Just like a TV game show, the opening of a time capsule by members of St Paul’s United Church of Virden was a mixture of excitement and disappointment.
The time capsule was placed in the ground by the side door of the church fifty years ago by members of a vacation Bible school group under the leadership of the minister at the time, S.A. Walmsley. Placed there in September of 1967, within were items of importance and messages to those who would open it 50 years later.
Saturday, Sept. 9 the process of digging it up began with several volunteers helping out, to dig down over three feet to reach the cement lid that was placed over the container.
At 2:00 in the afternoon, a large crowd had gathered by the church door for the final dig, with many of the people sharing memories and hugs as they had not seen each other in years. Present for the removal, were some of the original girls who were involved in the event fifty years ago.
A blessing was given by Lyn Fefchak and Dorothy Young got the job of getting into the hole to remove the large plastic container after the cement lid was lifted off. Up she came with the memory capsule, cleaning the dirt off the lid to read the message that had been left.
At this point there was a great deal of laughter and happiness as the sealed container was viewed by the crowd. Betty Anderson invited everyone into the church hall for some light refreshments before the official opening. (She also added that we should also inside before the wasps got one of us.)
In the church hall, it became very crowded as peopled visited and got a closer look at the still sealed Tupperware type container. The time came to open the container and there was lots of excitement as it was open; that was followed by some disappointment, as over the 50 years water had seeped into the container and ruined most of its contents.
However this did not deter the ladies who originally placed it there as they dug into the mud with bare hands and the help of a kitchen spatula, to dig out what they could.
The only items that were in a solid state were some glass beads and a 45 rpm record of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles, and a four-inch audio (reel) recorded message to be played at a later date when a machine can be found.
There were Polaroid photos and parts of various messages that the girls had written and sealed in plastic bags. In some cases, a few of the words or greetings could be made out and one item that water had not been kind to was the remains of a V.C.I. year book from 1967.
Betty Anderson said, “The committee was very pleased with the number of people who showed up for the event. There was some disappointment in the damage caused by time but that was make up for by lots of reminiscing we had at the event.”
Now, a new time capsule is in the ground. Anderson explained, “On Sunday, we had a special church service to commemorate the event, and afterwards the present Sunday school children buried their own time capsule that they will open in 25 years.”
It was a good weekend with perfect weather for old, young, and new friends to remember and spend time in fellowship.
