(below) Twin square pillars at the driveway entrance to the Dashwood Community Centre memorialize Dashwood’s celebration of Canada’s Centennial on July 1, 1967. The pillar on the left displays a plaque commemorating the occasion.
“Dashwood’s 1967 Centennial celebrations were declared the best ever as the sun shone and Saturday’s heavy rains were forgotten. Residents and their guests enjoyed a well planned afternoon and evening of fun and relaxation at Dashwood’s Centennial park next to the community centre. Proceedings got underway with a parade which drew such comments as ‘So good for the size of the town’ and ‘It must have taken some work’ and ‘Everything is so authentic’.
The Forest City Junior Pipe and Drum Corps led the parade which was five blocks long. Ron Braid and Gerald Martene organized the floats and entries. Several vehicles including a horse-drawn hearse were provided by Peter Eisenbach’s Museum at Grand Bend. A special truck supplied by Dashwood Industries was running between Grand Bend and Dashwood toting parade displays. Also from Grand Bend the Shriners rode on an old fire-truck.
Dashwood Cubs and Scouts, the Dashwood majorettes and the Dashwood Band reorganized especially for the occasion made appearances in the parade. Children on decorated bicycles and tricycles and several floats which later took part in the pageant added colour and period atmosphere.
Official opening ceremonies at the park had speakers, R.E. McKinley, M.P. for Huron, James Hayter, Reeve of Stephen Township, Clifford Salmon, General Chairman of the Centennial celebrations and Harold “Bud” Schroeder, Village Trustee. Unveiling the plaque on the new Centennial posts was Mrs. Lucinda McIsaac, who is the oldest Dashwood citizen able to be out. Cutting the ribbon to the park were Mrs. Mary Martene and Mrs. Susan Merner, all three ladies were over 90.
Alvin Walper was narrator for the pageant written by myself (Mrs. Irvin Rader). I had spent many hours searching old files, newspapers and questioned life-long residents, especially Edward Nadiger who spent hours each day with me. When he was tired, he would say ‘come again tomorrow’. Together, we went back to the early years following the arrival of the Fried brothers when Dashwood was Friedsburg.
During the pageant scenes from the past mounted on flat racks or trucks were drawn into place before the crowd. Some appearing were Mr. and Mrs. Donald Gaiser and family and Mr. and Mrs. Howard Datars and family portraying the Christian family of the past, with Rev. Merrill James arriving on horseback as was often the mode of transportation for pastors a century ago. Mrs. Letta Taylor, former school teacher with a class of students depicted early education in Dashwood. E.R. Guenther, Dashwood postmaster for over 40 years and son Lloyd with [a] Post Office float. Dr. Harvey Cowan, Exeter dentist, who once had an office in Dashwood; Aaron Restemayer, barber, with his first customer of 35 years ago, Melvin Restemayer; Mrs. Lucinda McIsaac, first telephone operator, who with her husband Peter operated the first telephone office in the village; Edmund Kraft, at one time operator of the butcher shop assisted by Henry Becker and Louis Zimmer, blacksmith, on a float with a chestnut tree for shade (as per poem). The committee in charge of the pageant were Mrs. Letta Taylor, Rev. James, Rev. Earl Steinman, and myself.
A sports committee headed by Ron Merner, President of the Men’s Club entertained the children with races and other contests. Following a picnic supper in the park with free coffee served by the Dashwood Women’s Institute an evening interdenominational worship service was conducted with music provided by a mass choir from the two churches.”
extracted from “Friedsburg-Dashwood 1860-1985” by Mary (Patterson) Rader, 1985; pgs. 49-51 ;ISBN 0-9692115-0-3