Fraser Valley – The Royal Canadian Legion, in partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada and the Government of Canada, encourage all communities across Canada to participate in Bells of Peace, a commemorative initiative marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. A soundwave of bells will toll 100 times from coast to coast to coast at the setting of the sun on November 11th, just like they did in 1918.
For event times in your areas, please contact your local Legion Branch.
In Abbotsford, Peter Slade will be giving a presentation on this topic at The Reach Gallery Museum on Wednesday November 7 at 10:30AM. This will focus specifically on fallen Abbotsford soldiers and show lots of photos.
Also at the Reach until January 9th 2019 – British Columbia’s War, 1914–1918, a touring exhibition on loan from the Royal BC Museum. The RBCM dug deep into its collections to unearth powerful material about the Great War that aims to educate British Columbians about the contributions of their forebears in the
First World War. Using archival photographs, fascinating stories, and artifacts, the exhibition examines how the province coalesced around this traumatic global event. With touching examples of trench art, the exhibition resonates with both Behind the Lines and Ambivalence Blvd., demonstrating how acts of creative expression have long played a role in surviving and parsing the trauma of violent conflict. Materials drawn from The Reach’s own historical collections will relate the global narrative to local stories and will elaborate on the local experience.
“I think this season of exhibitions will resonate strongly with people in our community and beyond,” says Laura Schneider, Executive Director of The Reach. “The projects all address the human capacity to negotiate and survive conflict and trauma through the visual arts and personal acts of expression. Whether we’re looking at historical events like the First World War, or conflicts that are rocking the world today, art has a role to play in how these events are experienced, recorded, and remembered.”
This Fall/Winter season of exhibitions opens on September 27 at The Reach will be on view until January 6, 2019. General admission to The Reach is always free. For more details on the exhibitions and public tours and programs connecting to these exhibitions, visit the reach.ca or drop by The Reach at 32388 Veterans Way.
In Chilliwack, It is hoped that churches throughout the city will start to ring their bells just after sunset (Nationally it is asked that every community have a ceremony between 5:25 and 6PM local time).
Veteran Steve Hames told FVN that ceremonies will happen at two Chilliwack cenotaphs (Downtown and UFV/CFB’s old site). We are hoping to get all churches with bells to ring them at sunset on November 11, 100 times to represent 100 yrs since WWI.
Learn more: http://www.legion.ca/bellsofpeace
