For about 23 years, a Games time capsule has been sitting at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
Executive director Donna Hateley who has worked at the museum for about 20 years always knew of the capsule, but did not know the contents inside, until last month.
She said the time capsule from the 1995 Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie was entrusted with the museum. The capsule was to be opened the next time an Alberta community hosted the Canada Winter Games.
Items in the AGT (Alberta Government Telephones) Spirit of Alberta March of Champions Time Capsule were collected by the 1995 Canada Winter Games torchbearers as they travelled through 16 Alberta communities on their way to the Games in Grand Prairie.
“The time capsule basically followed the torch relay, which went through 16 communities,” said Hateley Tuesday.
The time capsule was unveiled Jan. 15 and is on display at the museum for the next couple months.
The museum along with the 2019 Canada Winter Games committee are working together to create the MNT time capsule from the 2019 Games. It will then be sealed until the next time winter games comes to the province. Until such time, the time capsule will find a home at the museum.
Hateley said the Games time capsule is a first not just for Alberta, but also Canada.
“It’s the first-ever time capsule that we’ve known throughout the Canada Games whether it’s summer or winter… we’re the only province that has done a time capsule and going forward with one,” she explained.
The exhibit on display contains a “Spirit of Alberta” torch with the names of the 16 communities engraved including Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton, Jasper, Vegreville and Lethbridge including others. Other contents include civic cards and pins, telephone directory and a sealed mystery Ukrainian egg. A dinosaur pin is also part of the display.
Every community also donated a banner signed by some of the people who live there. The Red Deer banner is on display at the museum.
“So everyone that signed that back in 1995 can come and try their signature on this banner.”
Central Albertans and visitors are encouraged to drop by to look at Alberta’s history from the previous Games.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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