Display of  items  that  were in time capsule-photos 250News 

Prince George, BC.- For 25 years,  Tracy and Tim Holzworth wondered just what their mother, Helen,  had placed in the time capsule that was  buried behind the  Welcome to Prince George sign. 

They sat patiently  among the capacity crowd at the Bob Harkins Library  as each  item was  pulled from the time capsule that had been buried  25 years ago.

The first item out was a “Sons of Norway” convention ball cap.  Then,  a special package from Dorothy Johnson that contained a Bart Simpson doll, a cabbage patch doll and a special letter to  her  children :

“Well this is the year  the Simpsons became a very popular T.V. program, for young and old .  Just imagine,  they rated higher than our famous “Bill Cosby” show. I wonder if “The Simpsons” will be forgotten when the time Capsule is  re-opened.   I hope whoever  opens the capsule enjoys it as much as we  have getting it  together. Perhaps I will be around to  be part of the ceremony,  I will be  85 years young then – Dorothy Johnson”

Sadly, Dorothy  recently passed away, but her  special package and message brought smiles to all in attendance.

Item  after item was  pulled from the capsule and described,   there were photos,  baby books,  the  baby clothes of the first baby born in 1990,  newspaper articles,  memories of  the summer  cutbanks  ski event called “Sandblast”,  a vhs recording  from CKPG TV, water colour paintings,  lots and lots of  75th anniversary  buttons, messages from school children.

But nothing that  the Holzworths could identify as something placed in the capsule by their mother.  Helen Holzworth  had  told her  children she  had made a contribution to the  capsule, and would not reveal  what it was, “She said we would  just have to wait and see” says Tracy Holzworth.

Helen passed away 5 years ago.

When the last item was pulled,  and still nothing specific from her mother,  Tracy said  she was “disappointed.  The excitement and energy for us was  very high.”  It is possible   their mother’s item  is among the many  paintings or  letters which   were  combined  in packages  submitted by  groups.  Tracy won’t know untl she has had a chance to  take a close look at all of the  items.

Still,  the Holzworth’s plan to include the special Holzworth  family journal  Tracy created for the new time capsule. “I don’t want another family to  feel this kind of disappointment.”

(At right, Tracy Holzworth with journal she will place in new capsule)

For  Freeman of the City, former Councillor Shirley Gratton,   the item she had placed in the capsule 25 years ago brought her  to tears. “I wrote a letter to my kids, telling them to  be friends and get along”   although her children never actually read that letter she says 25 years later “They are friends”. Gratton had  included  numerous items, including  a couple of packages of Crayola Crayons,  before the  company  went wild with  mega colour packs.

  ( at left, Shirley Gratton  reopens the  package she had included in the time capsule)

While there had been rumours  a bottle of scotch had been placed in the capsule,  there was no such  discovery,  much to the disappointment of some who had hoped to sample the  extra old alcohol.

Some of the items   that were in the  capsule will be on display at the  Bob Harkins Branch of the Library for the next 10 days.  Some of the items that will be placed in the new time capsule are on display at the Pine Centre Mall.

The 1990 time capsule and the new 2015 time capsule will be buried on July 20th, wrapping up  10 days of Centennial celebrations in the City.