With two weeks left to go before St. Albert's 150th anniversary Homecoming, organizers with the Rendezvous 2011 committee have given people another seven days to sign up. It's a chance for St. Albertans past and present to gather together, bringing community and commuting in a novel way while celebrating the city's sesquicentennial.
While there are already well over 100 people who have registered for the event in time for today's original deadline, committee chair Margaret Plain still hopes to get a few more names on the list.
"We may have to extend it a little bit," she admitted. "It's not bad, but we'd like to get to 300."
The new deadline is now set for Friday, July 8.
The day-long event will start at Servus Credit Union Place at 10 a.m. Participants will pick up their passports before catching a chartered transit bus on a citywide tour of sights including the St. Albert Botanic Park, the replica train station and grain elevators, the farmers' market, the Musée Héritage Museum, the Little White Schoolhouse, Founders' Walk, Mission Hill, the Celebration Garden and the Michif Cultural and Resource Institute. Everything will end off with a dinner at the Enjoy Centre and entertainment by Danny Boisvert and Moonlight Breeze.
"It's meant to be a summer casual festive atmosphere. We want people to have fun revisiting and renewing their acquaintances with different aspects of the community," Plain said.
The cost is $55 for adults to take part in the full itinerary or $45 for just the dinner. Children 12 and under are $15 whether or not they take in the tour, while kids five and under are free.
You can register online at www.rendezvous2011.ca or visit the committee's office at 50 St. Thomas St. Call 780-458-4630 for more information.
Rendezvous picnic plans shaping up nicely
The family picnic is another summer event that should prove to be a real crowd-pleaser, and Plain can hardly wait.
"We're 58 days away!" she enthused, expecting a crowd of 10,000. "That would be very awesome."
Attendees of all ages will enjoy food and entertainment throughout the Sturgeon River valley between Kinsmen Park and Kingswood Park on Sunday, Aug. 28. It is no longer intended to be an attempt at a Guinness World Record, but everyone will receive a numbered wrist tag so that a final count can be tabulated anyway. Plain said that this is to set a bar in case anyone wants to stage a larger picnic in the future.
The plans with regards to the entertainment are still being worked out at this stage so the public should expect to hear more details emerge in the coming weeks.
