The Smithers Central Park Building Centennial is being celebrated on Saturday.
There will be live music, an art activity for kids, treats and prizes, and tours going through the building.
“When we were planning the event with the Central Park Building Society, we were trying to think of a way to showcase the tenants and for the museum beyond the exhibit we have, was a way to engage people who would come down that day,” said Bulkley Valley Museum Curator Kira Westby.
Earlier this year, the Museum started an exhibit about the the building’s history and how it’s changed since 1925.
“My main love affair in [the Central Park Building] has been in the dance studio and doing lots of hours of choreography there,” said Building Society President Janet Harris.
The room was formerly the Smithers court room and was smaller when she started doing dance in the building.
“It wasn’t nearly as big as it is now because they opened a wall which used to be the judge’s chambers, so now the dance studio is about 850 square feet where it used to be only about 600,” Harris added.
She added 100 years of anything in Canada is a big deal and the society has a lot of pride keeping the building up to date.
“I’d like to give applause to our forefathers, people who stood up for the building when it was really under the gun,” Harris said.
The tour will go over what each of the rooms used to be used for along with some of the historical events that happened.
“For people who haven’t stopped by the museum and looked at the blueprints, you may not know that it was where the police station was and just the exact layout of the jail cell and police constable’s office,” said Museum Assistant Luca Pashkewicz.
The second and third floors will also be showcased, which Harris said not many people have seen.
“I’m amazed that there’s people who’ve lived here for many years who’ve maybe only stepped into the museum or the art gallery,” she added.
The museum has also put together a booklet tour through the building for those who aren’t able to make it up the stairs.
Harris also mentioned the society is looking at what can be done in the future to help improve accessibility and have the building remain part of the community.
The centennial event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
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