Remember when? (August 31)

A look back on what's happened in the Columbia Valley over the past 50 years for the week of August 31.

September 2

September 2

50 years ago: The opening ceremonies of the East Kootenay Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, which were quite a highlight at the Fall Fair that year, were particularly impressive due to the presence of Lieutenant-Governor, Major-General G.R. Pearkes.

45 years ago: David Thompson Secondary School Student Marion Staal won $1,150 in scholarships. She was awarded the Norman McKenzie UBC Alumni Scholarship, a B.C. government scholarship and two local scholarships for making an 84.25 per cent grade in four government exams.

40 years ago: The Invermere and Westside Improvement District Centennial project was opened officially following a community picnic at the beach.

MP Douglas Stewart opened the ceremony for the Athalmer and Invermere project with greetings from the federal government and the first half of the federal grant.

35 years ago: The Sears store in Invermere was broken into. The report was called in when residents in an upstairs apartment heard a window break. The RCMP managed to catch the man, from Ottawa, who had caused the disturbance.

28 years ago: OK Tire Store opened in Invermere across from Lake Windermere Auto Parts in the industrial subdivision. The store, then owned by Glen McCarger and John Ward, would specialize in Michelin, B.F. Goodrich and Arcan tires.

25 years ago: Twenty students from Radium and 40 students from Canal Flats were pulled from School District No. 4 in protest of the new changes the schools in both locations were going through, namely that Radium Elementary would be turned into a primary school, and that the Canal Flats high school be turned into an elementary school.

20 years ago: A Calgary man who went canoeing  was presumed to have drowned in the Columbia River north of Invermere. RCMP and emergency volunteers spent two days searched for the 40-year-old man after his empty canoe was found five kilometres north of Athalmer.

15 years ago: The old David Thompson Secondary School building, abandoned when the new DTSS building was built, was the topic of discussion for the District of Invermere.

The District had put forth an offer to buy the school to use as a joint-use building.

10 years ago: A Home Hardware store opened in Canal Flats. The “ribbon” cutting was done with a different flair — instead, village resident John Tilley cut a chain to announce the store’s opening.

5 years ago: Bubba Sam, driving a bright yellow bog truck dubbed the Rez-E-Rec-Shun, organized a mud race on the Shuswap Indian Reserve near Dry Gulch. The races drew a large crowd who enjoyed the action from a safe distance on the side track.