I t was Victoria's party and, like the song says, she could have cried if she wanted to.
Mercifully, raindrops didn't materialize during Thursday's 150-Forward community celebration.
Not that it would have mattered. Even without the glorious sunshine illuminating Centennial Square, the blast to the past - and to the future - would have been a hit, judging by the infectious enthusiasm of participants.
It was a pride festival with a difference, complete with an eye-catching cruiser fit for a queen.
The Monarchist League of Canada's "Jubileemobile" highlighted by its large rooftop crown was one of several eye-catching vehicles.
Visitors and locals beaming with civic pride checked out the Victoria Fire Department Historical Society's meticulously restored 1925 LaFrance fire truck, and The Steamer, a vintage truck named after Charles E.
Redfern; VicPD's 1912 Mercantile Express paddy wagon, one of only a few motorized vehicles used in the early 20s, and a 1940 black-and-white Dodge cruiser.
"As a kid I used to run through the public market here," recalled retired firefighter and VFDHS president Ted Alexis as he wandered past Centennial Fountain, where Victoria Fire Department headquarters stood from 1899 to 1959. It shared space with the Victoria and Sidney Railway ticket office and Victoria Public Market - history recorded on a plaque unveiled there two years ago.
Indeed, the City of Victoria, working in co-operation with the Greater Victoria Spirit Committee Society, has ensured the celebration of Victoria's 150th anniversary of its incorporation, has been anything but a dry history lesson.
"People seem a bit blown away," said 150th anniversary co-ordinator Alice Bacon at the community celebration, one of three signature events.
The public ceremony that preceded it included a First Nations welcome and speeches by dignitaries, including Lt.-Gov. Steven Point, Mayor Dean Fortin and his counterparts from sister cities Napier, New Zealand, and Morioka, Japan.
Visitors enjoyed live music on the Spirit Stage, wrote poems and left birthday greetings on blackboards in languages from French to Chinese, played digital carnival games to win WestJet flight discounts and toured City Hall's clock tower.
You could also sign Victoria 150 guest books and contribute a recorded message for the Victoria 150 digital time capsule.
"It's not just the celebration of a governmental and historical moment," Bacon said.
"It's really about celebrating who we are as Victorians, and the different aspects we bring to this city to make it such a wonderful place to live."
It's the city's diversity that inspired Victoria performer Eb J to become involved as part of the performance troupe History2Life, an interactive collaboration between Merlin's Sun and Puente Theatre.
"I'm honoured and humbled to be able to honour black pioneers. There's a rich Afro-centric culture in Victoria that is not at the forefront," said Eb J, who has been "oozing flowers" as the spectacular Flower Dancer.
The roving costumed characters, designed by Catherine Hahn and created in association with Tim Gosley, include whimsical versions of Amor de Cosmos, China Gate, artist Emily Carr and "Caddy," a.k.a. Cadborosaurus, the mythical sea creature.
"Part of Puente Theatre's mandate is to bridge cultures, so it was very important to me that we get involved," said Mexico-born artistic director Mercedes Batiz-Benet, who collaborated with Gosley to compete for the gig.
The puppeteer who initiated the project is particularly proud of crowdpleasing Caddy. "It's really light," said Gosley, who made Caddy's long tail.
"I've very happy with it, except he keeps whacking people."
The challenge, he said, was creating a creature with some kind of musical element that could be operated by just one person.
After seeing his son's vuvuzela, one of those noisy plastic horns used at soccer games in South Africa, Gosley chopped the head off one and attached it to a long sump pump tube, which he ran through the creature's body to create its unique sound system.
"It's so low-tech," he said. "That's where puppets are special, where you create an illusion with next to nothing."
