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Fifty years later in 1917, the town celebrated the golden jubilee of Confederation while many of its sons were off to fight a war. There were constant reminders of the conflict overseas, but perhaps the most memorable was when enlisted members of the local 118 battalion gave and exhibition of military drills before a crowd in Waterloo Park. Actors from Buffalo were also on hand to entertain the audience, and a joint musical program was staged at the park bandshell by the Waterâ€" loo and Kitchener musical socieâ€" ties. The rest of the day was spent watching a parade of costumed people move up and down the main streets, watching a drill and pracâ€" tice by the fire department, visiting family or friends, and later on, going to one of a number of private and public dances. While many of the young men were dressed in uniform, women were dressed to the hilt in the latest $17 silk suits with summer gloves, or the less expensive Fancy Sports Stripe Suits with coloured collars and wide belts. And Beecham‘s Pills were the rage of the day for people wanting pure blood, and active liver, regular bowels. brighter eyes, and a cure for disfig. _ g pupils all at once. Needless to say, the discharge had a strong impact on the commmunâ€" ity, bursting the cannon and shatâ€" tering several nearby windows. And the volunteers had accomâ€" plished what they set out to do, to get people up, and out on the street to begin celebrations. While people celebrated, times were still hard and local politicians called on townspeople to be resolute and determined to help pull the area and the rest of the country towards more prosperous times. In the Waterloo Chronicle, town merâ€" chants ran a full page ad to publicize the Waterloo Community Camâ€" paign. Another golden jubilee celebraâ€" tion was held on Dominion Day, 1932, when the Waterloo Band was honoured for 50 years of service to the community. Performances were held at the now familiar Waterloo Park bandâ€" shell, to entertain people who had come to honour the band and partake in a community picnic. Family reunions on Dominion Day had become a precedent, as relaâ€" tives sat down together to celebrate their dncestry and their country at the same time. Many of the reunions had over 100 people attendâ€" ing, and some with close to 1,000 with relatives coming from across Canada, United States and overâ€" seas. Early in the morning, members of the twentyâ€"ninth Berlin Volunteers arrived with the intention of rousing towns people from their sleep. Setting up a cannon beside the old court house, they filled the barrel with a pound of gunpowder, and fired off a shot. Over the last 114 years, Dominion Day for Waterioo has been a time to celebrate Confederation, and a time to reflect on events and happenings within the community. When it was just a village back in 1867, Waterloo started off its first _celebration of Confederation with a The campaign consisted of 50 Remembering days gone by By MARK WESSEL Just 11 years ago in 1970, Waterloo had its first and probably last outâ€"ofâ€"town protest picnic for Doâ€" minion Day. On that day, 200 university of Waterloo students conâ€" gregated at 12 Westgate Walk, *Kitchener to protest the school‘s purchasing of a $100,000 home for inâ€"coming president Dr. Burt Matâ€" thews. This year, Waterloo has already had its official celebration of Doâ€" minion Day, with a short musical presentation at the last city hall meeting. Since Waterloo Days was established eight years ago, the city has directed most of its energies toward the threeâ€"day celebration just before Dominion Day. The U of W students did find time to relax, passing around pop and chips, and whatever else was availâ€" able. And some protesters managed to rouse enough interest for a game of baseball on the street. Complaining that the money could be used for better purposes such as reduced residence fees, the students circulated flyers in front of the house, much to the bewilderment of the couple who still owned the propâ€" erty. A huge play was also staged, featuring hundreds of local actors depicting the county‘s history over the previous 100 years. In the aftermath, police weren‘t sure whether it was the drinking or the enthusiasm which compelled some citizens to uproot more than 60 plants and shrubs in front of Carling Park, throwing them into a nearby poot of water. After the depression, and the war that followed, Waterloo exerted its energies towards growing and thrivâ€" ing as a community. The growth was evident in the summer of 1952 when Waterloo organized a week long centennial show, running from the end of June to the beginning of July, to celebrate Waterloo County‘s oneâ€"hundredth birthday and Dominâ€" ion Day at the same time. Billed as "the Greatest Show on Earth"‘, the show featured a music competition which attracted more than 600 bands from across Canada and United States. Over 25,000 people invaded Waterloo Park to watch the competition. major contestants competing for over $1,000 in prizes, and each time someone bought something or gave used goods away to one of the merchants they were given a speâ€" cified number of points to assign to one of the contestants. If you bought a new car then, the dealer would give you two million points to give to whomever you liked. One Waterloo man, J. Schnur, raised the spirits of townspeople in his own way, until police confiscated his moonshine distillery set up in a barn north of town. Schnur‘s identity wasn‘t known until his partner Charles Schilly spilled the beans. The contestant who received the most points over a certain period received the top prize money. So by buying something or giving away used goods, you were helping local businesses and needy people at the same time. Police had another problem on their hands at that time as over 600 people had failed to renew licenses â€" for their bicycles. It was announced officers would begin checking the roads for bicycles with outdated plates. Firemen worried about manpower cut Council deferred a decision on the staffing level of the fire department last week, after aldermen were divided on what to do. Following a break this week, council will get back to the matter. Their options range from hiring a man to fill a retirement vacancy coming up this fall, to leaving the fire department one man short, to laying off an unspecified number of firefighters to reduce the city‘s manpower budget. By Mark Wessel An officer with the Waterloo Fire Department says firemen fear city council will decide to cut back on the number of firefighters when council reconvenes next week. Asking that his name be withheld, the officer told the Chronicle "there‘s no doubt all the guys around here are concerned. We‘re short staffed already and now they want to cut back." The officer interviewed called the option to reduce manpower ‘"horseshit. That‘s the only way I can describe it," he said. ‘"Right now we have three men sick and three men off out of a staff of 16 for the two stations," he said. As a result, some trucks are sent out with three men instead of the standard four. TOP: this young cyclist‘s photo, without information, was found in the Chronicle‘s old files. BOTTOM: this float was used in a July 1 parade back in 1906. The men were all members of Schneider Brothers upholsterers. Alif Schneider is on the far right. The picture was taken in front of where the Equitable Life building now stands in Waterâ€" ‘"Normally with four men you have the officer WATERLOO CHRONICLE, TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1981 â€" PAGE 3 Another said layoffs would make it difficult to keep "the buddy system‘" intact. ‘"Usually you have two men going into a fire, and if one gets in trouble the other is there to help.‘ But with layoffs, firefighters might be forced to go into a burning structure alone the fireman said, adding if manpower reductions are made, "they (counâ€" cil) will be responsible if someone is killed or inâ€" jured." in charge, the guy who mans the (water) pumper, the hose man, and the man who connects the line to the hydrant. When there are only three, it means one guy has to make the connection with the hydrant and unwind the hose by himself. By that time you could have quite a fire on your hands." Other firemen interviewed echoed the officer‘s remarks. One firefighter said council ‘‘is crazy to even consider cutting back when we‘re already short men.""‘ He warned if the shortage is made any worse ‘‘it‘s your life in jeopardy." ‘"‘There‘s a definite communication problem between us and city hall," said one firefighter. "All they‘re out to do is save money, without finding what it takes to operate a station."