Prince George’s iconic Mr. PG statue is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Friday.
The idea for the roadside attraction has been credited to Harold Moffat, who believed Prince George needed a mascot.
The first Mr. PG was constructed by Hans Roine, and made its public appearance on May 8th, 1960.
Bill Jones, the City’s Public Works Superintendent at the time, decided to feature Mr. PG as a parade float.
A 38-foot-tall Mr. PG made an appearance at the annual Elks Day Parade in 1961, and would appear in parades around the province including the Grey Cup parade in Vancouver.
“We had a lot of weird experiences when we took Mr. PG to out-of-town parades. Since I wanted him to hold a live spruce tree – roots and all – you can imagine the fun and games we went through to find and dig up a 10-foot evergreen tree in Vancouver,” Jones recalled in a 1988 letter.
Mr. PG has been featured on postcards, stamps, pins and socks, and now stands at the intersection of Highways 16 and 97.
“On behalf of Council, we want to wish Mr. PG a happy birthday and many more to come,” said Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall.
A list of activities to celebrate Mr. PG’s birthday can be found on the City of Prince George’s website.
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