Salisbury, N.B., celebrates 250th anniversary with year-long events

It's not every day that a town turns 250-years-old, and so it's appropriate that Salisbury [1], N.B., isn't spending just one day marking the special occasion; it's making the celebrations last all year long. The first permanent settlement in what became Salisbury was made by immigrants from Yorkshire, England, in 1774. Countless people have built, rebuilt, and defined the town between then and now, but Krista Cote, a lifetime resident, knows the community's roots stretch back even further than the 18th-century.

Cote is a committee member on Salisbury 250 [2], a group that is organizing events based on the town's history throughout 2024. She said they plan to give attention to all the peoples who laid the foundation for the town throughout the centuries. "We're celebrating 250 but (going) even further back in our past," she said. "Knowing we had such a vast, deep history, we had to organize it to encompass our past.

There are rich pieces of our history to show who we were." "We're recognizing fox farming, early settlers, sports and businesses that have contributed to who we are today." The year-long celebrations officially kick off on Tuesday with a presentation by Connie Colpitts about the silver fox industry at the Salisbury Regional School at 7 p.m.

Other events for the year will focus on agriculture, transportation, veterans, the Petitcodiac River, and local government. "We're lucky to have people who have more knowledge of the area," Cote said. "There are lots of stories and successes and we're still learning things and finding things out through the online recognition process and talking to neighbours." "There are stories of funny things and inventions and how things came to be like why the bank sits where it does."

Mayor Robert Campbell [3] said the 250th anniversary is a chance to promote the history of the town and bring more attention to it, which could be helpful for the tourism industry. "I coach sports in the area and I tell the kids we're a small community that does big things," he said. "Salisbury is the gateway to Atlantic Canada. We need to get people off the highways and into our areas and Salisbury is truly that gateway."

"We're very proud of the community and it is starting to be recognized as unique."

For Cote, the year-long event is an opportunity to uncover the rich layers of history in Salisbury.

"History keeps popping up in my face and I love it," she said.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.[4]

References

^ Salisbury (salisburynb.ca)
^ Salisbury 250 (salisburynb.ca)
^ Mayor Robert Campbell (www.robbcampbell.ca)
^ dedicated provincial page. (atlantic.ctvnews.ca)