(MCM Architects Inc.

2013 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

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THE BRANDON SUN FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

DOME-IN-NATION
BY CHARLES TWEED

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Dominion Exhibition in Brandon and the last exhibition ever held in Canada due to the outbreak of the First World War. The exhibitions began in 1879 with the aim of promoting one fair in the country. Part of the federal programs legacy was to create a flagship building in each city that was awarded the designation. On July 15, 1913, Brandons Dominion Exhibition was officially opened by Manitoba Premier Sir Rodmond Roblin before a crowd of more than 15,000. The exhibition would bring several new buildings to the fairgrounds, most notably Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II known locally as the Dome Building. On Sunday, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba will host a re-dedication ceremony and tea at 2 p.m to celebrate the Dome Buildings centennial anniversary. A historic presentation by George and Trish Buri of 7 Ages Productions at 1:45 p.m. will precede the official ribbon cutting, and a performance by Women in Harmony will close out the ceremony at 2:30 p.m. The wooden building has housed a variety of shows and agricultural events through its 100-year history and today it is

the only surviving building constructed as part of the Dominion Exhibitions. To get a full understanding of the importance of the Dominion Exhibition status, one must first get a feel for the 1913 fair. Pride of the Land, a book written by Dr. Ken Coates and Fred McGuinness offers a unique perspective into the fair. The 1913 Dominion Exhibition was an overwhelming success. Although the announced gate attendance must be taken with a grain of salt, the claim that some 200,000 people bought tickets during the ten-day event provides some measure of the intense public enthusiasm for the fair. The crush of people that arrived for the fair taxed the citys resources that, at the time, were still in their infancy. Just one year earlier the Prince Edward Hotel opened its doors in Brandon. The added rooms were welcomed and needed, but still provided no match for the influx of people during the fair as every hotel in

Brandon was filled to capacity. The rooming shortage proved to be an opportunity for some. During the fair J. Granger and Sons rented the roller rink on the Winter Fair grounds what would later become the Wheat City Arena and is now the site of the Brandon Police Service building. Granger offered, for a fee, meals and sleeping

accommodation. The scale of the operation is indicated by the claim that they could serve meals to 600 people at a time. With hotels filled to capacity, many residents were encouraged to take boarders for the fair. Many homes bustled with extended family and guests from across Canada as Brandon was the place to be from July 15 to 25, 1913. The spectacular event also caught the eye of many transient thieves as reported by the Brandon Sun: No less than twenty of the best known criminals on the continent came with the opening of the fair but ere long they safely landed in jail to wait there until the big fair was over. The exhibition directors and the city police worked closely to ensure the fair was as safe as possible. The work of the slippery-fingered crew had too often cast a shadow over fairs. A staff of detectives and plainclothes officers, several brought in from Winnipeg and the United States, patrolled the grounds under the supervision of

Chief Berry. Loiterers were often questioned, arrested or evicted from town. The fair itself was a spectacle never seen before in Brandon with an massive midway, halls filled with school exhibits and ladies homecraft competitions and commercial displays. The parachute drop and $5,000 fireworks display were just a few of the free shows during the fair. On the final day fairgoers got a free and an unexpected deathdefying show. The Brandon Sun reported: J.W. Marks, of 144 22nd Street, a lecturer at Brandon College, narrowly escaped with his life in a bizarre incident at the Dominion Exhibition. Marks was one of a group of men holding on to ropes which kept a hot air balloon from floating away. When the order came to release their hold, Marks could not, for the rope was tangled around his arm. He was carried aloft to a height of 600-700 feet and came to earth several blocks away when the balloon made its descent. Two or three women swooned during the enactment of this dramatic episode and the occurrence will remain a lurid picture in their memories until their dying day. The Dominion Exhibition, not without its drama, had put Brandon on the map.
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THE EARLY YEARS: WHEAT CITY THRIVES

