On Saturday September 12 during the annual Walden Fall Fair held at the Anderson Farm Museum, the Walden Time Capsule was opened.

Actually, it is a safe with a removable wooden frame around it. The Time Capsule had been stored at the museum since 1984.

Click on the image to read the Civic Greetings from 1984 to those who opened the Time Capsule in 2009 !

Town of Walden Time Capsule reads:

This capsule is to be opened every 25 years the first being December 15, 2009. Date of closure and dedication - December 15, 1984 in celebration of Ontario's Bi-Centennial

Walden Bi-Centennial Committee 1984

For Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez, upon looking at a story on his successful return to federal politics on the cover of the Mid-North Monitor, it was eerie.

"I want to thank this community for preserving our past," Rodriguez told the more than dozen people on-hand for the capsule opening only minutes earlier. "It's important we know where we came from so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past."

L-R: Elsie Stephenson member, Anderson Farm Museum Historical society, Jean Bruser, former owner and editor of the Walden Observer newspaper, Mayor John Rodriguez, Erna Fex, publicity chair, Walden Winter Carnival 1984, and Councilor Jacques Barbeau examine material from the time capsule.

Items found inside included copies of the Mid-North Monitor and Walden Observer, a videotape concerning the town and the Wates Township volunteer firefighters and Walden Kinsmen Club memorabilia.

The Capsule will be added to, and re-sealed for another twenty-five years.  Below are images of some of the items found in the Time Capsule.
(Note: click on the image for a larger view).

Background

In 1984 the Province of Ontario was celebrating its Bi-centennial. Across the province, towns and cities were encouraged to celebrate our community and our Province. The Town of Walden did it in a big way.

A Bi-centennial committee was struck and dre up a list of activities which would take place throughout the year. Members of the Bi-Centennial Committee were drawn from many groups across the community and included:

• Bob Boudignon, Anderson Farm Heritage Project Advisory Committee
• Karen Makela, Walden Parks Dept.
• June Kent, Waters Women's Institute
• Stan Savarie, Walden Winter Carnival - lead on the Time Capsule project
• Paul Vanzutphen, Summer Festival Committee
• Gene Roy, Lively Legion
• Jim Fortin, Anderson Farm Site Supervisor
• Ron Capstick, Winter Carnival Committee / Summer Festival Committee
• Bill Horrick,, Walden Senior Citizens
• Jim Haddow, Summer Festival Committee

Among the activities undertaken by the committee was the establishment of a Town of Walden Time Capsule.

Businesses, Groups and Organizations from across the community were invited to place items into a time capsule which would be sealed in Sunday June 23rd during the official opening of the Anderson Farm Museum. The capsule has resided at the Anderson Farm Museum since that time.

The capsule was to be opened by the sitting Mayor in December of 2009, and added to and then re-sealed for another 25 years, to be opened again in 2035.

For more information, please contact:
Jim Fortin, Curator
Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums, 692-4448
jim.fortin@greatersudbury.ca .