Parades
Parades were an important part of holiday celebrations in the late 19th and early 20th century. Old Home Weeks were no exception. Parades were entertainment. They also allowed for community participation in the celebration and civic boosterism. Who was not present in a parade is therefore as important as who was, particularly with regard to the grand opening parades which were designed to represent the community. Later in the week, some parades had a particular theme or represented a narrower group. There was one if not two parades every day of OHW.
1925
In 1925 the grand opening parade of OHW on Monday August 3rd was billed as a pageant parade. At the time, pageants were all the rage. There had been a large pageant in Quebec City to celebrate its 300th anniversary in 1908. Towns and cities across the United States and Canada were putting on pageants before the Great War and continued to do so after the war as well. In Ontario, many of the Old Home Week celebrations of the 1920s included a pageant. These required a large outdoor space to stage them and hundreds of volunteers to act in them. A pageant parade would not require as much space or as many volunteers, but it would allow the town to highlight its history as well as its recent progress for the visitors. The key pageant floats were designed by an "expert" and the costumes were also specially prepared for them.
The organizers worked from the point of view that North Bay's history began with Champlain's travel through the area in 1615. A float portraying Champlain (right) was therefore one of the key pageant floats. It created a stirring image of "Samuel de Champlain and his dauntless followers, bearing hard on their paddles, with their faces eagerly set forth in the direction of the new lands they were to explore.."
This float was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. In it, Champlain, played by Chas. St. Germain, was portrayed as "the first of the party and was shown as gazing from the top of a hill over the surrounding country while his companions were landing the rest of the flotilla...."
"Other historical pageants represented James Nicolet the first white man to set foot in North Bay , Father Claude Pijart , the first priest to the Nipissing Indians, a band of Courier Du Bois (sic) and fur traders, the Rev. Father Le Caron and a band of frenchmen." (The Nugget , August 4, 1925.) |
Photo by Hartley Trussler, Courtesy of Paul Trussler
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Courtesy of ICSOH, Nipissing University
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The three railways present in North Bay, put considerable effort into their floats as well. "The C.P.R. was represented by the Lucy Dalton, the first railway engine in Northern Ontario, drawing a miniature caboose with the conductor and the brakie in uniform on the steps. The engine was driven by a gasoline motor but nothing was lost to the realistic appearance as the engineer and firemen were in the cab, smoke issued forth and a whistle tooted incessantly." (Photoleft.)
"Lottie Britton and Alex Gillie , employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the early days, piloted Lucy Dalton , the replica of the first engine used in the service along the streets. Wm. Dreany and Harry Hughes looked out from the tail end of the caboose as they did when North Bay was only a water tank and a few surrounding shacks." (The Nugget , August 4, 1925.)
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The parade included clowns, bands, soldiers, policemen and many floats by North Bay businesses. Few of them were described but pictures of the parade show some of them. On the right, the float for A.B. Gordon & Co. Ltd., a major lumber company in the area. Below, the float from Beamish Stores. Below right, a float showing a model of the original post office. All of these were taken at the west end of Main street, when the parade was just getting started. |
Courtesy of ICSOH, Nipissing University |
Courtesy of ICSOH, Nipissing University
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Courtesy of ICSOH, Nipissing University
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The pageant parade formed at the west end of Main Street. Getting it going took some time as the parade streched for six city blocks and the marshals had to place each one. It marched down Main to Fisher before turning North and making its way to Memorial Park where a large crowd was waiting. Hartley Trussler was working that day but he had his camera with him and took time to take pictures of several floats as they went by the North Bay Garage.
"The parade was about eleven and say it was great. It was really a wonderful spectacle and very much better than I ever thought possible. It was a fitting start to the week it ushered in and everything seemed to be on the move and in good spirits. There are about five times as many people on the street as generally and everybody is dressed up and in holiday mood. The town is full of flags and bunting and it is really pretty."
Hartley Trussler's Diary, 3 Aug. 1925.