In the early parts of the 20th century, Brandon was expanding rapidly. A building boom was forcing city sprawl to the south and west. By 1912, the Brandon Winter Fair established itself as the provinces if not Canadas premier livestock show and agriculture education event while the Summer Fair offered a mix of agriculture and entertainment unparalleled in the west. Buoyed by the successes of the fairs, the Western Agriculture and Arts Association lobbied the federal government for Dominion Exhibition status. Every year, from 1879 to 1913, the federal government awarded the role of host of the exhibition to one of the country's larger fairs. Along with the prestige of being named the Dominion Exhibition, the designation came with a large grant. In 1904, the Winnipeg Industrial Fair was awarded the exhibition. Winnipeg fair directors used the federal funds to offer $100,000 in prize money, enough to threaten Brandons fair as the premier agricultural event in the province. For years, Brandon had fought for exhibition status and was finally awarded it in September of 1912 for the upcoming summer fair. The Brandon Sun wrote on September 6th, 1912: Probably no better time could have been chosen for the holding of the big gathering here. Next year Brandon will have its street car system in operation and the greater part of its other civic improvements completed. It is now up to the citizens of Brandon and more especially from the different organizations of this city to get behind the fair association and make it one of the most successful events ever held in Western Canada. Along with the notoriety and publicity that was generated from receiving Dominion Exhibition status, the summer fair received a huge injection of cash from all three levels of government. Local RMs of Elton, Cornwallis, Whitehead and Oakland all increased their grants to the fair. The federal government supported the fair with a $50,000 grant while the provincial government put forward $20,000. The Western Agriculture and Arts Association used the money to construct new display buildings, a cattle and poultry barn, a new grandstand that could seat 5,000 spectators, the race track grounds were replaced and 80 more acres of land were purchased bringing the total fairground area to 200 acres. The architectural firm of Walter H. Shillinglaw and David Marshall were hired to carry out the work, which included the construction of Display Building No. II for $12,000. As construction started and the Dominion Exhibition approached, the city was whipped into a fervor. Buoyed by tens of thousands of New Canadians heading west to the Prairies hoping to capitalize on cheap farm land and job prospects, the fair provided a meeting ground for new agricultural initiatives. Dozens of Canadian and American implement companies made the trip for the fair, drawn by the prospects of a huge farm audience. Fair organizers were forced to settle the conundrum of prime location exhibit space by drawing company names from a hat. The Brandon Sun highlighted the importance agriculture would play at the fair: There is one thing which the directors have been ever ready to keep in mind and that is that Brandons fair is first, last and all the time a farmers fair. This year the holding of the Dominion Fair, despite the fact that more attention had to be directed to the many features which go to make up a national exhibition, has evidently brought no change of mind to those responsible for the arrangement of the fair. Each section has received attention, but the sections devoted to agricultural pursuits have been well cared for. The agriculture feature have always been the leading feature at Brandon, and as in the past so they are again this year.
Brandon Sun

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LANDMARK FORGOTTEN AS A DOME BUILDING FALLS INTO DISREPAIR

In 1999 the Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II was designated a National Historic Site of Canada as the only known surviving building constructed for the Dominion Exhibitions. However, after decades of neglect the building had fallen into a state of disrepair until 2010 when construction began to restore the structure. Ultimately it was the construction of the Keystone Centre that led to the marginalization and subsequent decay of the Dome Building. But it wasnt a smooth transition. A project of the Keystone Centres magnitude couldnt proceed without some level of opposition and controversy. At the time, Brandons Mayor W.K. Wilton became concerned that the fundraising program would fall short of its objective, leaving the city with the risky undertaking of finishing the project. Wilton used his influence to bring the centres construction to a halt and when work resumed the initial plans had been scaled down with the elimination of a swimming pool and dining room. Despite the challenges, local money for the centre continued to flood in. School children sold comic books and delivered the proceeds to the Keystone office. White Elephant auctions were held in communities across Westman, including one where the public sale of donated beer was deemed illegal by liquor inspectors. The Keystone committee knew its bank account was still short despite the public support from the area. Then came the break the centre needed, albeit in a slightly sly and slippery manner. During the fair of 1969, the president of the recently merged board of the summer and winter fairs, James Moffat, learned that newly minted Premier Ed Schreyer and several senior-ranking politicians were at Brandon University. Moffat sent a courier to the group requesting that the group be presented to the crowd at the grandstand performance at the fair. Local folklore suggests that the fair directors cornered the cabinet ministers at the fair, requesting that they agree to the $1 million grant previously offered by Premier Walter Weir. New to their jobs and anxious to reassure Manitobans, Schreyer and his colleagues agreed. Later, while looking through official government records, Schreyers government could find no such mention of a commitment from Weir. The Winnipeg Free Press reported at the time: There are people in Brandon who even use the word hornswoggle in a positive way, when they talk about how the Keystone Crew managed to turn something that was only a vague political suggestion from former premier Walter Weir into a multi-million dollar commitment from Ed Schreyer. In the fall of 1972, the Keystone Centre officially opened in Brandon. While its success is unparalleled in the city, the centre quickly became the focus of the Provincial Exhibition. Funds and fundraising efforts that followed were directed toward the upkeep of the centre leaving the Dome Building to become nothing more than an afterthought, used more as a storage facility for items that were to be used in the centre during the fair. By the 21st century, Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II was nothing more than a deteriorating shell of what it used to be.
Brandon Sun

Congratulations
on the 100th Anniversary and Restoration of the famed Display Building No. II
PROUD SUPPLIER OF QUALITY BUILDING PRODUCTS FOR THIS PROJECT

The dome building in disrepair. (File)

More Than Just T ires

Congratulations & Thank You

to the Restoring the Glory Campaign and the people of Brandon for their generous support of the 100th Anniversary of the Famed Display Building No. II!

