Selkirk has often celebrated large events with parades, rain or shine. Some of these events include Victory Day when World War One ended, Canada’s Jubilee in 1927, Coronation Day in 1953, and Selkirk’s 75th Anniversary in 1957. In 1949, the parades began to coincide with the Agricultural Fair weekend.
Roderick “Roddie” Fiddler (1912–1996) was a Manitoba-born Second World War veteran who served overseas with the Royal Canadian Artillery. After returning to civilian life, he spent decades working at the Selkirk Mental Hospital (later the Selkirk Mental Health Centre) and remained a deeply dedicated member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 42.
The Selkirk Museum celebrates the Royal Canadian Legion’s history through The Forty-Second Branch, a book written by Malcolm Macfarlane in 1977. Macfarlane faced challenges in researching the Legion’s first fifty years due to incomplete records, relying on colorful memories from its members. The book captures the Legion’s formation, successes, struggles, and contributions to Selkirk.
Long before it held a monument to the fallen, this historic riverbank site was home to Western Canada’s largest national fish hatchery. This exhibit uncovers the transformation of the grounds—from its 1892 industrial roots to a hard-fought battle by local veterans to protect the prime real estate from developers, securing it as a lasting sanctuary of remembrance.