The tents are going up on Mission Hill this week as St. Albert's Catholic schools gear up for the big finish to their 150-year birthday bash.
Some 6,000 students from the Greater St. Albert Catholic school district are set to march on Mission Hill Thursday morning for a celebratory mass – the penultimate event in the district's yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary.
"It was an education system that started very quietly and was responsible for the needs of seven orphan children at the time," said board superintendent David Keohane.
"From those humble beginnings, we've seen a school system grow to a size of 6,000 students in three communities."
The mass itself will be similar to the one held in 2011 for the city's sesquicentennial, Keohane said. Archbishop Richard Smith will lead the ceremony, which will include performances by local schools.
"If it's anything like the one we did to celebrate the 150 years of St. Albert, it will be a pretty moving experience."
Expect the main-stage to go up by the ball diamond at the bottom of the hill on Wednesday. Thursday morning will see some 45 school buses converge on the hill packed with students, with hundreds more making their way to the site on foot.
"It's the biggest celebration we've ever had," Keohane said.
The event will go ahead rain or shine, and is open to the public.
The mass is from 9:45 to 11 a.m. Guests are asked to bring their own blankets or chairs to sit upon, and to walk to the hill, as parking is very limited.
Fabulous prizes
Once the mass is done, crews will take down the stage and replace it with a big tent for Saturday's big finish: the 150th anniversary gala, a posh event featuring formal dress, cocktails and a gourmet dinner.
Tickets were about 90 per cent sold as of Wednesday, but there might be a few left by Saturday, Keohane said.
The gala will feature a pair of auctions run by host Danny Hooper, Keohane said. Items up for bid include a lease on a new Volvo, a painting by St. Albert artist Lewis Lavoie (one that Lavoie will actually paint during the gala), a trip to the Vatican, and tickets to the Sept. 5 football match between Notre Dame's Fighting Irish and the University of Texas Longhorns.
Tickets to Notre Dame football games normally cost between $500 and $5,000 and are highly sought after, Keohane said. Several people have told his office that they wanted to go to the gala just to bid on these tickets.
"It's considered the holy grail of football."
Proceeds from the auction will go towards the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools Education Foundation.
Visit gsacrd.ab.ca for details on the mass and the gala.