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THE BRANDON SUN FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

PROTECTING THE PAST FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

It is impossible to overstate the role the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba and the fairs had in the evolution of Brandon and Westman. The fairs created a national conversation around Brandon, furthering community development and driving economic growth. The places that become provincial exhibition sites become known, not just locally or provincially, but also nationally, as areas of agricultural importance, said Dr. Ken Coates, who researched the fairs as part of his book Pride of the Land, co-authored by the late Fred McGuinness. The fairs made it clear right from the beginning that Brandon was an area of national significance. It may be difficult to conceive now, according to Coates, but at one time the fair was the primary place for discovering new products and cutting edge technology in the agricultural sector. It was the pinnacle of the year for most people, Coates said. Its hard to get a handle how important these fairs were to their livelihoods. In the last two decades the fairs have become more of a recreation, but it leads us to misunderstand how important the fairs were early on. Seed companies used the fair as a launching point for a new variety. Implement dealers used the fair to promote products and push the limits of innovation. The fair built the local economy, Coates said. To see new products in those days was very rare and the fair became the hallmark for the consumer experience. Local farmers brought their best stock, best crop and best pitch as the fair was one of the few marketing tools producers could rely on. It was a reputation building or losing environment, Coates said. It was also a place of great wonder. Brandon was a very practical city in the early years, and the fair offered a glimpse into something different. There was constant noise. There was people yelling and screaming. They are selling things and there are hawkers and games folks, rides, machines and all sorts of action, Coates said. It was sensory overload. Entertainment never seen before, including exotic animals and Girlie Shows intrigued people and offered a reprieve from reality. There is a whole bunch of things there that are a bit risk and not what good and decent people did, Coates said. The best way to describe it is the city came to town. Anchoring it all for decades was the

This book, co-written by former Brandon Sun editor Fred McGuinness details the history of Brandons fairs.

Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II. It is a building of high symbolism, Coates said. They purposely tried to construct an iconic building. It became the cornerstone building that everyone would associate with the exhibition. It is meant to stand permanently as a mark of the commitment of the Brandon region to agriculture in the area. Coates said he believes its important to protect a building that can connect people through generations. The fact that they spent the money to fix the building, and its not an insignificant amount of money, is a sign that the community doesnt want to abandon its heritage, he said. Brandon sees itself as a very modern city that is tied to a very important and storied past. If you give up the buildings that have a strong resonance with the history of the community, then you are giving up part of your soul.
Brandon Sun

During the 1968 and 1969 summer fair the Dome Building featured a unique week-long teen entertainment events. Bob Hunter, seen painting a psychedelic image on the building, was hired as the coordinator of the Scene Centre 68. According to Donna Hogeland, who coordinated the event the following year, it was Hunters idea to create a psychedelic-like exterior to make the building more appealing to teenagers of the late 1960s era. He spent countless hours perched high upon a ladder, painting flowers on the west wall, at either side of the main entrance.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 THE BRANDON SUN

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THE PROPOSED INTERIOR DEVELOPMENT

MAIN FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

Once the nal touches are complete on the restoration of Display Building No. II, the next phase of construction will include new ofce spaces on the both the main and second oors, an interactive museum, board and meeting rooms, and plenty of display space. While the museum will showcase artifacts, photos and memorabilia of a century of exhibitions, the primary focus will be on innovative, hands-on agricultural activities. The exhibits will be designed for maximum participation by young and old alike. Five non-prot agricultural organizations, including the Provincial Exhibition, will locate their ofces within the building. Plans for activities within the restored building include: monthly nonprot workshops for community groups, school tours of the interactive museum, seniors tours, performances, and summer camps. (Floors plans provided by MCM Architects Inc.)

