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108 Mile Heritage Site prepares to celebrate 50th anniversary

The 108 Mile Heritage Site needs additional volunteers to help run the event scheduled for July 26, 2025

The 108 Mile Heritage Site plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary in style this summer. 

A landmark attraction of the South Cariboo community the heritage site is located on the shores of the 108 Mile Lake and features a dozen historical buildings from the Cariboo Gold Rush. Kelly Carnochan, president of the 100 Mile House & District Historical Society who operate the site, said she and the other society members have big plans to mark their anniversary on Saturday, July 26, 2025. 

"Our actual anniversary is July 25 but we're going to have our event on the 26th. If everything goes according to plan it's going to start off in the morning around 10 with our regular heritage market and lots of events for the 50th," Carnochan said. "We're looking at doing some old-fashioned games for the kids like sack races, tug of war and a three-legged race, to name a few. There are more ideas coming up in our brains."

Carnochan said she wants to make this celebration memorable and at a recent meeting of the society last week brainstormed several different ideas. These include staples of heritage site celebrations like bouncy castles and local vendors to more unique and ambitious ideas. 

One of them is filling the old Clydesdale Barn with animals again to serve as both a petting zoo and a way to bring the structure back to life. They plan to invite local quilters to set up a display of old-fashioned quilting, open up the school house with some old-school classes going on, possibly open up the heritage site's chapel to offer a service, a gold panning demonstration and have a blacksmith on site demonstrating their craft. 

"It will be followed up by a cowboy poet doing cowboy poetry, probably with a propane fire pit because I'm pretty sure fire ban season will be one. We're looking at doing a dinner and an outdoor barn dance and then possibly a drone light show as well," Carnochan listed. "There's lots of things in the making, if we can make it all happen and get the funding for it."

The dinner and dance portion of the evening will be a ticketed event, Carnochan noted, but the rest of the celebrations will be free for the public to enjoy. She said they haven't quite finalized on a name but she guesses they'll go with the 108 Heritage Site's 50th Anniversary Party. 

During the party, Carnochan said they also will have a display set up showing the history of the site since 1975. Carnochan said they want to highlight the founders by name and include photos of the boards through the years. The society also plans to put up informational booths on the history of each structure and how they came to be at the site. 

To run such a large event Carnochan said the society is putting out a call for additional volunteers from the community. She estimates they'll need at least a dozen additional volunteers to help in set up and tear down, selling 50/50 tickets, manning the bouncy castle and selling cotton candy and popcorn.

"I know it's a little close to our July 1 (Canada Day) event but that's when our anniversary falls," Carnochan said. "I think it's always nice when community members can volunteer because it helps keep community activities alive. Without volunteers, you won't have the same successful events." 

Anyone interested in volunteering for the 108 Heritage Site's 50th Anniversary Party, or for any of their events, is invited to email them at hertiagesite108@gmail.com or call Carnochan at 250-306-8725. 



Patrick Davies

About the Author: Patrick Davies

An avid lover of theatre, media, and the arts in all its forms, I've enjoyed building my professional reputation in 100 Mile House.
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