(Originally published in TOURISM)
The year 2008 marks British Columbia's 150th anniversary. That's not all; the same year is also the 200th anniversary of Simon Fraser’s and David Thompson’s journeys of exploration. The organizers of the BC 2008 celebrations are well aware of how opportunities sometimes arise out of the most simple of commemorations. Secretariat executive director Charles Parkinson knows it, and so, apparently, do Tourism Minister Stan Hagen and Premier Gordon Campbell.
“The Premier himself came up with the concept of creating what he calls Spirit Squares," says Parkinson. "These are outdoor gathering places in communities where people can come together in the spirit of celebration – not for just 2008 but with a view to the future as well." He continues: "Is there a place in your community that is a natural gathering place for people? It could be at the waterfront, downtown, in a park, where communities can go to celebrate what nourishes them.”
BC 2008 earmarked $20 million for the initiative and received 132 applications from communities around British Columbia. These are currently being evaluated by a panel of landscape architects, community planners and design specialists.
“We have really struck a chord, it seems. Many communities seek a physical heart for their sense of place. This heart may become the Spirit Square. All we are doing is providing tools to shape it a bit more.”
Parkinson hopes the tourism industry will capitalize on the celebrations in the works for the province’s 150th birthday: "The Olympics are coming in 2010. And there is more; we are working with the North American Indigenous Games, which are being held in the Cowichan Valley in 2008. An estimated 6,000 athletes and 3,000 cultural performers will attend, so we wanted to come up with an original way of bringing the Games to all the people of BC.”
Organizers decided on an aboriginal version of the torch relay, Parkinson explains. “We are commissioning a totem pole from various aboriginal artists (and their apprentices, who will get valuable training in the process), and its creation will take the form of an interactive exhibition.”
The pole will be selected and the design conceived in traditional fashion, and the monumental sculpture will travel to different communities throughout the province, where people will be invited to carve a piece of the pole before it moves on. Since the totem pole – indigenous to aboriginal peoples of the Pacific Northwest – traditionally represented the history of a particular family or tribe and served as a reminder of its ancestry, this collaborative effort is a fitting symbol of the unification of the communities and regions of BC over the last 150 years.
"In the end, as many as 10,000 people will have contributed to the project. Everyone who participates may keep the shavings as a souvenir and will sign the book of artists, to be put on display alongside the totem,” adds Parkinson. "The pole will eventually make its way to Prince Rupert and be integrated into Tribal Journeys, a celebration of indigenous nations' maritime heritage and one of the most prominent cultural events associated with the North American Indigenous Games. Tribal Journeys of 2008 is slated to be the largest ever, with up to 80 traditional ocean‑going canoes taking part."
The canoe regatta, with symbolic totem pole on board, will travel down the coast, picking up more vessels along the way. As Parkinson describes it, canoes – with participants in full regalia – will come across the Strait of Georgia and gather at the mouth of Cowichan Bay. There they will be invited ashore to receive a traditional Coast Salish welcome. The raising of the pole, equivalent to the lighting of the torch, will be an integral part of the opening ceremonies and will be presented by the people of BC to the people of the Cowichan Tribes.
In elaborating the program for BC 2008, Parkinson and his team identified success factors, taking inspiration from Alberta’s and Saskatchewan’s centennials, the Lewis and Clark Bicentennials, Millennium celebrations, Expo 86 and even Canada’s 125th birthday celebration. “It is not just something that you can 'Google'," says Parkinson. "We made our way through the literature, and realized that communities had to feel a sense of ownership and participation in these celebrations. It is also about communications, marketing, and especially about getting your story out there. We saw there was value in building on our pride and identity. We thought ‘if we are trying to double our tourism revenue, how can we make history come alive for people? How do we engage our community across generations and cultures?”
Parkinson’s group adopted a number of compelling solutions, one of which calls for the re‑commissioning of the Royal Hudson, a completely refurbished 1930s‑era steam locomotive that would go around the province to interpret the multiple ways by which railways influenced the province.
“The Royal Hudson will pull seven cars, the first three of which will be vintage cars featuring a traveling exhibit telling the story of the province, produced by the Royal BC Museum. The next 3 cars will be passenger cars citizens will be able to board and ride under steam from point A to B. There may be people in period costumes and storytellers in the cars, representing different periods of BC’s history. The final car will be one of those classic old‑fashioned entertainment cars, so when the train stops overnight in communities, it can host receptions and other events."
At the moment, Parkinson says three themed itineraries being developed: “the Gold Rush Trail will run all the way up to northern BC; the Confederation Route will take the rail procession east to the Kootenays; and the third will see the cars ferried on a barge to Vancouver Island so they can proceed along the Heritage Route.”
Parkinson emphasizes that these ideas are not his or his Secretariat’s. “They come from citizens around the province and from various meetings. Our belief is that history was written locally and it needs to be celebrated locally. The economy is strong, unemployment is low, the resource sector is booming, Vancouver 2010 is coming; there is a genuine feeling in British Columbia that we have much to celebrate, and 2008 gives us that opportunity!”
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