Darlingford is about to celebrate 125 years. 

Cassandra Morrow, the chairperson of the Darlingford 125 Committee, says the festivities in honour of the milestone will have something for everyone.  

“I'm most excited for former residents to come back and just visit the community, meet up with each other, and . . . have fun.” 

Morrow says that planning for the three-day celebration from July 12th-14th has been in progress for a year.  

The exciting event schedule will kick off with a family dance from 7-9:30pm on Friday, a bonfire at 9, and a firework display at 10 that Morrow calls “fantastic.” There will also be beer gardens from 7pm-1am. 

On Saturday, July 13th, there will be a pancake breakfast put on by the fire department before an entire day’s events, including a quilt show, a vintage fashion show, Belgian bowling, and much more. Saturday will culminate in a social featuring The M’Ladies, a band from Southern Manitoba. 

The vintage fashion show will give attendees a glimpse into Darlingford’s rich past. The show is in partnership with the Nellie McClung Heritage Site in Manitou, which has a collection of vintage clothing from regions in Manitoba including Darlingford. According to Morrow, donations from the fashion show will go toward the maintenance of Nellie McClung’s homes in Manitou. 

On Sunday, there will be a memorial service at 11am.  

The service will happen at Darlingford Memorial Park, which Morrow says is currently blooming with 230 dozen flowers. Lieutenant-Commander Lee Seymour, born and raised in Darlingford, will be the guest speaker at the service.  

Lieutenant-Commander Seymour has completed over 22 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and has a wealth of accomplishments behind him that has brought him all over Canada.  

The Darlingford 125 Committee expects to have about 300 people in attendance for the weekend-long anniversary celebration. Morrow notes that even for those who are not current or past residents of Darlingford, the weekend is a wonderful opportunity to visit the area. 

For Morrow, involvement in the planning of the 125th anniversary adds to her family’s tradition of being an active part of Darlingford.  

“[T]hey always [say] that kids are raised by a community, right? I feel like I am that kid. I was dragged around from venue to venue. My parents were on committees . . . . I grew up at the curling rink and the memorial park, and I'm just really excited to be able to give back.” 

The vintage fashion show the community supper both require registration in advance due to limited seating/tickets, so be sure to secure your tickets through the link below.  

~With files from Connie Bailey~

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