Barbara Roden
Free Press
A once-in-60-years event for 100 Mile Lumber attracted close to 1,500 people to Centennial Park in 100 Mile on Sept. 13, when parent company West Fraser celebrated its 60th anniversary.
“It’s the first really big event we’ve done in town,” says 100 Mile Lumber general manager Sandor Buchi, “and it was fantastic.”
He was thrilled with the turnout, which was more than he’d expected.
“We started the barbecues at 11 a.m. and didn’t turn them off until the event finished at 3 p.m. The hamburger lineup was long – we went through nearly 1,000 of them – but people were patient.”
There were plenty of events and activities for children who loved the bouncy castle, face-painting and giant water slip-and-slide, he adds.
“There were lineups for the children’s events all day.”
Grown-ups could enjoy the Survivor Challenge, which was won by the team of D’Arcy and the Face-painters (D’Arcy being West Fraser regional manager D’Arcy Henderson). There were also plenty of information booths, where people could learn more about West Fraser’s efforts with woodlands, silviculture, safety issues, and more. Former employees could look through a series of recently discovered photo albums and try to spot pictures of themselves.
“I want to say a big thank-you to West Fraser’s Sara Johnson who did a fantastic job organizing the even,” says Buchi. “A really great time was had by all.”
The 100 Mile House event was part of a series being held at West Fraser sites this year to mark the company’s 60th anniversary.
In 1955, brothers Sam, Bill and Pete Ketcham purchased a lumber mill in Quesnel for $60,000. The company is now the largest lumber producer in North America, and in 2004, it purchased Weldwood of Canada, which included 100 Mile Lumber.