Courtesy of Paul Trussler. |
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Hartley Trussler's photos of the parade includes a photo of the T&NO float, the Lucy Dalton, a dog cart, the A.B. Gordon float, and others. The T. & N.O., in three sections, depicted Northern Ontario with the themes of farming, mining, and sport life. Designed by Russel Huntington, it was built in the railway shops in only two weeks.
"The third section of the float pictured a sportmen's camp with great realism. The Indian guide was not other than Frank Commando, chief of the Nipissing tribe, while the fish were brought fresh from the water of Lake Temagami." (The Nugget, Aug. 7, 1925) |
Click Here to see the Trussler photos |
When the parade reached Memorial Park, a special ceremony was held in which the charter of the City of North Bay was granted to Mayor McDonald by the Hon. Charles McCrea, Ontario Minister of Mines. The creation of the city was marked by the firing of a cannon There was a formal blessing by both Rev. J. Ferguson and Rev. J. Chapleau. Speeches were made by McCrea, McDonald, H. Morel, M.L.A., Senator Gordon, and John Ferguson. ("North Bay, Past and Present, Celebrates," The Nugget, August 4, 1925.) A special panoramic photograph was taken of the crowd and the float that carried the OHW Queen. A copy of this photo hangs in the Branch 23 of the Canadian Legion building today, the Legion being located on part of the site where the crowd was gathered.
Larger Image
There were many other parades during OHW. On Tuesday veterans of the Great War participated in a "Returned Soldiers'" Parade and on Thursday there was a special parade for Children's Day. The Englehart Pipe Band, the North Bay Premier Band, the Boy Scouts Band, Old Home Week Clowns and some 400 children paraded from the Arena Rink to Amelia Park where races and other activities for the children were taking place. ("Children's Day Provides Lots of Fun." The Nugget , August 7, 1925.) On Saturday, Railroad Day was presented by the employees' committees of the TNO, CNR, CPR. The day began with a parade wich marched along Main Street to Klock Ave and then doubled back to Amelia Park. The parade featured the second appearance of the railroad floats. "(Railroad Day Winds Up Big Week Events." The Nugget , August 11, 1925.)
1935
The grand opening parade formed at the old Arena Rink on Main Street West and made its way to Amelia Park where Mayor Bullbrook with the help of several other dignitaries, declared the OHW opened. Six bands participated. The grand parade on Monday was the most important event of the 1935 celebrations. It was viewed by an estimated 20,000 people and reported to be "one of the greatest in the history of the city." A mile and a half in length, it took twenty minutes to pass a given point and included floats, veterans, dignitaries, comedians, and oddities. The veteran's float reproduced a dugout with sandbags and a battle scene. The city's float consisted of a historical panorama built on the firemen's ladder truck which showed surveyors arriving in 1882 and a hunting and fishing scene. It also carried Miss North Bay, 1935, and the two children born during the 1925 Old Home Week. First prize for the floats went to the Cercle Canadien Français for a "tableau depicting the landing of Jacques Cartier on Canadian soil, planting of the cross, and welcome by the Indians."(top right) The Travellers' battleship float of "H.M.S. Traveller" directed by Pilot Paddy Petch looked so genuine it took second prize. (bottom right) (The Nugget, 5 Aug 1935) More pictures... |
 Photo by Hartley Trussler, Courtesy of Paul Trussler
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 Photo by Hartley Trussler, Courtesy of Paul Trussler
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We have little information about the people who worked within the clubs to get this and all the other parades ready. Hartley Trussler's diary entries are therefore noteworthy as he belonged to the Motor Club and was involved with the North Bay Garage float. On Monday and Tuesday he wrote:
Old Home Week
August 5th Monday. A Glorious hot August Day. Perfect for the first Big Day.
Went to work early and got the parade arranged at least our part of it. Jack Fischer had our float to finish and we had the "Gutter Service Ambulance" to decorate. Had to get a car for the last Old Home Week Babies. I did all the lettering on the old cars and trucks. The first and opening parade was at 9:30 and we did some tall old hustling to get up there.
