User Story

By Heather Riddell

It was the summer of 1967 when we returned to Canada for a holiday; specifically to Edmonton, Alberta. My parents’ roots were in the Edmonton area, but we had been living in Nicaragua. My father was a hard-rock mining engineer, which is a difficult field to pursue in oil-rich Alberta. We were here for Canada Day, complete with fireworks, my father’s birthday, and Klondike Days. Edmonton was infused with a festive air!

All of us cousins were thrilled to see our parents dress in Klondike-style clothing—long dresses, hair swooped up with feathers accessorizing it, sparkly vests and arm bands—but also a little melancholy as we waved good-bye and our parents left for a night on the town. A couple of days later, my grandmother invited my older sister and me to go downtown with her. We looked at each other and giggled when we heard “downtown.” We left her home, walked to a bus stop (even crossing at traffic lights) and caught a trolley bus. I couldn’t help but exclaim over and over about the number of houses, the size of the sky scrapers, the number of people out on the sidewalks and the buses too. I was agog! This was pretty heady stuff for a 7 year old who had been living in a town of about 60 people and attending a class of 4 students in grades 1-4!

My grandmother had some shopping to do at the Hudson’s Bay Store. After she finished, she asked us what we would like. This was a rare question for us, so we were a somewhat slow in answering. She suggested that we each pick out a souvenir t-shirt. What to do? There were so many. Finally, after much deliberation my sister chose a shirt with the Centennial logo and I chose one with Klondike Mike leaning on a pick ax—a perfect symbol for Klondike Days. Even now, whenever I am around 118 Avenue and 124 Street where my grandparents lived or downtown by the old Bay building, this is the memory that floats through my mind— the excitement, the bustle, the bus ride and Klondike Mike!

Although Klondike Days has all but vanished and Edmonton has grown and grown and grown since 1967, it remains a vibrant city of festivals. A city that you can belong to and participate in; a city of promise and excitement!