Originally formed in 1940 by an initiative organized by the Canadian federal government and Ukrainian organizations, the Ukrainian Canadian Committee (UCC) was tasked with resettlement efforts during the aftermath of the Second World War and into the Post-War period. A provincial council for the national Ukrainian Canadian Committee - Alberta Provincial Council (UCC-APC) was established in May 1974 by the Edmonton, Calgary, and Vegreville branches of the UCC, and by other Ukrainian organizations in the province. The Committee worked to promote Ukrainian heritage through events and programs derived from their cultural practices and traditions. Additionally, the UCC worked to represent the Ukrainian community’s concerns to the provincial government. The UCC underwent a name change after 1976 to become the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
The Edmonton Horticultural Society was founded in 1909. In 1912 it amalgamated with the Strathcona Horticultural Society under the name Edmonton Horticultural Society. However, when the Edmonton Horticultural Society and the Vacant Lots Garden Club decided to join forces in 1918, the Edmonton Horticultural Society became the Edmonton Horticultural and Vacant Lots Garden Association. Not until 1973 was the name changed back to the original Edmonton Horticultural Society. Although the society’s registration must have lapsed for a period in the early 1970s, the Edmonton Horticultural Society has been in continuous existence since 1909.
The first president of the Edmonton Horticultural Society was Walter Ramsay, well known florist and greenhouse operator. George Harcourt, Alberta’s first Minister of Agriculture (1905-1915), the University of Alberta’s first Professor of Horticulture (1915-1935), and a passionate advocate of the vacant lot gardening program, joined the society when it amalgamated with the Vacant Lots Garden Club and chaired the vacant lots committee. He remained a resource person for the society throughout his career and made space available in the University of Alberta’s trial gardens for some society-related horticultural trials. Other well-known Edmontonians who were associated with the Edmonton Horticultural Society include: photographer, Gladys Reeves, who became the society’s first female president in 1924 and remained an active member of the society until her death in the 1970s; Alfred Pike, the founder of Pike’s Seeds; and Ernest Stowe, the chief gardener for the Province of Alberta until his retirement in 1952.
The Edmonton Horticultural Society’s mission has been to promote city beautification and to provide practical information and assistance to city gardeners. Long-lasting program mainstays have included: the vacant lots garden program (which the society administered on behalf of the City of Edmonton on city-owned vacant properties); one or more annual flower and vegetable shows (often referred to as bench shows); an annual garden competition; and a regular speakers program. In addition, the society has provided volunteers to create and maintain gardens as public service projects. Such projects have included a model garden in Market Square during the 1920s and 1930s, a centennial rose garden in Coronation Park which was planted in 1967 and demolished to build the Telus World of Science in 1982, and many others. Since 1995 the Edmonton Horticultural Society has collaborated with the City of Edmonton on the Communities in Bloom and the Front Yards in Bloom programs.
Benjamin Leibovitz [189-?] - 1981
Benjamin ‘Uncle Ben’ Leibovitz was born in Romania and emigrated to Edmonton via New York City in 1911. At some point during the First World War (1914-1918), an arranged marriage brought Benjamin’s wife, Ghizella Rolingher, also born in Romania, to Canada.
During his early years in Edmonton, Benjamin became well-known as a fur trader and outfitter throughout the area. His business, originally named Uncle Ben’s Store, grew through many iterations, including Uncle Ben’s Exchange after Jean Rolinger, Ghizella’s nephew, joined the business, and finally Uncle Ben’s Sporting Goods. The business also operated in several locations, including the Adam’s Building and Belmont Block.
Benjamin was involved in the building of the Jewish community of Edmonton. He was an active member of the Edmonton Zionist Club in the 1920’s, as well as member of the Beth Shalom Building Campaign Committee, and the Treasurer of the Building Finance Committee in 1951. Throughout his life, he was involved in the Talmud Torah, B’nai Brith, Beth Israel, and Beth Shalom congregations.
Benjamin continued daily operations of his business until his retirement in 1976. Uncle Ben’s Sporting Good eventually closed its doors and ceased operations in 1979. Benjamin Leibovitch died two years later, in 1981.
The Order of AHEPA (Anglo-Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) is a fraternal organization, originally founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1922. The Aurora Borealis Chapter 10 C.J. was established in Edmonton in 1932 as part of the Royal Canadian District no. 24. Its objectives are to promote an understanding of the Hellenic people, support selflessness, champion education, and resist the union of church and state.
