Petrolia is calling a long list of special events planned for 2024 “a party 150 years in the making.”
Petrolia is calling a long list of special events planned for 2024 “a party 150 years in the making.”
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The central Lambton County community, built on the discovery of oil in the 1800s, is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its incorporation as a town with a year’s worth of events and celebrations.
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They begin with an official flag raising at Victoria Hall and 11 am on Jan. 1, and a gala celebration that evening inside the town hall with a special performance and presentation. Gala tickets are on sale at the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia box office.
Celebrations throughout the year include special anniversary year events and annual town events with a 150th anniversary twist.
Planning for the anniversary began in 2018, said Denise Thibeault, who chairs the celebration committee.
“We have an awesome committee. . . and it’s all coming together,” she said.
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“The general approach was ‘a little something for everyone,’ ” said Laurissa Ellsworth, the town’s marketing, arts and communications director.
Also, they wanted “affordable, feasible and approachable” activities, she said. “We didn’t want people feeling they couldn’t celebrate with us.”
So, they came up with a variety of events that in January alone include the first of monthly 150 free swims and birthday parties at the town’s YMCA, free movie nights at the playhouse and a free skate, including cupcakes, at the arena.
During annual town events in 2024, 150th committee members will be “popping up” with a “swag table” and free cupcakes “to add to the fun,” Ellsworth said.
Recently, Petrolia’s Black Gold Brewery launched a Petrolia Label collection for its flagship beer, Liquid Gold, featuring historic images from the town’s past.
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A calendar of 150 events went out to town residents recently and information can also be found online at petrolia150.com, where the committee is selling 150th T-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs and other commemorative items.
Other special events include a provincial Town Crier competition in June and something special in August.
“We’re pulling together an event that Petrolia has never seen,” Ellsworth said. “It includes a parade downtown with a Snowbirds flyover and three days of concerts in Greenwood Park.”
The concert will feature well-known acts still to be announced, Ellsworth said. “Petrolia residents. . . can wait all three days for $150.”
August 150th events will include a day “all about kids,” Ellsworth said. “Anything kids want to do, anything they want to eat, anything they want to jump on, they can do it and it’s all free.”
2024 isn’t just the town’s sesquicentennial, it’s also the 150th of the community’s fire service, created by the tiwn council’s first bylaw, passed in 1874, Ellsworth said.
The 150th year will end with a closing party Dec. 31, including fireworks, at the Greenwood Recreation Center and an official anniversary flag-lowering on Jan. 1, 2025.
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