Friday, April 20, 2012 10:30 am | Galt Museum & Archives

In attendance:

Rick Merrick, President Lethbridge & District Labour Council

Leslie Hall, Community Program Coordinator, Galt Museum & Archives

Wendy Aitkens, Curator, Galt Museum & Archives

Members of the Labour History Committee

WHAT:         Old Fashioned Picnic in the Park (Theme of 1912)

WHEN:         Saturday, May 5, 2012

WHERE:       Galt Gardens

DETAILS:

·         A parade of unions ending in Galt Gardens will signal the start of the picnic

·         Beef buns, hotdogs, potato salad, ice cream, old fashioned lemonade

·         Cotton candy, popcorn and shaved ice carts, water stands

·         Face painting

·         Music from the 1900’s by the University of Lethbridge Gold and Silver Bands

·         Additional entertainment by the Bamboo Guppies

·         Galt Museum & Archives Saturdays at 1:00 program brings old-fashioned games to the park from 1:00-4:00 pm [free]

BACKGROUNDER:

Unions invite public to old-time celebration picnic

Lethbridge and District Labour Council sponsor old-time family picnic as part of 100 years anniversary celebration of the founding of the Alberta Federation of Labour

LETHBRIDGE — Private and public sector unions invite the public to join in a free, family-fun old-fashioned picnic on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at Galt Gardens.

This event is of special significance to the labour movement in Southern Alberta as the founding meeting of the Alberta Federation of Labour was held in Lethbridge in 1912, when a group of railway workers, miners, farmers, typographers and tradespeople met to unite in the struggle for better wages, safe working conditions and political reform.

 “We’re proud to come together and celebrate our rich history,” says Lethbridge and District Labour Council president Rick Merrick. “Unions have always been an important part of Alberta’s communities and we want our neighbours to share in this fun family celebration.”

Any donations received on this day will be given to the Lethbridge Food Bank.

Other Lethbridge events celebrating the 100th anniversary include a multi-media concert “Trouble Makers” by labour activist Maria Dunn on Friday, May 4 at the Galt Museum & Archives. Dunn will combine contemporary folk songs about labour history in Alberta with archival footage from the Provincial Archives. Limited tickets will be released to the public on Friday, April 20 at 10:00 am, and are only available by contacting Leslie Hall at the Galt Museum at 403.320-4700.

 In addition, the Galt is preparing the “Alberta Federation of Labour Centennial” exhibit [May 3 to October 8] that will include the story of labour in Alberta, posters and certificates from local activities and related artifacts. This exhibit is presented with the Alberta Labour History Institute and community labour representatives.

 The Galt’s Saturdays at 1:00 family program moves to the park for the afternoon with three-legged races and other old-fashioned picnic games – admission is free!

For more information on the Alberta Federation of Labour Centennial, visit: 

http://www.afl.org/index.php/About-AFL/project-2012-celebrating-100-years-of-labour-in-alberta.html