President’s Message

{May 2013}

A record number of members and guests almost filled the Fort Langley Community Hall for our AGM and excellent pot luck dinner at the end of April. It gave the Board of Directors great pleasure to present awards for the preservation of the Matheson House and the Cummings Residence. A gift was also presented to C.A.R.E.S to assist with the operation of their facility. I wish to thank everyone for their participation in making this such a fine event. A special thank you to Jane Watt for again providing the door prizes.

We welcome Bob Armstrong and Emily Colbourne as new directors to fill the vacancies left by our retiring directors, Shirley McKenzie and Kurt Alberts.

I had the gratifying experience of attending the presentation of a Heritage Advisory Committee plaque by Mayor Jack Froese to the Roderick Cummings residence. The building at 21561 Old Yale Road has been beautifully restored and integrated into the Langley Obstetrics and Gynecology building. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who helped in getting this great project completed.

Fred Pepin LHS President

Inside this

issue

2013 AGM in Review Page 2

Meet the Directors

Page 3

May Day Page 4

Upcoming Events

Page 6

May 2013

Langley Heritage Society

P.O. Box 982 Fort Langley, B.C.

V1M 2S3

Want to

Know More?

Langley Heritage Society is online! Go to

www.langleyheritage.ca for society news,

membership information, photographs, project

updates, our blog and more.

Lost &

Found

If you lost anything at the April AGM, please contact Ro s e m a r y G e n b e r g . P h o n e : 6 0 4 - 5 3 4 - 2 3 3 8

p o v e r t y h i l l @ s h a w. c a

2

2013 AGM in Review

Dr. Phelps, Fred Pepin, Dr. Mah, Dr. Busletta. Photo by Glenn Disney.

Jill Craven, Fred Pepin, Barb Bonnett. Photo by Glenn Disney.

The 2012-2013 season annual general meeting for the Langley Heritage Society was one for the books. With 95 members present, this was our highest attended meeting in the history of the society. Thank you to everyone who came out and contributed an item to the delicious potluck feast.

The society recognized outgoing director Shirley MacKenzie for her many years of dedication and service to the Langley Heritage Society by making her the third honorary director of the Langley Heritage Society; Bob and Bays Blackhall are also honorary directors. There were two heritage conservation awards given this year in the categories of adaptive re-use of a heritage building and conservation of a heritage building. For photos and a history of the winning buildings, please see the society’s blog at http://langleyheritage.wordpress.com.

After many years of hard work and persistence, the Langley M e a d o w s C o m m u n i t y Association received the award for restoration of a heritage building for their work on the 1898 Matheson residence. The home, which is only one of six 19th century farmhouses still standing in Langley Township, is now the home of Wind and Tide Preschool; lucky children!

Drs. Busletta, Mah and Phelps exhibited extraordinary vision when they stepped in to save the 1915 Rod Cummings residence, thus winning the adaptive re-use of a heritage building award. Murrayville residents are lucky to share their community with the newly opened Langley Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic.

3

Meet the directors At the AGM meeting on Friday, April 26th, 2013, Langley Heritage Society members elected two new directors, Bob Armstrong and Emilie Colbourne, to replace outgoing directors Kurt Alberts and Shirley MacKenzie, as well as many of the ‘old hats’. Without further adieu, please meet the Langley Heritage Society Board of Directors. Left to Right: Fred Pepin - President, Emilie Colbourne - Director, Carol Briner - Director, Ted Lightfoot - Director, Bob Armstrong - Director, Mike Frost - Vice President, Lotte Elias - Treasurer, Toots Tucker - Director, Kay McComish - Secretary, Sandra Borger - Director. Langley Heritage Society directors not pictured: Sharon Johnson - Director, Ellen Worrell - Director. Both photographs below courtesy of Glenn Disney.

Thank you Shirley

On May 1st, 2013 there was a lovely luncheon for Shirley MacKenzie, who was made an honorary director of the Langley Heritage Society. Shirley, who served as vice president for many years, retired from the board of directors after 18 years of service (1994-2012). She worked on the Fort Langley walking tour, volunteered at the station for many years, worked on the social committee, and took many of the photos for society displays. Shirley was a wonderful team player and mentor to many.

4

“Looking backwards and

forwards to May Day”

{By Bays Blackhall}

Spring is a wonderful time of the year and one of our best events in the Township of Langley is the Fort Langley celebration of May Day, Queen Victoria’s birthday.

May Day dates back to the Romans who gaily paid homage to spring with May Pole dancing, parades, fairs and the crowning of a fair young May Queen. Today we carry on the tradition in Fort Langley but instead of May 1st as the special day we celebrate on the nearest Monday to the 24th to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday; at her decree I believe.

Fort Langley May Day began 89 years ago when Alex Houston and his wife hosted the party on their property on the river in front of their home (now the restored Houston House) on Allard Crescent. Since then, or at least as long as I can remember, Fort Langley Community Hall has been the center of the festivities.