Guy Hewlko, with MCM Architects, talks with contractors about the Provincial Exhibition Display Building, commonly known as the Dome Building in the Keystone Centre lot. (File)

Construction crews work to tie off the rebar for the floor of the Dome building in preparation of the Crews work to freshing up the exterior of the Dome building. (Tim Smith/Brandon Sun) concrete slab. (Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun)

Large wooden beams have been stripped down and refurbished inside the Dome building at the Keystone Centre. (Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun)

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THE BRANDON SUN FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

DOME BUILDING TO EMPHASIZE AGRICULTURE

When restoration of the Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II is complete, the building will include office space, an interactive agricultural museum and an educational classroom component inside. It will also house the Provincial Exhibition of Manitobas offices, along with that of the Manitoba 4-H Council and the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame. The Dome Building is going to be the place that will exemplify Brandon agricultural heritage, Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba CEO Karen Oliver said. The main emphasis will remain on learning and experiencing agriculture. In almost every way the building is going back to its beginnings. It was started to be a hub of agriculture activity and its really going to return to that, Oliver said. Construction on the 12,000 square-foot building began in the fall of 2010. To date the project has received approximately $1 million from the federal and provincial governments, while a private fundraising campaign has raised an additional $1 million, according to Oliver. Originally a $7.2 million project, Oliver said that through a number of cost saving measures the construction is substantially under budget. Oliver said there are some funds still available in multiyear pledges that will be maturing shortly and she is hopeful that the building will get the continued support of several levels of government. Shes confident that in the next two years the project will be completed. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba started on the Keystone Centre grounds in 1882 and had stayed right up until the last decade when the offices were relocated downtown. While it has been good to be a part of the downtown business community, Oliver said it is equally important to reconnect with the agricultural community. The move back to the grounds will reunite and return the organization to the area where it all started. The Keystone grounds have been the one constant through the years and were very excited about going back to the site where it all originated. Oliver said the new Dome Building will act as another attraction that will help draw tourists to the area. Throughout the renovation process she said shes heard from people that have an affinity for the building. Tales of playing ice hockey in the building, going to the petting zoo with the family or a couple who shared their first kiss are just some of the things that make the building special, Oliver said. Everybody has a story about that building and its such an integral part of the lives of Brandon residents, Oliver said. It makes you really proud to work for the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba and we have such a long history here. Its important stuff. There is no slowing down the organization either. According to Oliver, there are already plans to develop the land around the building to include an educational park, crop plots and agricultural playground. Land between Brandon and Hill avenues will be used for the agricultural park with the Government of Manitoba Trade Fair Building forming the hub of the green space. We really want it to be a community asset.
Brandon Sun

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A young contestant accepts the trophy for a bull from Winter Fair president J.C. Donaldson. Donaldson was the fair president for two years from 1928-29. For years his firm promoted the fair by donating advertising time on CKX-Brandon and CKDM-Dauphin.

An advertisement for the 1913 Brandon Dominion Exhibition. During the fair, directors announced severe action, against shoe shine stores in Brandon that were gouging customers. During the fair, shoe-shiners raised their prices by five cents to 15 cents. Fair directors decided to install a small army of bootblacks at various points throughout the city, to thwart the move and keep costs down, and to have police take direct action against price gouging.

A directors pin from the 1913 Dominion Exhibition in Brandon.

Brandons Gord Peters shows off his prize-winning bull to Queen Elizabeth during the 1970 Brandon Fair. The Queen, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, was on a royal tour to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Manitoba's entry into confederation.

A beaded thimble purchased by Elizabeth Carvey Hickson when she was 14 years old at the 1913 Dominion Exhibition. Hickson had recently immigrated to Canada from England living in Forrest. Hicksons daughter, Colleen Gareau, still has the thimble today.

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THE BRANDON SUN FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

ANIMAL CRACKERS
An undated shot from one of the Brandon Summer Fairs. The photo shows booths that where circus perfomers would entertain. At the 1925 Fair, the Brandon Sun reported: Just as the evening performance was about to begin in the trained wild animal circus ten on the Rubin and Cherry shows midway at the exhibition last night, pandemonium broke loose. As if by pre-arranged signal, ever one of the 16 Nubian lions set up a deafening roaring muggins, and the huge elephant trumpeted lustily and every caged animal howled. This deafening din attracted the attention of the keepers who rushed into the ten fearing trouble. Captain Dan Riley, the principal animal trainer, led the vanguard and arriving at the lions cages, discovering the cause of the commotion, Alpha, a beautiful lioness, had become a mother, giving birth to two tiny lion cubs and the rest of the menagerie were voicing their approval of the new arrivals.

Congratulate
All Involved on a Job Well Done!
Cliff Cullen
MLA Spruce Woods
Glenboro, MB R0K 0X0 204-827-3956 [email protected]

Your Members at the Manitoba Legislature

Reg Helwer
MLA Brandon West
Brandon, MB R7A 5A3 204-728-2410 [email protected]

Larry Maguire
MLA Arthur-Virden
Virden, MB R0M 2C0 204-748-6443 [email protected]

Leanne Rowat
MLA Riding Mountain
Minnedosa, MB R0J 1E0 204-867-2297 [email protected]

to all who worked on or contributed to

Restoring the Glory Display Building No. II

1913 2013