Celebrating the Centennial

To celebrate Alberta's centennial, there has been a large number of events, awards, projects, and scholarships for Alberta's youth.

The Heritage Community Foundation is creator of the Alberta Online Encyclopedia. This collection of over 30 Heritage and 13 “Edukit” sites is a media rich source for culture, education, history, nature, science and technology. To see the the Online Encyclopedia go to http://www.albertasource.ca/

When the call went out for an Alberta Song, there were over 300 submissions. The winning song was selected and recorded in different styles, copied on CDs, and sent out to every school, library, and music association in Alberta. To showcase Alberta's talent on the national stage, the provincial government with the support of Epcor staged Alberta Scene, an event held in Ottawa between April 28 and May 10, 2005.

On May 23, celebrations began with the Alberta Centennial Kick-off Party, a program that included entertainers like Tommy Banks, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Ian Tyson, Oscar Lopez, Corb Lund, and the Trincan Steel Band, to name a few.

Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Alberta in May. On May 24, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave the Provincial Museum of Alberta the designation of the Royal Alberta Museum. The Royal Alberta Museum was given $150 million to rebuild, with twice as much space.

The official birthday for Alberta was September 1, with a massive celebration that included communities across the province. The celebrations included gala concerts and massive fireworks displays. Over 500 events were organized with the assistance of 105 appointed Centennial Ambassadors.

The Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan, provides $500 toward a Registered Education Savings Plan for children that were either born or adopted by residents of Alberta in or after 2005. The Human Rights and Multiculturalism Scholarship of $10,000 was granted in recognition of a graduate student in an Alberta school who is pursuing an area of study which contributes to the advancement of cultural diversity, human rights, and multiculturalism. Another award called the Century Farm and Ranch Award was given to Albertan families who have owned and operated the same land for 100 or more years. Special awards were given to 100 Albertans who made exceptional contributions to the building of sports and recreation in Alberta.

A Commemorative Alberta Centennial Medallion was given to Kindergarten through Grade 12 students, while a gold medallion was presented to all Albertans who are 100 years or older. To recognize those Albertans who have made extraordinary contributions, 8,000 Alberta Centennial Medals were awarded. As well, the Royal Canadian Mint produced an Alberta Centennial Quarter in the summer of 2005.

The Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary invited Albertans to participate in their My Most Memorable Teacher: Centennial Story Project by submitting stories about memorable teachers. Other organizations like Shell Canada offered the Spirit of the Future Awards, scholarships given to Albertans between 16 and 25 who have made a significant contribution through education and volunteer activities.

	Alberta had lots of celebrating to do by the time 2005 came along. Catch some of the Centennial spirit in this video by Travel Alberta entitled "Celebrating 100 Years - Ready, Set, Celebrate". Go to the Alberta Economic Development webpage and scroll down to the appropriate title to see the video. [Watch]

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Celebrating the Centennial