconnection put out one phase of the feeder line that serviced the East View Lodge and a few businesses on the east side of Mountain Avenue, including the Neepawa Press building. In order for Manitoba Hydro to repair the burned out disconnector, it was necessary to disconnect the other phase, which left customers on the line without electricity for a total of 20 minutes at two different times in the afternoon. There was no speculation as to the cause of the power failure. Despite the call being a false alarm, it was not a prank and Fire Chief, Alban Guillis, “Would rather be safe than sorry.”
30 years ago: Wednesday, July 15, 1987
Manitoba’s population reached an estimated 1,082,800 as of April 1, 1987, an increase of 7,400 persons over the revised April 1986 level, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent population estimates Minister responsible for the Manitoba Bureau of statistics Len Evans has announced. The recently released population stats show Manitoba with the fourth highest growth rate among other provinces.
20 years ago: Monday, July 21, 1997
Neepawa’s first Lily Festival kicked off today with opening ceremonies at the IOOF Hall, as the building was declared a heritage site. And if all goes well, organizers said there will be something for townspeople and visitors to do everyday of the week. Today’s activities also features tours of the Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast, the opening of Lily Festival headquarters at the Manawaka Gallery, an afternoon tea at the Elks Manor, along with evening bus tours.
10 years ago: Monday, July 16, 2007
Everything is set for the 11th annual Lily Festival - from food to entertainment to venues and volunteers. Only one big question remains - will the lilies be in bloom for the three day event? “That’s something we have to deal with every year,” said Lily Festival president Brent Hunter. “You can’t second guess the weather.” Hunter said although some lilies will likely have finished blooming, there should be enough full colour to provide a feast for the eyes.
