North Bay Museum to mark city's Centennial anniversary with exhibition on different aspects of its history

The City of North Bay will on Monday mark the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as a city and the North Bay Museum has put together an exhibition — North Bay at 100, a people's history — as part of the year-long Centennial celebrations.

The museum's director, Naomi Hehn, said the exhibition provides a broad look at different aspects of North Bay's history.

"We put out a call in the fall just to ask people in North Bay to share their stories, so some of the exhibits have come out of that," Hehn said.

"It's quite a broad display and we're very excited to share it with the community as part of the Centennial celebration."

The exhibition is set to open on May 8, and there are also concerts planned for every Thursday throughout the month, she said.

One of the displays we have is actually right at 1925 and what were things like in North Bay.- Naomi Hehn, director North Bay Museum

North Bay officially became a city on April 14, 1925, with a population of just over 12,000.

Hehn said the city, now with a population of 52,000,  has "obviously changed" over the years, and the exhibition will focus on the different time periods within the last 100 years.

"One of the displays we have is actually right at 1925 and what were things like in North Bay," she said.

"We also focused on how much the university and the college have evolved within North Bay. What were they like when opening the College Drive campus in 1972 and how has it evolved from there."

Hehn said there's also a Welcome to North Bay display, which looks at more recent immigration to the city.

'It's a great city to live in': mayor

North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico said he can recall his parents telling him that when his grandparents immigrated from Italy to North Bay in 1902, it was "a pretty rough place" at that time with "very little in the way of streets."

But he said the city has made "lots of strides" since that time and he's made some fond memories over the years.

"I actually do remember a parade when the Queen, [Elizabeth II] made an appearance in North Bay. And I [also] remember a train coming through North Bay with Emperor Haile Selassie and they made a stop in North Bay,"  Chirico said.

"It was a great place to grow up. It's a great city to live in and certainly I'm pleased that a lot of my family are still here."

A ceremony will be held at city hall on Monday, the anniversary of the charter 100 years ago. It will feature video presentations showcasing the city's growth and transformation over the past century.

"We're actually giving away 100 tree seedlings, inviting residents to plant something today that hopefully will still be growing in 100 years from now," the mayor said.