Construction of a new bandshell in Petrolia’s Victoria Park isn’t quite finished, but the town’s 150th anniversary committee went ahead anyway Saturday with a ribbon-cutting for the community legacy project.
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Rain in the morning moved the speeches and most of the event inside nearby Victoria Hall.
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Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley called the project “a testament to the hard work” of many individuals and town organizations.
“I’m proud of this legacy project,” he said. “Like the previous space, I know it will resonate with our community for many years as a place for families to gather on warm summer evenings” and “where musicians can share their talents, and where memories can be woven into the fabric of our community .”
A committee organizing the town’s year-long 150th anniversary celebrations in 2024 was looking for a legacy project and “wanted something the whole community can enjoy,” said Laurissa Ellsworth, Petrolia’s director of marketing, arts and communications.
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Victoria Park, next to Victoria Hall, had an existing bandshell but “we were almost replacing it anyway,” with the amount of maintenance and repairs that needed to be done in recent years, she said.
The new bandshell will feature a larger and accessible concert stage.
Ellsworth said the old stage often had to be extended with sheets of plywood to handle events.
The replacement will also have LED lighting and an improved sound system, as well as accessible public washrooms that will save the town from having to rent port-a-potties each summer.
Over the years, the bandshell has been used for church services, concerts, dance recitals and many other events in the park that sits in the center of Petrolia’s downtown, Ellsworth said.
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The legacy project will cost about $430,000 with the municipality paying about one half and the committee fundraising the other half, she said.
Saturday, the committee thanked several service clubs and other local organizations which have contributed.
“We’re very grateful,” Ellsworth said.
The project is expected to be completed by early June and be available when Petrolia hosts a town cri contest June 14 to 16 on the same Father’s Day weekend the RCMP Musical Ride is scheduled to perform in Petrolia.
The 150th celebrations began with a gala Jan. 1 and committee members have been showing up regularly at community events with free anniversary cupcakes, which were also set out for Saturday’s event.
The anniversary celebration also includes special events organized to mark the 150th year since Petrolia became a town.
A Hard Oil Music Festival will be held Aug. 15 to 18 in Greenwood Park. So far, the committee has announced headliners Josh Ross and The Sam Roberts Band, with another announcement expected “in the next week or so,” Ellsworth said.
Festival tickets are first being sold to town residents before being offered to the public.
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