Time travel is an impossibility; but anyone who’s interested in finding out what life was like in Ashcroft a century ago can take a virtual trip back in time on Oct. 19. “The Way We Were: Ashcroft and Area in 1914” is a look back at the people, places, and events that shaped our community.
The two-hour event, taking place at the Community Hall on Bancroft St., will tell the story of our area in presentations, skits, and songs. How did people dress in 1914? What did they do? What entertainment was available to them? What was on their minds? What was happening in Ashcroft, and beyond, that affected their lives and helped create the town we know today?
Kathy Paulos, Curator of the Ashcroft Museum, will discuss what was happening here in 1914, what the town looked like, and how it was changing. Colleen Bick, from the Walhachin Museum, will talk about fashions of the time, and the profound changes that Walhachin underwent in 1914. Councillor Helen Kormendy will discuss the effect the outbreak of World War I had on our community. And members of the Winding Rivers Arts and Performance Society will present a series of skits that will allow the audience to eavesdrop on the conversations of Ashcroft residents in 1914, as they discuss the events—large and small—going on around them. Taken from stories in the Ashcroft Journal, these skits show that what concerned people 100 years ago are many of the same things we still talk about today (commenting on bad roads, and complaining about burning within village limits, are definitely not new).
There will also be songs, giving the audience a chance to sing along with period favourites such as “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”, “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag”, and of course “The Maple Leaf Forever”. Period-appropriate refreshments will be served, and there is no admission charge.
So on Sunday, Oct. 19 come down to the Ashcroft Community Hall at 2 pm and celebrate “The Way We Were”. It’s the closest thing to time travel you can experience!
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