Residents of the Ruskin community celebrated a major milestone over the weekend.
Ruskin Community Hall turned 100 years old and a free event was held at the hall Saturday afternoon that saw many attend, in spite of the downpour of rain.
Shannon Shields, a member of the Ruskin Community Hall Association, who led the 100th Anniversary Planning Committee, said people came from all over B.C. and even from Ontario to attend the event.
People came from the Lower Mainland, Bella Coola, Enderby, Nelson, Princeton, Prince George, Mill Bay and other areas on Vancouver Island, noted Shields.
"It was so nice to see so many familiar faces and thank god for the name tags on people," whom she didn't immediately recognize but knew from the past.
"I was very worried how it was going to be attended because of the weather," said Shields. "But a lot of people ventured out and made it a success."
Terry Wilkinson, a member of the 100th anniversary planning committee, said the celebration was beyond anything they could have ever imagined.
About 106 people attended and the hall, she said, was at capacity at the height of the event.
"At one point we had standing room only," she said.
And, Wilkinson added, a special appearance was made by local Ruskin celebrity, Gordie Gong, a former champion in kickboxing, who came all the way from Hamilton, Ontario, escorted by his son Louie, brother Peter (Darlo), sister Linda, and family friends.
Wilkinson, whose parents moved to Ruskin in 1967, was only 12 years old when she started work at the hall as a secretary. So, she said, when people arrived at the hall from her teenage years it was "amazing".
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MP Marc Dalton even attended the event and addressed the crowd.
There was cake and coffee and good conversations among friends who shared stories about the historic hall.
Ruskin Community Hall dates back to the late 1800's. According to the website, sometime between 1896-97, a short-lived co-operative gave Ruskin its name and its status as a distinct community. Residents would gather at the schoolhouse or the Heaps Hotel.
When the schoolhouse was replaced in 1916 by a two-room building, residents pulled the old structure across the street and modified so they could continue to use it.
However it burned down in 1922 and the present hall took its place in 1924, constructed through volunteer subscriptions and donations.
The property on which the hall stands was once owned by William Gilchrist Laing, a carpenter, who, in 1927 decided to donate the land to the people of Ruskin. In order to accept Laing’s gift, the Ruskin Community Hall Association was incorporated and took ownership of the land and hall on December 4, 1930.
It continues to be a popular spots for residents to gather, hosting a number of dances, celebrations, weddings, meetings, and community events.
Wilkinson thanked her fellow 100th anniversary planning committee members, including Shields, and the late Trevor Taylor, who was a big part of the committee as well with his wife Carol, until he passed away in May.
Others included: Elaine Hall, Cherie Strangward, Gail Bendickson, Dan Dohogne, Christine McIntyre, Alice Sublet, Colleen White, and Donna Simmonds.
Ruskin Hall, located at 28395 96th Avenue in Maple Ridge.
