by Irene Hammerling, BRCA Heritage Committee
During the 1970s, Bridgeland-Riverside found itself under siege from developers and the City of Calgary, with the widening of Memorial Drive and the construction of a new Edmonton Trail. Tom Campbell’s Hill was threatened with development in the 1980s.
The first ‘Old Bridgeland Days,’ was held in 1988 to raise awareness and gain exposure for our community’s fight to save Tom Campbell’s Hill. It was a two-day event and started out with a parade. Commencing near Edmonton Trail, the route followed 1 Avenue and ended at the Bridgeland-Riverside Community Hall (which was then located south of McDougall Rd on 9A Street). Many local and outside organizations participated in the parade, with a marching band, horses, colourful floats, vintage cars, and kids on decorated bikes.
In 1991, the Calgary chapter of ‘Germans from Russia’ joined the parade, with members walking in pioneer clothing. In 1992, to celebrate 100 years since their arrival to Calgary, they added a little house float, an old Russian stagecoach, and a hay wagon with a keg of kvass (homemade beer) on display. The following year, the chapter hosted a Volga Boatman Lunch following the parade, first at St. John Lutheran Church and then at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Ethnic food of noodles, grebble, rye bread, and kuchen was sold and this continued until 1997.
Once the lengthy parade arrived at the community centre, there were a lot of activities both days for adults and children. People were encouraged to wear funny hats in honour of Tom Campbell’s hats. The capable Goss sisters did a great job running the evening bar, kitchen, and dance at the hall.
The breakfast in the first Old Bridgeland Days was held in the parking lot of a real estate company on Marsh Road behind the Evangelical Church. Soon, local businesses started to organize the breakfasts and provided outstanding fare. No more ordinary pancakes and sausages! People like Joe Tradori, who came with his homemade soup, ensured that Bridgeland had the most glamorous breakfast in all of Calgary.
The time of year for Old Bridgeland Days was chosen with great care. Not rainy June, but the end of July when it was usually warm and sunny. One year, there was a re-enactment of the North-West Mounted Police’s arrival to establish Fort Calgary; they rode their horses down the 6 Street Hill to join the parade.
There was music too. Don Ficko and Kim Cote, playing banjo and guitar, followed Mayor Klein who led the parade that year from the back of a firetruck. The mayor bounced to the music of “La Bamba,” but when they played Kim’s composition of the “Ballad of Tom Campbell’s Hill,” he got very still. Adding to the fun, kids on bikes had been coached to loudly sing the chorus over and over.
In addition to all the excitement and fun in our community, BRCA did manage, with the help of Alderman Richard Magnus, to save Tom Campbell’s Hill. No doubt, our energized community motivated the preservation of the green space on the hill that continues to be our much-loved Tom Campbell’s Hill Natural Park.
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