Achi news desk-
A time capsule containing pieces of Calgary history was opened Monday, after it was discovered hiding in plain sight.
50 years ago, the Calgary TELUS Convention Center opened its doors, and a year later a time capsule was created.
It was part of a competition to find Calgary’s Citizen of the Century.
On Monday morning the capsule was opened, revealing a variety of items, including a phone book, a slinky, a Rubik’s cube and mixtape.
It is possible that this event would never have happened, as the capsule was effectively forgotten.
“I walked past it for years and didn’t know until I came across it about a year ago,” said Devin McLaughlin, manager of strategy and analysis at the convention center, who helped find the capsule.
He said it was originally placed inside a statute, which is located in an outdoor garden. In the 90s it was moved to Plus 15 level in the centre.
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“It was discovered that there were items in it, but there was no attempt to investigate the history of the statute or understand the items that were put in. We resealed it when it was installed in its current position.”
The time capsule then sat inside the statue of Colonel James Walker, who was declared citizen of the century for Calgary’s centennial commemoration, until it was rediscovered.
“I heard rumblings, even on our 40th anniversary, that there might be a time capsule,” McLaughlin said. “Through research, newspaper articles back from the 70s, I found the match and there was a picture of the unveiling of the statute and the time capsule.”
McLaughlin said that in the coming months, they will try to find some of the people connected to the capsule.
The items will return to the time capsule and be resealed, to be opened again in another 50 years.
“We’re hoping for more information, more items from the 70s, and that’s why we decided not only to put the ones that were there originally but to add to it, so hopefully in 50 years there are some artefacts and more interesting stories to tell for them,” he said.
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