Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Село спадщини української культури

Centennial Celebrations for East Central Alberta Families

Edmonton – Families from across Canada converged to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village on Sunday, August 12, 2007 to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of their ancestors’ immigration to East Central Alberta. In addition to honouring these families, it is an opportunity to celebrate Ukrainian Day.  Everyone is welcome to celebrate all things Ukrainian including a “A Taste of Ukraine” food fair, a musical concert, and various exhibits and displays in and around the historic village. 

Now in its fifth year, the Centenary Pioneer Recognition Program honours all pioneer families, Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian alike, who immigrated to East Central Alberta between the years 1891 and 1914.  Those families who are eligible under this program are recognized each year with a Centenary Certificate, presented at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in August.

Since 2005, applicants have been invited back to the following year’s Ukrainian Day celebrations to witness the formal unveiling of their ancestors’ names on bronze plaques on the Centenary Monument.  In many cases, names on the monument represent at least four generations of Albertans who settled in East Central Alberta.

As part of this year’s celebrations, The Honourable Gene Zwozdesky, MLA for Edmonton-Mill Creek, unveiled 425 new names to the Centenary Monument.  During the religious portion of the ceremony, these names were read out as plaques were blessed by the clergy.  With this year’s names, the Centenary Monument now contains 1100 names of pioneer families who immigrated to East Central Alberta in 1906 or earlier.

 The Centenary Pioneer Recognition Program will begin accepting applications for families whose ancestors settled in East Central Alberta in 1908 or earlier.  According to Radomir Bilash, Senior Historian for the Ukrainian Village, the number of applicants to this program will rise over the next several years as many villages and rural communities in east central Alberta commemorate their centennial.  This includes not only railway towns like Mundare, which celebrated it centennial this summer, but also rural communities and school districts as far east as Chornick, Buczacz, Krasnahora, Bohdan, and Slawa.  “With the release of additional homestead lands after 1906 on the north bank of the North Saskatchewan River in the Radway, Smoky Lake and Spedden districts,” says Bilash, “we anticipate that settlers from those communities will also be represented on the Centenary Monument in the upcoming years.”

 Applications are still being accepted from descendants of pioneer families who immigrated to East Central Alberta as far back as 1892, but have only learned about this program now.  Their ancestors’ year of immigration to East Central Alberta will be reflected on the monument as names are added. Applications must be accompanied by copies of any documentation that verifies the pioneer’s year of settlement to East Central Alberta.

The Centenary Pioneer Recognition Program is an annual program that will end in 2014.  Application forms for the 2008 program year can be downloaded from the following:

http://tprc.alberta.ca/museums/historicsiteslisting/ukrainianvillage/centenaryprogram.aspx

For more information about this program, please contact David Makowsky at (780) 431-2324.  Inquiries may also be forwarded to the Centenary Pioneer Recognition Program by e-mail, at

AB-Ukraine.Genealogy@gov.ab.ca, or by mail,

Centenary Pioneer Recognition Program

Old St. Stephen’s College
8820 - 112 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2P8

The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is located 25 minutes east of Edmonton along Highway 16.  For more information call (780) 662-3640 or dial 310-0000 for toll-free access or visit www.tprc.alberta.ca/heritage.