Old Home Week
Old Home Week celebrations were a chance for North Bay residents past and present to come together and celebrate their history. Old Home Week Celebrations were held in 1925, 1935, 1948 and 1960.
Many cities and towns across Canada held similar celebrations during the 1920s. The events were meant to attract tourists (including former residents) and to celebrate an anniversary or other event. Events at Old Home Week celebrations included fireworks, midways, parades, bands, sporting events, street dancing, and more. The organization of Old Home Week celebrations relied on community support and did not appear to follow a regular schedule.
North Bay’s 1925 Old Home Week was organized to celebrate the incorporation of the City of North Bay. Primary Old Home Week events included the presentation of the city charter in Memorial Park and a “grand street pageant”. The pageant included a wide range of floats and costumes, inspired by the history of North Bay since 1615. The fur trade, the lumbering era, and the three local railways were highlighted.
The Honourable Charles Crea, Minister of Mines, presented the charter to City Mayor McDonald and Mr. John Ferguson who was president of the Old Home Week Association.
1925 Old Home Week Parade Photos
The railways that ran through North Bay were a main feature of the parade. Most notable among the railway floats was the recreation of the “Lucy Dalton” by the CPR. Other major floats represented early settler life and the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in the area.
North Bay’s “Premier Band” followed by North Bay firemen including Fire Chief George M. Brady on horse during 1925 Old Home Week parade.
The idea of running an Old Home Week celebration to mark the tenth anniversary of the city of North Bay originated with the 1934 City Council who recommended providing $5000 to support the festival. The nature of tourism had changed due to the Great Depression. The Old Home Week event was organized, in part, to encourage tourists to link a visit to see the Dionne Quintuplets in Corbeil with a visit to North Bay.
When the new City Council was elected in 1935, they decided not to provide the recommended $5000 in funding due to the incredibly high demands of providing relief during the Great Depression. At this point, 125,000 promotional envelopes had already been circulated externally to promote the event.
Local organizations and businesses rallied together to help organize and support the event, which was then able to proceed. In addition to a grand parade, 1935 Old Home Week Celebrations also included a reunion of the 159th battalion and a French Canadian day.
This cart is one of many components of a large parade in 1935 which was captured on video for promotional purposes for the City of North Bay.
The 1935 parade included a 159 Battalion float (a dugout with sandbags and a battle scene), a city float, a few historical scenes, and a float containing Miss Old Home Week and children born during the 1935 Old Home Week. A tableau depicting the landing of Jacques Cartier on Canadian soil which was put together by the Le Cercle des Canadiens Français won first prize in the parade. The Travellers’ battleship float of HMS Traveller took 2nd prize. French Canadians, Italian Canadians, and Native populations were represented in the celebrations. Video footage of the time shows that the HMS Traveller float was followed by an HMS Richardson float full of local children.
1935 North Bay Old Home Week Button With Ribbon, North Bay Museum Collection
1948 Old Home Week
In 1948, North Bay held another Old Home Week celebration. Each day was centred around a different theme including Legion Day, Lions Club Day, Moose Day, American Day, Children’s Day, Shrine Day, and Associated Canadian Traveller (A.C.T.) Day. Parades, competitions, fireworks, music, and dancing were all major parts of the week-long event. This image show the midway and streets during Old Home Week.