New Westminster ambassadors will be enjoying a stroll down memory lane this weekend.
The Hyack Festival Association has invited past Miss New Westminsters and ambassadors back to the Royal City for an alumni reunion. The Coming Home to Hyack ambassador alumni reunion will take place from Sept. 19 to 21.
“It’s good to know where you come from – it helps you see where you are going,” said Deb Wardle, who is coordinating the reunion. “It’s going to be a fun weekend.”
Wardle, whose daughters were involved in the program, and Miss New Westminster 1981 Becci Dewinetz have talked about the idea of a reunion for some time.
“It was just a matter of timing and getting it together,” Wardle said. “A bunch of us recognize and appreciate the friendships that have evolved.”
While some of the ambassadors are unable to attend this year’s reunion, many have been getting reacquainted through social media.
“We are going to keep in touch. The Facebook page has had a huge response,” Wardle said. “There is quite a dialogue going on there, and a reconnecting that’s fun to see.”
Wardle said the response from former ambassadors has been “phenomenal” and they’re excited about the idea of reuniting and reminiscing about their involvement in the program and their time in the city.
The three-day event gets underway on Friday night, when alumni will attend the NWSS Hyack Football’s 12th annual homecoming at Mercer Stadium. They’ll attend a pre-game VIP reception before the Hyacks take on West Vancouver at 7:30 p.m.
“We have other events on the Saturday and the Sunday, making it a weekend event,” Wardle said. “We have people coming up from Washington State and California, so they are here for the whole weekend.”
Saturday’s activities include breakfast at River Market, a group photo at noon at city hall, a tour of the Royal City, a wine tasting tour at Pacific Breeze, a craft beer tasting at Steel & Oak and a pub night at the Terminal Pub. Community members are welcome to attend the burger-and-a-beer pub night, which includes a silent action and a 50/50 draw.
“We are also going to do a walk down memory lane. I have put together a slide show presentation of the past 40 years of the ambassadors. We are going to show that,” Wardle said. “That will be fun.”
On Sunday, Wild Rice at River Market will be serving up a special luncheon plate called The Hyack in honour of the reunion. Sunday features a garden party at Westminster Pier Park from 1 to 3 p.m. (or at the Sapperton Pensioners Hall in the event of rain).
Community members are invited to join ambassadors and local dignitaries at the garden party.
“It’s an opportunity to meet and greet, and enjoy the beautiful park that we have and showcase some of the past and present ambassadors and people that are making this city so great,” Wardle said. “We are trying let people know this is not just a Hyack ambassador event – this is open to anybody who appreciates the city and wants to come back and say Hello.”
Tickets for the garden party ($15) and the pub night ($20) are available at www.eventbrite.ca (search for Hyack ambassador alumni reunion).
“We have a whole list of things there for the weekend package, but individuals can certainly – and hopefully will – come out and enjoy the sunshine and meet old friends,” Wardle said.