The Edmonton Cycle Club was active as early as the 1930s when it competed with other city clubs such as the "Silver Hawks". During the 1960s the Edmonton Cycle Club was affiliated with the Victoria Soccer Club and was also known as the Edmonton Victorias.
The Edmonton Schoolboys' Band was founded in November 1935 by Vernon Newlove, affectionately known to band members as T.V or ‘the Boss. At the beginning was at the Technical School. John Michaels, founder of the Newsboys’ Band, donated some of the band instruments. Other instruments were player owned or purchased by Mr. Newlove.
The band eventually operated under the jurisdiction of the Edmonton Public School Board, which supplied a bandmaster, practice facilities, and an annual maintenance grant.
In 1937 Mr. Newlove was transferred to McCauley School. This was the time when junior high schools were being introduced in Edmonton. So as students at McCauley were grades 7, 8 and 9, Mr. Newlove started a junior section as a feeder band for the Edmonton Schoolboys’ Band. Band practices were first held in ‘the Band Room’, a small room on the third floor at the school, eventually moving to the school’s auditorium/gymnasium.
The band was in big demand playing parades, rodeos, building openings and played routinely for both the Edmonton Eskimos and the Edmonton Grads.
During WWII Mr. Murray was assigned as Assistant Bandmaster to Mr. Newlove, and put in charge of the junior band. In 1951 the band moved to Victoria Composite High School which had a larger practice area, more storage for the instruments, and a larger performance facility. Both Mr. Newlove and Mr. Murray continued with the band, until their retirements in 1967. At that point the band came under the direction of Robert C. Whittet.
The Edmonton Schoolboys’ Band played their final performance in May 1969 in the Victoria Composite High School Auditorium. In September of that year, the Edmonton Public School Board decided to discontinue the Edmonton Schoolboys’ Band as the band program in Edmonton Public Schools had become well established. A new schools’ band was formed, named the Edmonton Public Schools’ All-City Band, with a senior and junior section, and open to all students in the Edmonton Public School system.
The Edmonton Branch of the Rotary Club was organized at a meeting on March 16, 1916. There were sixteen charter members, one of whom was Samuel Dickson who became president of the club in 1917. By 1950 there were over 200 members and by 1977 five other Edmonton branches were in operation.
The University of Alberta Archives was informally established in 1950's when space was provisioned for University records in the Rutherford Library. The University Archives Committee was established in 1962, with the creation of a University Archivist position in 1967. The Archives were established as a public service point for access to the records of the University as well as the unit responsible for the acquisition and preservation of records.
The first Edmonton Exhibition was held in Fort Edmonton on October 15, 1879. By 1900, the Edmonton Industrial Exhibition Association Limited had received a charter from the government of the Northwest Territories permitting them to hold an annual exhibition in the Rossdale area. The annual exhibition was held here until 1910, when the present exhibition grounds, now known as Northlands, were received under a lease agreement with the city. The Edmonton Exhibition Association was officially established in 1908 after a reorganization. The original charter provided for a non-profit corporation owned by the tax payers of the city. The Association was also charged with the responsibility of providing entertainment, education, and recreation for the citizens of Edmonton and the surrounding area. Although agriculture and livestock shows have played a major role, the centre piece of the year has always been the summer exhibition. A parade has also been a regular feature since the beginning of the century. In addition to livestock exhibits and midway entertainment the Exhibition Association has always had strong sporting ties. In its formative years football, cricket, and lacrosse matches were common as were foot races. A racetrack has been in use since before World War I and since 1957 the Exhibition has been the home of the Canadian Derby. Hockey has also figured prominently both the Edmonton Flyers and the junior Edmonton Oil Kings were sponsored by the Exhibition Association.
The Edmonton Klondike Days Association was formed to organize and promote activities for a summer festival based on the Klondike theme. The first year of activities was 1962 although a agricultural fair and exhibition had been held in Edmonton since the early 1880s. The Klondike theme related to the 1898 movement of gold seekers who outfitted in Edmonton and attempted to reach the Klondike in the Yukon Territory via an overland route north to the Athabasca River and across the foothills of northern Alberta. In 1968 the Association began to issue a series of collectible coins as a souvenir of the festival and in some cases as "legal tender" during Klondike events.