Miner’s Memorial Day Weekend 2010

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Friday, June 18th, 2010

On Friday the 18th “Songs of the Workers” offers a pub style evening of camaraderie and music with a variety of local and visiting performers. From Welsh Coal Mining Songs to Punk Rock covers and from traditional Labour Tunes to Maritime drinking songs - the evening is a celebration of workers tunes old and new.

Saturday’s events include a pancake breakfast, guided tours at the Cumberland Museum, a noon time walk following the path of the Ginger Goodwin Funeral procession and a celebration of remembrance at the Cumberland Cemetery. The graveside vigil includes special guest speakers from the local and international labour movement and historians, live music and the laying the roses on the graves of fallen workers. Participating organizations, families or individuals can order a fair trade locally produced bouquet for the ceremony and have it laid in their name. All proceeds from the bouquets support Museum programming and labour history exhibit development.


After the graveside vigil attendees can stop pay respects at the Chinese and Japanese Cemetery or go on a 3pm walking tour of the historic #1,#2,#3 and #6 mine sites with local historian Gwyn Sproule. (The pub crawl through the historic watering holes of Cumberland is also an option in the afternoon). At 6pm Miners Memorial Day Attendees enjoy a delicious cold buffet dinner put on by the Cumberland Museum board of directors at the Cumberland Cultural Centre. Tickets are $15 and there are limited seats available. Dinner includes speakers Stephan Hume and Jim Sinclair, live music by Gordon Carter and a silent auction to raise funds for the Cumberland’s “little museum’.

With generous support from the Courtenay, Campbell River and District Labour Council, Cumberland OAP, The Cumberland Chamber of Commerce, local musicians and artists, bakers, butchers and florists - Miners Memorial Day welcomes young and old, union members, students, activists, artists, parents and workers of all types with open arms for an important acknowledgment of the blood sweat and tears of brothers and sisters from across time and around the world.

The purpose of Miner’s Memorial Weekend is to:
-Renew the commitment to strive for safe and healthy workplaces for all workers.
-Commemorate the miners who worked and lost their lives in the mines of Cumberland and other workplaces throughout BC.
-Commemorate the life and contribution of Ginger Goodwin, union organizer and labour martyr.