In 2008, art and cultural events celebrated the 100th anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables.
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| Anne of Green Gables doll in Cavendish gift shop |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Centennial events celebrated the power of creativity, imagination, optimism and determination in the character of Anne Shirley and the beauty of Prince Edward Island and its culture that Montgomery's book made famous.
Besides theater productions, Anne 2008 featured numerous literary, cultural and educational events, as well as scrapbook workshops, reading circles and traditional and on-line book club events. Some were held in places described in the novel.
An Anne Textile Showcase, with a Kindred Spaces theme, was part of Anne 2008. The quilting project was developed with the Yokohama International Quilt Exhibition and Patchwork Quilt Tsushin Magazine from Japan. Winning quilts from this show were exhibited in Yokohama in November 2008. Japanese winners' quilts were displayed in Prince Edward Island in 2009.
Special events
Special events included the first Anne of Green Gables Parade at the Avonlea Village Country Fair, an Anne of Green Gables look-alike contest and a L.M. Montgomery photography exhibit.
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| Lucy Maud Montgomery's Birthplace in Clifton Corner, New London |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Talks and tours by L.M. Montgomery's great-grandson, John MacNeill, and his wife Jennie, took place at the Cavendish Home National Historic Site, in Cavendish, where Lucy Maud's MacNeill grandparents raised her. Campfire programs at Green Gables Heritage Place, in Cavendish, featured stories, music and hot chocolate.
Visitors enjoyed baked beans, corn on the cob and dancing to fiddle music at Matthew and Marilla's Cuthbert Kitchen Party and Reunion, on August 17 at The Shipyard in Summerside. Admission was free for anyone dressed in period costume. Until late September, visitors also took horse-drawn carriage tours and had their photos taken with Anne and Marilla under the Summerside Train Station sign.
Anne 2008 events ended on November 30, with a birthday party for L.M. Montgomery at Green Gables, in Prince Edward Island National Park, in Cavendish. A time capsule was filled with memorabilia from the 100th anniversary celebrations.
Kings Playhouse, in Georgetown, showcased a new musical, The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery, which covered 60 years in L.M. Montgomery's life, from the first poem she wrote at age nine to six years after her death, when she was declared a Canadian of National Importance.
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| Anne of Green Gables look-alikes |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Postage Stamps
Canada Post issued two commemorative Anne of Green Gables stamps to celebrate the centennial. In addition, The Royal Canadian Mint created a limited edition color 25 cent Anne of Green Gables coin (cost $19.95).
Penguin Group (Canada) published a collectible 100th anniversary edition of Anne of Green Gables, with the original cover art of M.A. Claus and W.A.J. Claus, and an introduction by two of Montgomery's grandchildren.
Penguin Group published an official prequel, Before Green Gables, and Imagining Anne: The Scrapbooks of L.M. Montgomery. The prequel, written by Budge Wilson, tells the story of Anne's early life in foster homes and in an orphanage in Nova Scotia.
For visitors celebrating Anne's 100th anniversary in PEI, the Anne 2008 website described vacation packages that combined hotels, inns and bed & breakfast lodgings with theater, sightseeing and dining.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Prince Edward Island Visitors Guide: Tourim PEI
More things to see and do in PEI:
Prince Edward Island Tour for Anne of Green Gables Fans
Meetings and Incentives in Prince Edward Island
PEI Lobster Dinners, Church Suppers and Seafood Outlets
