Town celebrates 114 years with first in-person Strathmore Day event

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

The Town of Strathmore celebrated 114 years since its incorporation as a village on March 20, hosting an outdoor event to mark the occasion. 

Dubbed, Strathmore Day, the occasion was proclaimed in 2021 by Strathmore town council. Due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, last year’s event was hosted largely online.

According to marketing and communications analyst, Danielle Jensen, the hope for this year, as well as years to come, is to grow Strathmore Day as a community event for people to come together and celebrate their town.

“Celebrating the anniversary of Strathmore’s incorporation honours past generations who have built our community,” said Jensen. “It’s also a great way for us to celebrate what Strathmore is today and the things that make our town so great.”

The Town partnered with several community organizations to hold special events throughout the day, including the Strathmore Lions Club who hosted a pancake breakfast in the morning.

Other activities included a cornhole tournament, dog show, square and line dancing, a seed exchange and two petting farms. 

“We picture this event growing each year as more community groups come forward to participate,” added Jensen. “Celebrating Strathmore has brought excitement to the community and we’ve already seen several organizations come forward to get involved this year.”

She added there were little to no challenges in getting the event set up this year, as there was a great deal of support from the community.

Taking place in Kinsmen Park, the Strathmore Day festivities occurred simultaneously with a fundraiser for the Strathmore Overnight Shelter.

The hope going forward is for Strathmore Day to continue to grow and attract more residents to participate every year. 

While the pancake breakfast took place at 9 a.m. in the Strathmore Centre Parking Lot, the rest of the festivities did not kick off until 1 p.m. and ran until 4 p.m.