On July 4, 1859, the H.M.S. Plumper, a naval sloop under the command of Captain George Richards, sailed into the Howe Sound on a four-year coastline survey mission of British Columbia.
Upon approaching the shores of what is now called Squamish, the crew members were taken aback by the majestic sight of a towering volcanic peak in the distance. They decided to name the peak Mt. Garibaldi, in honour of the Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi whose birthday fell on the same day.
Fast forward to the year 2004, and Garibaldi will be honored once again. Organizers have chosen July 4 as the first annual Garibaldi Day - a day to celebrate the father of modern Italy and the famous peak.
The mountain is one of the Sea to Sky corridor's most-recognizable and impressive landmarks, and it will be honoured in a formal re-dedication of the Garibaldi Monument at Watts Point.
"We wanted to create some awareness about Giuseppe Garibaldi and the dedication done to the naming of the mountain," said event organizer Murray Sovereign.
"He was born on the fourth of July, which seems like a great day to have a party, so we decided to pursue it.'
The event will be highlighted by the visitation of Italian delegates from Catalafemi, Sicily, which is Squamish's sister city in Italy. Representatives from the Italian consulate in Vancouver will also be on hand to celebrate the birth of Italy's great national hero and the anniversary of the naming of Mt. Garibaldi.
After the official announcements are made at Watts Point, the party will come to downtown Squamish for a huge picnic affair with live music and entertainment, and food provided by the Squamish Emergency Program.
"Mt. Garibaldi is something the whole community can relate to, and there's no limits on the potential of the event," said Sovereign.
"It's open to everybody, when Squamish and Italy come together."
The event will also feature wine-tasting, an espresso demonstration and a bocce tournament sponsored by Canadian Tire.
"For the first year, it will be a modest affair," said Sovereign, "but we're hoping that this will turn into something fairly major in the future."
Contact Jan Durocher at 604-898-5642 or Murray Sovereign at 604-815-9025 for more information.
