On July 1st, 1927, Merritt celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of The Dominion of Canada, then called Dominion Day, now called Canada Day. As this was the Diamond Jubilee of Canada, meaning the 60th anniversary, this was planned to be quite a large event with a budget of $700, which totals nearly $11,000 in today’s money. Of that $700, $450 of it was given away in prizes for events such as a bike race, a foot race, a relay race, and a tug-of-war, other prizes included things such as best decorated float.
The parade left at 11:45 that morning from the Merritt Public Schoolhouse, according to the Merritt Herald, and were met with hundreds of on lookers as they made their way to the old courthouse. There Mayor Boyd laid a wreath at the cenotaph to honour those who served and died for Canada, and G.B. Armstrong was given the honour of planting a maple tree. This ceremony is included in the photos below. From there the procession moved onto Voght park where proclamations made by both the Governor-General and Premier were read aloud. This was followed by a number of activities including a baseball game, a native horse race, a public dance, and a children’s matinee. The festivities continued onto the following day when a large picnic was held at Lake View Ranch in Nicola followed by the bicycle races, as well as track and field events.
The individuals in the cart are (I believe) some of the early settlers to the Nicola Valley: (in no particular order) A.R. Carringon, G.B. Armstrong, L. Quinville, Mrs. Quinville, Mrs. Philips, Mrs. Farr, Billy Smith, and Jas Smith.
