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JANUARY 12, 2016 Vol. 121, $ 05 Issue 5
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FRUITVALE
Village highlights its history through heritage walk VALERIE ROSSI Trail Times
Fruitvale is encouraging residents and visitors to wander down memory lane with a heritage walk that will capture the village’s history. Developing Eastview Park is the start of an overall vision that celebrates the community with an inviting entrance way to the downtown core. Fruitvale’s Heritage Walk Project gained some momentum when Fruitvale secured a $10,000 grant from FortisBC, matched by Area A ($10,000), and a commitment from the company to help put the park together on FortisBC Community Giving Days, April 30. “Every year, FortisBC provides funding and volunteer hours for a variety of community initiatives that work towards making our communities a brighter place,” explained Amy Bunton, corporate communications advisor. “FortisBC Community Giving Days provide our employees with the opportunity to support the communities in which we work and live.” Employees will help plant bushes, shrubs and trees, the latter donated from Atco Wood Products. The green space dug up with help from Wayne’s Excavating will run along a newly paved
path. The winding walkway will be intercepted by a garden and a lounging area to encourage people to stay awhile and enjoy the view. Any additional expenses will be covered by the village, which in the meantime eagerly awaits plans to jump off the page. “I think Fruitvale has a lot of heritage here and we want to make sure that that’s documented, and people can stop in and enjoy that part,” said Fruitvale Mayor Patricia Cecchini. The first phase of the project will see the development of a park in between the railway track and Eastview Street while the second part includes heritage signage that will identify historical buildings and tell the story behind the village facade. Cecchini said there is also a hope of creating a replica of an old train station, which will further encourage pedestrians to take a stroll while learning a little history. Fruitvale was originally named Beaver Siding in 1893 as a railway stop for the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway, which was later acquired by the Great Northern Railroad. In 1906, Fruitvale Limited purchased land on both sides of this stop and changed the name to Fruitvale. It was incorporated on Nov. 4, 1952.
Sheri Regnier photo
Ray Tenisci and Primo Secco (right) unveiled an exhibit on loan by the Trail and District Library, that tells the stories of Italian Canadians interned during the Second World War. Tenisci and Secco are descendents of two Trail men who were labelled enemy aliens and interned in Canada. The display can be viewed on the Red Floor during regular arena hours, and is free of charge.
Exhibit open at Trail library showcases Italian Canadians interned during WWll Seven Trail men included in historical display SHERI REGNIER Trail Times
It was a quiet Monday afternoon in 1940 when government authorities swept the home of Christine Demarco’s grandfather and hauled him off to an internment camp. Carmine Demarco was 17 when he came to Canada in 1902. He was naturalized in 1907, then briefly returned to Italy to
fight for the Allies during the Great War. Demarco returned home to Ontario when the war ended in 1918 and served as president of a group of First World War battalion veterans. He married, began raising three children, and ran Demarco’s Confectionery, a family business that Christine likens to Trail’s Star Grocery. “All across Canada at approximately 1 p.m. that day (June 10, 1940) RCMP and local authorities identified and raided Italian homes,” Demarco said. “They entered
my grandparents store, their home, searched it from attic to basement, and arrested him without warning and without explanation of charges.” In the darkness of night, her grandfather was transferred from a Thunder Bay jail to a stock yard in Toronto. From there, Demarco was sent and confined in Petawawa, one of four Italian Canadian internment camps in Canada. “During this time those who feared any connection in association with our family boycotted the family business…store windows were
soaped with humiliating messages and threats,” she said. “Many prominent Canadians, including doctors, lawyers, a few German farmers were interned, even the Mayor of Montreal, who was in the same hut as my grandfather.” Demarco, who lives in Rossland, spoke to a crowd of invited guests Sunday afternoon at the opening of “Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Italian Canadian Internment Experience.” After three years of planning, the Trail and District CONTINUED ON A2 Contact the Times:
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