Chilliwack has always had a soft spot for its little downtown.
Heritage Chilliwack Society volunteers spent part of Sunday morning preparing a special display of archival parade photos at the Royal Hotel for Heritage Week Feb. 16-22.
"People are definitely interested in what we were doing," said Laura Reid, president of Heritage Chilliwack.
Even as volunteers were putting them up in the windows of the Royal Hotel, on-lookers were drawn to the historic images.
Parades have attracted people downtown for decades as a way to celebrate and to commemorate important community events, said Reid. In keeping with the Heritage Week theme 'Main Street At the Heart of the Community” the local group is encouraging every one to drop by and check out the display.
"My favourite photo is a parade of girls marching down Wellington. They're in white dresses but several are carrying lacrosse sticks. The photo is from 1904," she said. "It's really a striking image."
In addition to downtown parade images, courtesy of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, are some historical photographs of the Royal Engineers Band, displayed in the lobby of the hotel and on loan from CFB Chilliwack Historical Society’s Museum on Hocking Avenue.
Heritage Chilliwack is a volunteer-run, community-based initiative established to engage, advocate for and promote Chilliwack’s heritage. Incorporated in August 2014 Heritage Chilliwack Society’s first community project follows a successful inaugural meet and greet and task force meeting, both held in January where members signed up to work on heritage related projects.
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
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