The parade was splendid and the crowd was good too. Brought Marg, the kids down to see it. Took a bunch of pictures of the floats. PM. I was too busy to go down and see any of the sports. There was a full day of entertainment and everybody wa in good spirits. At night everything was hilarity personified.
-- Motor Club Day ---- August 6th Tuesday. A beautiful hot day Just Perfect.
Went to work early - I was busy as could be all forenoon getting things ready for the big Motor Club Parade It was at 1:30 PM. It was very good too but not nearly as large as yesterday's. We had our float and two new cars in it. There was an interesting drill of the Copper Cliff Cadets down at the Park and then a couple baseball games and softball games. In the parade today was the old 1915 Buick Touring car which belonged to Harry Pedder when new and in which I had my first wonderful automobile ride. In those days it was a real adventure and something to talk about for the rest of the year. The Old car is still running good and I guess could make the same trip now in 12 hours which took us 21/2 days to make then. Margaret and I went down after dinner to see some of the sports and it was so uninteresting we went back home. Came back to see the Swim. Mar[vin] Nelson was here and swam in a relay race against four North Bay Boys. It was about as interesting as a stroll of ten year olds. We didn't stay to see the finish.
Worked until late.
Diary of Hartley Trussler, Courtesy of Paul Trussler
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On Wednesday, French Canadian day, the parade themes were historical and allegorical. Floats were entered by the many French Canadian communities from the surrounding area that participated and featured figures from French Canada's past such as Jacques Cartier, Champlain, and Louis Hebert as well more allegorical figures such as Evangeline, "The Angelus", and a tableau of the "'slaying of the Canadian Martyrs". The most unusual float was that from Astorville and consisted of Mr. and Mrs. David Turgeon and their 21 children (below). The Nugget featured their photo (below) under the headline: "ALL OF ONE ASTORVILLE HOUSEHOLD"
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Back row, right to left: Aime, Adelard, Arthur , Ernest , Albert , Armand, Blanche and Rene; middle row, Homer, Mr. and Mrs. David Turgeon, Flora, Juliette, Jean, Blanche, Leah, Irene and Gerard; front row, William, Roger, Pauline, Louise, and, Victor. (The Nugget, August 12, 1935.) |
In the afternoon the parade and the participants made their way to McMurchy Park where the dedication of a monument to Jacques Cartier to mark the 400 th anniversary of his arrival in Canada (1534) took place. Like French Canadian Day, the monument was sponsored by the FFCF and Le Cercle Canadien-Français. Judge J.A. Valin and E.M. Regimbal, the president of the Cercle presided. The monument was blessed by Very Rev. Dean J.A. Chapleau of St. Vincent de Paul Church, North Bay 's French parish. Speeches were made by Dr. J.R. Hurtubise of Sudbury , M.P. for Nipissing, and J. Harry Marceau, M.L.A. for Nipissing. According to the French program, Senator G. Lacasse was to have given the major speech, but he was unable to attend. Mayor Bullbrook, who was also present said that "French Canadian citizens in Canada and Northern Ontario in particular were carrying out the old French traditions inaugurated in Canada with the early settlement of their country by Jacques Cartier." (The Nugget, August 7, 1935 and The Globe, August 8, 1935) Thursday morning, a children's parade made its way to Amelia Park where there were activities planned for the children. It included a lot of clowns. Thursday evening featured a "Monster Carnival Parade" with prizes for best costumes in several categories. Young and old were asked to join the Shredded Wheat Band from Niagara Falls, New York, to the carnival and street dance area and to enjoy the Old Home Week spirit.
Two parades featuring the Toronto Shriner's 70-piece band were planned for Friday, Shriners' Day.
Saturday, organized by the Associated Canadian Travellers, a monster street parade ended at Amelia Park where the Travellers' softball team competed against National Hockey League players, one of the entertainment highlights of the week The week closed with a "shirt-tail" parade at 11:30 that night.
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