For many years the Native Daughters Tea was held in the Community Hall and there the elections of the May Queen and the Royal Party took place. It was planned two weeks before May Day and was always a lovely white table cloth affair with a special sale of spring plants and baking.

In the meantime, the elementary schools in the Township were working with special teachers and volunteers to prepare the dancers for ‘dancing around the May Pole’ which is such a wonderful part of the traditional May Day.

On the BIG day the May Queen’s Breakfast was put on at the hall with all the local dignitaries, visitors and the Royal Party in attendance. There was the Queen Mother, a special community matron, Miss Canada, the May Queen, the May Queen elect, the Princesses, the flower girls and the page boys. Our M.C played a valuable role.

At the same time, in recent years, the public has enjoyed a wonderful pancake breakfast put on by the Fort Langley Lions who also have organized the parade which has always been exciting with a large variety of entries and with the Parade Marshall and other dignitaries in special conveyences. The Lions have always been major players in the Fort Langley Scene.

After the ‘Breakfast’ the Royal Party left the Hall and boarded the beautifully decorated float (thanks to the volunteers who borrowed the trailer or flatdeck truck and created a lovely setting for the May Queen and party). With the Queen Mother in a special open car, the float joined the traditional “May Day Parade” over to the fairgrounds. Then there was the Royal procession to the bandstand, accompanied by the RCMP in serge, for the Crowning of the May Queen, the speeches, the jolly May Pole dancing and games; races and rides and fun for all.

5

This year (2013) will mark Langley’s 91st May Day celebration and May Pole dancing in ‘historic’ Fort Langley. Early in May teachers will organize and teach the May Pole dancing, and the May Queen and Royal Party will be selected at the special ‘tea’. On May Day the festivities begin early with the annual Pancake Breakfast put on by the Lions for the public. At 9:30 supervisor Rachel McIntosh and The Royal Party will be breakfasting in our Heritage Hall with Municipal and Federal VIPs at the May Queen’s Breakfast sponsored by the Fort Langley Community Improvement Society and beautifully catered by the St. George’s Church auxiliary. The annual May Day parade, which starts at 11 am, is organized by Russ Townsend and the Lions Club assisted by Yanky Blitstein. Starting up near the Fort the parade winds over to the Fort Langley Park for the crowning of the May Queen and the traditional dancing around the May Poles. The Fort, the Museums, the CN Station and all the villagers will be

involved in special events to make the whole day a memorable one for our families.

1936 May Queen and her entourage. J.W. Berry (left) and Alex Hope can be seen sitting in the back. (L-R): Jean Bodaly, Christine Hassel, Phyllis Sailes (May Queen), Jean Duff, Grace Jones, Laverne Sailes, and Gwen Bowling. Langley Centennial Photo 4870.

Station in review

The CN Station and Langley Heritage Society Info Kiosk outside the Community Hall open May 20th just in time for May Day celebrations. The Fort Langley Artist Group, which celebrates its 20th season, opens on May 11th with the show “Furs, Fins and Feathers.” The show is on until June 15th. From June 22 to July 28 they will be showing “Artists’ Choice / Small Paintings” and August 3 through September 2 will feature “Bugs and Blooms”. Paint-ins for this season will occur on Monday July 1 and September 2.

Langley Heritage

Society 2012-2013

Speaker Schedule

Upcoming Events

{June 22, 23, 24} Sperling Gallery Art Show, by Richard Forbes.

{July 1}

Canada Day at the Langley Centennial Museum. Volunteers welcome, please contact

Fred Pepin at 604-856-5908.

{August 18, 4:00-8:00pm} Pepin Picnic. Please bring a potluck item and a chair; cutlery and plates provided. Please phone

Maureen Pepin at 604-856-8908 to let her know what you will contribute to the potluck.

{September 14 -15}

Campbell Valley Days. Volunteers welcome.

Thank You Supporters!

The Langley Heritage Society wishes to express our gratitude to all of our supporters. We recommend and encourage our members to support these trades people and suppliers.

Clark Drilling Services 604-534-9941

Bob McPherson (Electrician) 604-530-8715

Terry Tokiwa (Plumbing) 604-533-1983

Industrial Plastics & Paint 604-533-6677

A-1 Glass, Aldergrove 604-856-6550

Charlie Ness (Plumbing) 604-626-2911

DJ Hockin Painting and Decorating (Dave) 604-850-8520

6

Members’ meetings occur on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm at historic Milner Chapel, located at 6716 - 216th Street. Stay for social time, coffee & refreshments after.

September 25, 2012 Dr. Molly Ungar 1939 Royal Tour

October 25, 2012 Jasmine Moore

First Nations Basketry

November 2012 Douglas Day Potluck

Tim Watkins Royal Engineers

January 22, 2013

Dr. Lara Campbell Great Depression

February 26, 2013 Michael Kluckner

Vanishing Vancouver

March 26, 2013 Val Patenaude

Albion Ferry Saga

April 26, 2013 AGM

Heritage Awards