“from the Nordic Circle, to the Rideau’s waters, this flood was made for you and me.”

“This is a dilly of a pickle!” Flooding of the Nordic Circle and of Bowesville Road was an annual event. This photo is dated April 8, 1954. City of Ottawa Archives, Item CA003837.

Until it was successfully controlled, that the Rideau River flooded each spring was not a surprising fact to Ottawans. Although the degree to which it did varied considerably over the years, that it did at all was largely a sure bet.

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Brief: First Tulip Festival Parade

The first annual Tulip Parade began at Rideau and King Edward. Image: May 15, 1965 // Ted Grant Series 65-121; Library & Archives Canada.
The first annual Tulip Parade began at Rideau and King Edward. The Bourque Memorial Building was only about 18 months old at the time. Image: May 15, 1965, Ted Grant Collection Series 65-121 // Library & Archives Canada.

May 15, 1965 was the fourteenth annual Tulip Festival and it featured the first ever Tulip Festival parade.

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