Eighty Years Ago
August 29, 1935
A new bridge was built on Yale Road at Fry’s Corner, and traffic, detoured around Cloverdale for weeks, was allowed through.
Proprietors Atkins and Gardiner, both of Abbotsford, announced the re-opening of Langley Hotel after complete renovation.
Bert Williams drilled what was believed the deepest well in Langley Prairie, on Jack Donnelly’s property. A good flow of water was struck at 320 feet, but better pressure was attained in other wells.
Seventy Years Ago
August 30, 1945
Langley’s Fall Fair & Carnival was set to go at the Athletic grounds. Net proceeds were to go to the Langley Athletic Assn. for improvements to the grounds.
Miss Doreen Murie, sponsored by the Canadian Legion, won the Harvest Queen contest and was to be crowned by 1944 Harvest Queen Norma Mufford.
Langley repats aboard the Sama Ria when it docked in Quebec City were Cpl. D.J. Linwood, Cpl. T. Taylor, L.A.C. W.N. Baron, and L.A.C. R.J. Pearson.
Sixty Years Ago
September 1, 1955
Several Langley residents won prizes at the PNE, including the coveted Dewar Shield for community entries, which Alex Frost and his crew of volunteers won after building a display around the theme, “Where the town and city meet.”
The municipal board of works installed a 2-way radio system, splitting the cost 50/50 with Civil Defence.
Langley City’s building and plumbing bylaw was made available in booklet for,m. Building Inspector Joe Ortman advised anyone planning construction work of any kind to secure a copy before getting strarted.
Fifty Years Ago
September 2, 1965
Fair weather had not aided the fortunes of the Langley City swimming pool. Inspite of a record-setting hot spell in June and July, the pool lost about $1,200 on the season.
Langley building inspector John Strain switched allegiances, taking a job with the City after eight years with the Township. His new job included taking on the roles of City assessor and assistant fire chief, in addition to his work as building inspector.
Twenty-one teachers were shifted to different schools, but 110 returned to the same classrooms they had occupied the year before.
Forty Years Ago
August 28, 1975
Langley City was to receive $500,000 in financial help for a neighbourhood improvement project designed to “improve amenities and living conditions.” The City was one of 16 municipalities in B.C. to receive a total of $10.2 million in grants and loans from the federal and provincial governments.
Only 153 donors turned out to a Red Cross Blood Donor Clinic.
Thirty Years Ago
August 28, 1985
The B.C. Milk Board won an injunction preventing Glen Valley farmer Grant Tocher from selling his milk to a local cheese factory. Tocher was forced to dump 1,600 litres of milk per day as a result of his attempt to circumvent the Milk Board’s quota system.
The Canadian Alliance of Travel Agents raised thousands of dollars in an effort to secure the release of Langley travel agent Wayne McCannan from a Costa Rican jail, where he was imprisoned on fraud charges after he put a stop on a cheque to a Guatamalan hotel that he considered “sub-standard.”
An 18-year-old Langley boy was found guilty of mischief after he and two friends dumped several tar-filled bags on the roof of Topham Elementary School. The act had caused $2,900 in damages.
Twenty Years Ago
August 30, 1995
A vacant lot in Willoughby yielded 20 marijuana plants to a police search that had been sparked by a tipster. But the gardener remained unknown.
Police were perturbed by Fort Langley onlookers who got in their way as they tried to defuse what was believed to be a volatile situation involving a firearm. Officers said the people who had endangered themselves were lucky – there was no gun, after all.
The federal government intervened in the Langley truckers’ strike, in an effort to arbitrate a settlement.
Downtown Langley City drew crowds to its second annual Arts Alive! event.
Schools were expecting to have to deal with an extra 500 students when classes started. Elementary schools anticipated 11,735 students, and secondary schools 7,152.