A hundred years of history will roll into Central Alberta this weekend.
United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. is marking its centennial year with the help of a travelling exhibit called History In Motion. Packed inside a 16-metre-long trailer, the display includes interactive and educational displays, games, videos and other items that chronicle the 100-year history of the UFA.
“There are a variety of artefacts, from cookbooks to oil cans to things that you would have found in your grocery store in the 1930s or ‘40s, because UFA did run grocery stores way back when,” said Carolyn Foard, history co-ordinator for the United Farmers Historical Society.
Foard said History In Motion, which has been travelling the province the past few years, is helping raise the public’s awareness of the role the UFA has played in Alberta’s development.
“It’s the history of the shaping of Alberta, because it talks about the role of the UFA in bringing in infrastructure like roads.”
The UFA governed the province for 14 years, she pointed out, promoting things like women’s rights and a health department.
The UFA came into existence on Jan. 14, 1909, motivated in large part by the economic needs of farmers. It became a political party in 1919 and held power from 1921 to 1934.
Today, the UFA operates four business units: agriculture, petroleum, construction and lifestyle retail. It has more than 110,000 members.
The History In Motion trailer will be at the Red Deer Farm and Ranch Supply Store in Burnt Lake Business Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other activities there will include live music and face-painting, with beef-on-a-bun served.
The trailer will move on to the Pine Lake Country Fair and Sports Days on Sunday, where it will be open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission to the History In Motion trailer is free.
Foard said the trailer’s contents are customized for each community, with historical photos from the region displayed.