It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Its golden radiance was more powerful in person. I finally had the opportunity to do something I’ve dreamt of since I came to Lloydminster.
Christian was a kid in a candy store holding Lloydminster’s famous golden shovel.
Dan Gray MERIDIAN SOURCE
I’m talking about the golden shovel of Lloydminster. An item I wrote about in the early days of my time with the Source.
For the first time, I got to touch and hold the golden shovel.
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First, a quick recap of the exploits of the golden shovel, as it’s been a while since I first wrote about it.
The shovel was used at the original sod-turning for Holy Rosary High School in the mid 1980s. Lloydminster Catholic School Division director Jim McLouglin wanted the event to be special, so he set out to create what became a piece of history.
The plan was simple. Go to Canadian Tire, remove the trademark, and spray paint the metal with gold paint. Three coats later and voila! It was ready.
Bob Dunham was the first to wield the shovel and plunge it into the earth, leaving its golden imprint forever. The shovel was hung by the admin office at Holy Rosary and was used again to break ground at the new school in 1999.
Luckily enough for me, the golden shovel was unleashed from its treasured spot this Tuesday and once again used to turnover ground.
Holy Rosary had a sod-turning for the new artificial turf field the school is
installing and I was lucky enough to be present and experience the unsheathed golden shovel.
When I arrived, there it lay, holding down a sign as to not blow away in the wind. Continuing its useful work.
The shovel was heftier than I expected it to be, but it felt right at home in my hands. To my surprise, the golden paint on the shovel was almost entirely intact, a testament to the craftsmanship of 1980s spray paint.
I’d like to thank the Lloydminster Catholic School Division for making a young boy’s dream come true. I finally have a picture with the shovel to frame on the wall.
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