Steady rain may have kept crowds relatively low-key at the Fort Langley National Historic Site on Family Day, but dozens of families still came to learn about the birthplace of B.C.
The annual Family Day events on Monday, Feb. 20 included presentations on the importance of salmon to the Indigenous people of the area, blacksmithing demonstrations, gold panning, and demonstrations of cedar crafts.
Hazel Gludo-Fillardeau, a Fort staffer, demonstrated how to make items out of cedar bark, handing out small roses to the visiting children.
Glud0-Fillardeau, a Kwantlen First Nation member, said she loves to be able to speak to the children and families, including those visiting from abroad.
“I always make sure that they know that they’re on unceded territory, Kwantlen, Katzie, Matsqui, and Semiahmoo,” said Gludo-Fillardeau.
She’s got more history with the Fort itself than most people. Her great-great-grandfather, Narcisse Fillardeau, a Huron man, came west with the Hudson’s Bay Company and married a local woman.
In addition to the usual Fort activities, a number of environmental groups were on site talking about the rivers, creeks, and wetlands of Langley. Members of the Salmon River Enhancement Society, the Derby Reach Brae Island Parks Association, and staffers from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Museum in Richmond, among others, were set up indoors to teach children about the life cycle of the salmon, Langley’s rare local peat bog environment, and the historic fishing industry.
READ MORE: Family Day in Langley is all about history, sports, whales, and vintage aircraft