Canada wishes Williams Lake, British Columbia a happy Wrestling Day!

Her Lordship Mayor Kerry Cook

Good Day Readers:

We thank Anonymous, presumably a permanent resident of Williams Lake, for sending the following announcement regarding its Wrestling Day. But first a word or two about this thriving metropolis.

Williams Lake, is a city in the interior of British Columbia located in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo and is the largest urban centre between Kamloops and Prince George with a population slightly over 10,00o. It hosts the annual Williams Lake Stampede over the Canada Day long weekend and is the home of many famous Canadians such as Rick Hansen the paraplegic athlete and activist for people with spinal cord injuries who became famous during his fundraising Man in Motion world tour. It is one of the hometowns of Montreal Canadiens' goaltender Carey Price (the other being Anahim Lake, in the Chilcotin).

Mayor Cook if it was you who sent the anonymous announcement no need to be shy about it you've got a great town otherwise there's a visitor amongst you who really likes Williams Lake. Perhaps we can work together in the future on a national petition to make January 2nd Wrestling Dayor perhaps even Hangover Day.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
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75TH ANNIVERSARY VIGNETTES
JANUARY 6, 2004 COUNCIL MEETING
WRESTLING DAY - WILLIAMS LAKE UNIQUE HOLIDAY

Williams Lake is the only city in Canada, probably the world, that celebrates Wrestling Day on January 2. The idea for the unique holiday originated with pioneer merchants Alistair Mackenzie and Syd Western. Mackenzie was the son of the first village merchant, Roderick Mackenzie, and he was managing the Mackenzie Store (now
Fields) at the time. Western was manager of the T.A. Moore Store (now Ming' s restaurant) across Oliver St. from Mackenzies.

The story goes that the two men met for coffee one frigid January 2nd in the late 1930s, the exact date has been a matter of discussion for years. The streets were empty. There hadn't been a customer in sight all morning.

The two men decided they might as well close their shops and go home. They phoned the other downtown businesses - there weren't many of them at the time - and everyone agreed it was a good day for a holiday. It isn't sure whether Western or Ken Rife came up with the name Wrestling Day, for the holiday, but the reasoning was that if the day after Christmas was Boxing Day, why not call the day after New Years Wrestling Day. A further argument in favour of the name was that half the town was wrestling with a hangover.

The holiday caught on and the name stuck. For a number of years it was simply a gentlemen's agreement, merchants closed up shop on January 2nd. In 1942, Village Commissioners and businessmen Robert Beauchamp and Mac Johnson brought the issue of the holiday before the Village Commission, and on
December 23, 1942 the Commission proclaimed Wrestling Day an official civic holiday beginning in 1943. The village didn't get around to passing a bylaw to make it legal until 1959.

The village held no special ceremonies on Wrestling Day. People simply stayed home and recuperated from the holidays celebrations. In 1967, Williams Lake resident Gwen Ringwood, a nationally known author, had the idea to "do something" special . She suggested a Wrestling Day Walk.

The first year only a few people braved the cold and miserable day. Only Mrs. Ringwood, Clive and Irene Stangoe, Cathie Kerley, Olive and Dyne Kyall tromped down to Scout Island and back. . The reward for their efforts was a brunch at the Kerley home. The walk moved to Chimney Lake in 1969 and was a fixture of Wrestling Day celebrations there until 1986.

In 1977, at Mayor Tom Mason's urging, town council abolished the holiday on the grounds the town had outgrown such nonsense. Most government agencies recognized Wrestling Day, but by then the chain stores had arrived in Williams Lake and they, along with some unionized lumber mills, didn't appreciate or recognize the extra holiday. With the chain stores open, Mason argued the holiday was a hardship on the smaller businesses. Council passed a store closing by-law in December 1976 cancelling all existing by-laws regarding store hours, including Wrestling Day.

This did not go well with Williams Lake citizens who benefitted from the extra day off nor with the oldtimers who hated to see the tradition die. They kicked up such a fuss town council reconsidered and re-instated the holiday the following year.

Today, in the tradition of Wrestling Day, nothing much happens in Williams Lake on January 2nd. There is no special celebration. Some businesses open, others stay closed. Some workers work, others enjoy the extra holiday.

Although there are regular rumblings about the inconsistencies and even the need for the holiday, no recent city council has tampered with the holiday that makes Williams Lake unique, at least for one day. Wrestling Day does bring some fame to the city. Most years someone from the outside media hears about it, or remembers, and does a news story.

Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin