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Thousands brave wind and rain to be with Queen at party in Edmonton stadium
Canadian Press Photo: Queen Elizabeth II smiles after cutting a cake representing the Alberta Legislature during rainy Alberta...
EDMONTON (CP) - Pouring rain and gusty winds forced organizers of a bash for Queen Elizabeth to cut short their program Monday, but thousands still braved the weather for an afternoon stadium party in celebration of Alberta's 100th birthday.
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Dance displays had to be cancelled because the stage at Commonwealth Stadium couldn't be kept dry. Organizers also scrambled to cover chairs in the pavilion at the centre of the football field with plastic to make sure the seats for the Queen and Prince Philip didn't get wet.
"It's disappointing. We've planned for this. We really wanted to make it a wonderful celebration," said Beryl Cullum, one of the spokespeople for Alberta's 2005 centennial celebrations.
Further complicating the job of organizers, one of the four huge guns that was used for the planned 21-gun salute was involved in a traffic accident on its way to the stadium.
The field artillery piece was being towed, with the barrel facing backwards, by a truck through Edmonton streets when it was rear-ended by another military vehicle in the convoy.
"The barrel went right through the windshield (of the second vehicle)," said Edmonton police Sgt. Joan Ashmore.
One person was slightly injured. The military used the three remaining guns to carry out the salute.
Another accident was narrowly averted when Alberta Premier Ralph Klein nearly poked the Queen with his umbrella. As she was cutting the Alberta birthday cake, Klein leaned toward her in a seeming attempt to catch something she said.
One of the points of the umbrella momentarily caught her furry, Cossack-style hat.
The stadium became a sea of brightly coloured rain gear as people poured into their seats. Giant speakers were covered in plastic.
"The weather is horrible, the event is beautiful," said Michael Fedorietz, who recalled Queen Elizabeth's 1978 visit to the stadium for the Commonwealth Games.
"She looks fantastic," said Fedorietz, comparing the two visits.
Harvey Diduch, a former bandsman, was sympathetic to the musicians performing in the cold and wet.
"I really feel for the guys and women out there playing," he said.
Still, it was worth it for him to put on his rain suit and join the crowd.
"When she's in town, it creates a buzz, and I love to feel it," he said.
The afternoon wrapped up with a brief set by Alberta icon Ian Tyson, who welcomed many of those whose performances had been cancelled to join in a sing-along version of his anthem, Four Strong Winds.
Among those singing with Tyson were actor Paul Gross, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Bill Bourne and Corb Lund.
The royal couple resumed their duties Monday after a weekend spent relaxing in the Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper, Alta., in the heart of Jasper National Park.
After landing in Edmonton on Monday, they were whisked to Commonwealth Stadium, where about 25,000 people gathered for the official celebration of Alberta's centenary.
About 50,000 free tickets for the event had been given out, leaving about half the stadium empty.
Original plans for the event included 1,500 singers, dancers and musicians. Performers from jazz to country to hip-hop and classical were slated to perform.
Later Monday, Klein announced the government would rename a 260-kilometre stretch of highway between Calgary and Edmonton - Alberta's busiest highway - in honour of the Queen.
The
Queen Elizabeth II Highway will be the only one in Canada named for the current monarch and will be longest in the country named for any member of the royal family.
"This just goes to show we don't do things by half measures in Alberta," Klein said.
On Tuesday, the Queen's schedule includes re-dedicating Alberta's Provincial Museum at a splashy if unusual party featuring the facility's exotic insect display.
Then, for the first time, the monarch was to take the throne at the Alberta legislature to make a speech and tour the manicured grounds perched above the North Saskatchewan River.
Later Tuesday, Prime Minister Paul Martin and his wife will dine with the royal couple, the prime minister's office announced Monday.
The Queen is scheduled to do a walkabout in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday before travelling to Calgary, where she'll tour the Museum of the Regiments and attend a western-style pageant at the city's giant hockey arena, the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Queen and Prince Philip are scheduled to return to England on Wednesday.