Mr. PG is turning 60 years old in 2020 and the city is ready to celebrate.
Prince George's mascot first appeared publicly on May 8, 1960, to welcome delegates to a Rotary International conference at the Simon Fraser Inn.
Since then, he has become a beloved icon and has appeared on parade floats, a phone booth, a Canada Post stamp and in countless photos from residents and visitors alike.
The Exploration Place currently houses an exhibit detailing Mr. PG’s history, legacy and worldwide adventures.
“None of us knew he was born on May 8, 1960 so it really was the Exploration Place that alerted us to this opportunity,” said Rob van Adrichem, director of external relations at the city’s council meeting on Monday (Feb. 24).
The city is currently working with Exploration Place and Tourism Prince George to increase awareness of the history of Mr. PG and present some activities to enhance civic pride while celebrating the mythical logman’s birthday.
“Over the last couple of years, we have been working to improve our response to community organizations that want to use Mr. PG to promote their events and activities and that has led to increased collaboration among the three organizations.”
Mr. PG’s likeness was trademarked in 1985 and, as a result, the city oversees graphic representations of Mr. PG and also maintains the site of the physical statue of Mr. PG at the intersection of Highways 16 and 97.
Two main events are planned to mark Mr. PG’s birthday: a Friday, May 8 lunchtime celebration with food trucks at the site of Mr. PG, and a Saturday, May 9 scavenger hunt in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park (based around Exploration Place) featuring Mr. PG-related items.
In addition to these events, Mr. PG will be featured on the cover of the Spring Active Living Guide, and as part of the Women’s World Curling Championships next month, the City’s Civic Appreciation event, and numerous other local activities.
For these events, the city is working with Tourism Prince George to produce a portable Mr. PG photo backdrop and Exploration Place is also planning to refurbish an old Mr. PG phone booth that is located in the Explorers Learning Garden adjacent to the Museum.
This collaboration is also resulting in improved Mr. PG graphics, which hadn’t been updated since 1985.
