Last Sunday, July 1, was not only Canada Day, but also a very important celebration in Carlyle. The towns's newest gazebo, officially took center stage with a neighbourhood celebration, ribbon cutting and grand opening with the Mayor.
As many already know, the Ramsey family has always been very active in Carlyle, with quite a large family with a ton of great stories.
The dedication of the gazebo began with an introduction by Bill Ramsey. People gathered around as Ramsey spoke a bit of the history of his family's involvement in Carlyle, as well as a bit of background on the gazebo idea.
The Ramsey family came to Carlyle in 1922 and opened the Ramsey pharmacy on Main Street. Stan, Bills father was involved in every way possible around the community. He was a member of almost every committee, including booking movies for the theatre, which was where you could almost always find him. His mother was also heavily involved in her own way.
Bill shared memories, and mainly joked about anything possible, bringing the crowd to laughter with every sentence.
"When Ron was only three years old, he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said he wanted to be a doctor," Bill said of his brother. "If I'm not smart enough to be a doctor, I'll be a druggist."
On Sunday, Mayor Ron Shirley had the honours of cutting the official ribbon. The ceremony was a chance for the community to meet and greet with the entire Ramsey family, who came in from all over Canada, as well as the United States for this special reunion.
Beginning at 1:00 p.m., the sunny gathering at Centennial Park included not only introductions, but also cake and ice cream, which had to be eaten quickly as the heat from the sweltering sun melted the goodies.
"We hope that several of you in Carlyle will enjoy this gazebo," said Bill Ramsey. "It will shortly be receiving benches as well."
