|
Canosia
Township BY: Barbara Glick August, 1988 It was a cold morning in April when I first met with the group of women that called themselves the Canosia Township Historical Committee. I had been reading Marion Thompson's columns in the Budgeteer about the history of Canosia Township and had seen little notices of the centennial celebration that was being planned. The columns piqued my interest and my mind started working. If there were to be a big celebration there should be an official photographer. That Tuesday morning in April the temperature was in the low 40s. The winter's snow was almost gone; there was a chill on the air and the inside of the newly remodeled town hall was cold. Someone hunted for the switch to turn on the new furnace blower while the rest of us warmed our hands on hot cups of coffee. Someone had also brought fresh baked cinnamon rolls. This was a working meeting. The celebration being planned for August 12, 13 and 14 was still four months away, but there was lots to do. I listened as the committee discussed the details of all the activities that needed to be worked out. It seemed an impossible undertaking to me, but there was no indication from the committee that they couldn't pull this off. And pull it off they did. I was given approval by the Board of Supervisors to be the ‘official photographer’ for the celebration. They would pay for the film and processing and I would take pictures and put together a centennial celebration album for the Historical Society. All summer the committee worked and planned. Occasionally I'd hear tidbits of what was going on. I studied the program of activities when it was mailed out and thought about the pictures I'd take. I worried some that I'd not get good pictures. I had to get them right the first time - there could be no retakes! The week before the celebration I was excited and nervous. Then it was Friday evening and time to begin shooting. At the town hall, the committee was hurrying around putting last minute touches on the museum exhibit. The inside of the town hall had been transformed into a very inviting and fascinating museum. It was packed full of old artifacts, Documents, pictures, clothing, hand tools, snow shoes, in addition, sleds. It would take more than a few minutes for people to appreciate all the interesting items. The evening wore on and the crowd grew. As people looked at the exhibits, they talked with neighbors, long time friends and old acquaintances, remembering how it was when they were growing up together. They milled around outside, seemingly not wanting to leave. I sensed an immense feeling of pride and accomplishment as I walked around taking pictures. That feeling never lessened all weekend. Each activity brought a renewed sense of "pride of community." Even the rain didn't dampen the spirit of the weekend. There was no thought of canceling the 10k race or the parade on Saturday, although everyone was dripping wet from being out in the rain all morning. Sunday afternoon the weather was beautiful -it was a time to relax at the community picnic. People talked about having a similar community celebration each year. I snapped pictures and hoped I could capture the enthusiasm and energy I felt coming from the crowd. The Board of Supervisors, The Historical Society, the volunteer firemen and all the other people who helped make this weekend celebration successful are to be congratulated. I hope my pictures do justice to the celebration and that they will help keep the community spirit alive for another one hundred years. Return
to: top of page
Historical Page
Home |