Great Childhood Memories of PA

Submitted on January 25, 2012 - 12:45pm

by Ken Guedo

As a child in the early 1950's, I can remember walking to town on the "Old Shellbrook highway" once a month.

We lived next to Frank Moore’s Market Garden and across the road from another market garden owned by Joe Hum.

We didn't have a vehicle and would walk if the weather was nice. When we got to town we would go to the Magnet Grocery which was at 914 Central Avenue. It was owned by the Jaspar family. We would get groceries and arrange to have them delivered at a certain time. After that it was over to the Wings Cafe for lunch followed by a cream puff for desert.

That was really something to look forward to. Other times we would go to Woolworth's and have strawberry shortcake for desert. To this day I still enjoy them both.

After lunch, if there was a little money left, I could buy a toy or coloring book at Woolworth's or the Metropolitan store. I can recall going to CKBI Radio when they were upstairs in the Sanderson Block at 905 Central to get a free puppet on a string that they were giving away.

Clothing was usually bought at the CB store, school supplies at Adam's or Eagle’s. I recall the line-ups to get in because they were so busy with people getting school supplies. After the shopping it was home, either by taxi (if it could be afforded), walking (not so much fun going home), meeting a neighbor who had a car or on occasion with the grocery delivery.

Another memory is the summer fair. Back then, the fair ran in North Battleford from Monday to Wednesday and in PA from Thursday to Saturday. The railway ran right beside the highway, and early Thursday morning I would start watching for the train that would be hauling all the rides.

If I didn't see the train, I would worry that there would be no rides when we got there. (Not being old enough to figure out that the train could pass in the middle of the night.) We would walk or perhaps catch a ride to town and catch a City bus in front of the old City Hall that took people right to the fairgrounds.

When we got there, the rides would always be up and I couldn't figure out how they were able to do that in such a short time.

Thinking back, it was a big deal for kids, as our entertainment options weren't what they were today.

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Prince Albert Historical Society

The Prince Albert Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in Western Canada, first established in 1886 by residents who realized that the previous generation and they themselves were making history by developing Prince Albert and the surrounding region. A fire in 1890 at the Nisbet Academy destroyed the artifacts and records that the Society had collected, which also put an end to the Society for a time. In 1923 Professor Arthur Morton, the City of Prince Albert and citizens interested in local history reorganized the Historical Society. The Society established a museum in the Nisbet church located in Kinsmen (then Bryant) park and an archive in 1932. The museum was moved to the Prince Albert Court House on Central Avenue in 1946. The Nisbet Church was again established as a museum in 1972 and operated until 1975. When the Fire Department vacated the original fire hall in 1975 the City of Prince Albert invited the Society to establish a permanent museum in that building. Since 1977 when the permanent museum opened to the public the Prince Albert Historical Society has been based at the appropriately historic original fire hall at 10 River Street East. The Bill Smiley Archives are named in honour of the man who has done more to preserve Prince Albert history than any other, having spent years collecting and organizing important historical items. Today over 15,000 photographs. 300,000 negatives and 15,000 documents are kept at the Historical Museum. These records are a significant source for information on Prince Albert, the surrounding region and all of Canada. Access to the archives is available to the public and if you are interested in acquiring information please check our archives page. As of 2009 our Society is made up of 55 members and 14 member volunteer board of directors. Membership fees are $ 10.00 per year. We hold many annual events including the spring Crocus Tea, participate in the downtown Street Fair and host a Christmas Party. During the summer season a staff of 13 tour guides keeps the museums open while during the rest of the year the museums can visited accompanied with one of our dedicated volunteer members. The Prince Albert Historical Society is committed to preserving local history and being able to showcase it to local residents and visitors alike.

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