FORMERLY THE ROCKY VIEW FIVE VILLAGE WEEKLY
Volume 35, Number 29	OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE MD OF ROCKY VIEW #44	Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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Langdon Days 125th anniversary celebration
Liz Lindgren-Kubitz

Langdon will celebrate its 125th anniversary in style during Langdon Days on July 18 to 20, with a better than ever parade, fireworks, dancing and weekend-long activities.

Wendy Wilson, coordinator of Langdon Days, is excited about this year’s milestone event in the Rocky View hamlet located approximately 16 kilometers east of Calgary.

"The parade is going to be bigger and more people will be coming in this year," she said. "There will be more floats, music by Pipes and Drums, Calgary Fiddlers, Sox ‘n’ Sax, Wildflower and more."

The Langdon Community Association, the Langdon youth council and seniors, businesses and other community organizations have volunteered to pull this commemorative occasion together.

A natural park of approximately 30 acres rests in Langdon’s center and it will be home to most of the activities planned.

Although Langdon Days boasts numerous activities, baseball is the central thread that has been woven into the community fabric over many years.

"Baseball tournaments have been going on here since World War II," said Wilson, who is president of the Langdon Community Association. "It began as a way for people to get together and we’ve kept up with that."

This year’s ball tournament begins on July 18 at 7 p.m. On Friday evening guests can also kick back at the beer gardens, dance to local entertainment by Room to Dance and enjoy a fireworks display in the park around 10 p.m.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. on July 19 along the hamlet’s main street and a free pancake breakfast, hosted by the local Rebekahs and Odd Fellows, begins at 8 a.m.

Saturday afternoon is filled with a multitude of activities including cow patty bingo, organized by the 4-H club.

A Saturday night dance is also scheduled, with entertainment by local band Foolish Heart. A second evening of fireworks will be set-off at dusk. Local builders have donated $8,000 worth of fireworks to help celebrate Langdon’s 125th anniversary, according to Wilson.

On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. a fresh air church service is scheduled in the park, hosted by Pastor Mark Noonan of Rocky Mountain Ministries. Guests are invited to bring a lawn chair and a donation for the food bank. Sunday afternoon concludes with the ball tournament finals.

Because of this special anniversary, Wilson and several other women in the community volunteered time and skill to create a hand-made quilt, which will be part of a raffle to raise money for a 125th anniversary memorial.

Currently, the quilt is on display in the Landon Drug Store window where Wilson works as a manager.

Additional raffle prizes include a golf package and floral package donated by local businesses.