For just a little while let’s try to forget about the day-to-day politics, weather forecasts, Trump’s tweets, and everything else that we don’t always agree with or can’t do much about and then get on with this glorious and colourful celebration of the 150th birthday of our Canada After coming to Ponoka in 1948 one of the greatest honours of our little family was attending a community function where we and so many other new families were officially declared as Canadian citizens.
Amidst all the fireworks, flags, and pageantry at all the special events that come with cake but no candles, everyone as proud Canadians deserve to celebrate and share our freedom and our heritage to the fullest each and every day. No matter how long we have been so blessed to make this great nation our home, the memories will always be precious and together we must continue to strive to make the future bright. Our Canada has and always will be a successful, colourful, unique, and highly respected nation throughout the world, and here is a special tribute to our grand heritage, history, and traditions, as well as to our amazing abilities and vital contributions through all generations and walks of life over the last exciting 150 years and counting.
Canada is totally awesome…EH
• Canada has always been so very good at science, and over the years we have already registered more 2 million patents of outstanding items and ideas that have been utilized and appreciated for decades throughout the universe. Some of these vital and wonderful inventions and milestones have included: the McIntosh apple, the crispy crunch bar, pablum, the telephone (1876), kerosene (1846), the light bulb (1874), the calking gun (1894), peanut butter (1884), Insulin-which was discovered by Banting and Best in 1921, the Avro Arrow, the walkie-talkie, poutine, the spiral nail, the Robertson screw, the paint roller, the egg carton, the Wonder Bra, instant mashed potato flakes, alkaline batteries, and the green garbage bag, only to mention a very few.
• We love hockey, but it isn’t our only sport. Lacrosse is actually our national sport, and it was a Canadian who invented basketball in 1891, and they dunked the ball in to wooden peach baskets.
They claim that our beer is better, and that is because we harvest the best water from the icebergs and magnificent mountains that are a part of our big and beautiful 9.5 million square miles of natural wonders. All Canadians will proudly stand up for what is right, our armed forces of yesterday and today have always been second to none, while the great impression that we have made internationally is that we are the most admired nation in the world, as well as being considered as the most apologetic and generous population when it comes to serving and assisting others. Canadians love to make everyone laugh, our music rocks for all ages and styles, and we are blessed with Universal Health Care, which may not always be perfect, but takes care of everyone.
• Here are just a few of the firsts and the most unique facts about our Canada. The very first Tim Horton’s outlet was opened in 1964 in Hamilton, Newfoundland was settled by Vikings; Alberta built the world’s first and only landing pad for UFOs in St. Paul; 77 per cent of the world’s maple syrup comes from Quebec; 224 of Canada’s yearly vehicle accidents involve hitting a moose; our nation is blessed with more lakes than any country in the world; Canadians have more space to live in than anyone else in the world (8.6 people per square mile), and as a tough and hardy bunch we are able to survive four very changing seasons in temperatures ranging from a high of 113F degrees and a low of minus 81.4, and everything else in between.
Did you know that: the legendary Baseball star Babe Ruth hit his very first home run as a pro while playing for the Toronto Islands in the International League in 1946; Kim Campbell was Canada’s first and only woman Prime Minister; Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard was the first Canadian in the N.H.L. to score 50 goals in a season; and Fred Sasakamoose from Ahtahkaoop, Saskaskatchewn was the first aboriginal with treaty status to play in the National Hockey League as a member of the Chicago Black Hawks?
I could go on forever writing about all the countless accolades, achievements, milestones, heroes, and fine folks and families of our great Canada, but I would need several more pages of your Ponoka News to accomplish that. Whatever the case we must always be loud and proud when it comes to toasting our long and colourful heritage, but in the meantime lets all get into hot ‘summertime gear’ and then have a great week, all of you.