The Athabasca and District Board of Trade (ADBT) invited representatives of numerous organizations, including the Town of Athabasca, the Royal Canadian Legion, the BPO Elks, the Farmers Union and Athabasca School Division #12, to a meeting in mid-March to discuss a ceremony to open the new Athabasca bridge. Hon. Gordon E. Taylor, Minister of Highways, had indicated that he would attend and that perhaps Premier Manning would participate in the function. Byron. W. Bellamy, president of the ADBT, and publisher of the Athabasca Echo, thought that it would be a good fit to combine the opening with Queen Elizabeth’s birthday which was to be celebrated on June 9^th. He also suggested that it would work well with the farming community as crop seeding would be pretty well complete. The Echo of March 21, 1952, went on to say: “The doings will, it is expected, be on a large scale, in the nature of a basket picnic, on town property across the river, where accommodation for a large crowd is available. In the early afternoon there’s to be booths of various descriptions in operation, including games and other forms of entertainment, and present plans are that the official opening will take place about four o’clock. Historic pageantry parades taking the throng back to the early methods of transportation, costumes representative of various nationalities, and music by an outstanding band will be featured.”

At a Board of Trade meeting two weeks later, F. R. Falconer, chair of the Pageantry Committee, reported that Jim McIntosh would be bringing an Indigenous delegation from Calling Lake. Jean Baptiste Gambler, aged 94, would lead the group and would be wearing his Queen Victoria Medal granted him in 1877. The group would be carrying muzzle-loading guns, powder horns, shot bags, etc. and be dressed in traditional attire. The Civilian Committee would be handling the R.C.A.F. band which would lead the parade. In addition, the Commandairs Dance Band would provide music for a dance to be held in the Community Centre that evening.

        Sixteen committees that worked on this project were listed in the June 13, 1952, Echo. They were:

• the Souvenir Programme Committee chaired by B. W. Bellamy with members Bob Preece, R. K. McCallum and J. P. Evans;
• the Advertising-Publicity Committee chaired by O. J. Steen with Jim Wood, Don Stephenson and George Weldon;
• the Historical Pageantry Committee chaired by Art Brimacombe with F. R. Falconer, Archie Ryan, A. J. Gorman, Jack Appleby, Miss Janet Martin, C. A. Parker, F/L H. V. Bayliss, J. P. Evans, L. W. Willey and H. S. Mann;
• the Grounds Committee chaired by Stan Richards with D. B. Hunter, Morris Ward, C. H. Parker, R. Laporte, Nick Doroshenko and Bill Evans;
• the Booths Committee chaired by Nestor Richel with Art Laporte and Jim Holroyd;
• the Policing-Parking Committee chaired by W. Clark with John Molofy, Lee Goodwin and Bud Boyes – Athabasca Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in full charge;
• the First Aid Committee chaired by Dr. E. K. Wright;
• the Reception Committee chaired by R. A. Berrea with Don McLevin, R. E. Hall and S. McDowell;
• the Public Address System chaired by Alex Nimco with T. R. McLean, Doug Harrold and Ray Cordell;
• the Sports Committee chaired by Father Galbraith with Hugo Carlson and Carl Farvelden;
• the Midway Committee chaired by J. D. Champion with J. W. Adair, Miles Logan and C. R. Caton;
• the Finance Committee of W. C. Donahue;
• the Parade Marshals chaired by C. R. Caton with A. H. Grant and F/L H. V. Bayliss;
• the Decorating Committee chaired by I. Stonehocker with R. K. McCallum and Cec Hyde;
• the Dance Committee chaired by N. Evasiuk, Jack Mackie, R. Y McDonald and S. Wasel; and
• the Band Committee chaired by Vince Preece with T. R. McLean, F/L H. V. Bayliss and R. Y. McDonald.

The article did not include the Civilian Committee of the Athabasca Squadron Air Cadets who were in charge of the military aspects of the proceedings.

Athabasca Echo editor, B. W. Bellamy, wrote an editorial in the May 30 edition of the paper encouraging the purchase of the souvenir programmes. … “While the Athabasca and District Board of Trade have taken the initiative in the sponsorship of this historic event, other community organizations and citizens of town and country loom prominent in the personnel of the dozen and a half committees who have spent considerable time and devoted their talents over the past few weeks in rounding out the details and assuming various responsibilities, with the only recompense a feeling that they are contributing to the prestige of the community at large.

        “Celebrations on the scale of what is being undertaken for June 9^th necessitate a weighty financial responsibility, for which the sponsors rely on the populace to play their part, individually in a small way, but, as a mass meeting the needs of the hour.

        “There will be no “gate” for the doings in the afternoon across the bridge. But the sponsors are producing a souvenir brochure which will contain the program for the day, information regarding the old ferry service and the constructional work on the new bridge, as well as a particularly interesting article, “A New Era,” from the pen of the one and only versatile J. P. Evans, who is [well] stocked with reminiscences of the early days. The brochure with photos of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, as well as Hon. G.  E. Taylor and Premier Manning, the new bridge, the R.C.A.F. band of Edmonton, an aerial view of Athabasca, and early day shots of the ferry service, steamers on the Athabasca, scow loading and transport packing. These brochures will be on sale, and the purchase of one or more of these booklets, which in days to come will prove priceless in any home, will go to build up the fund to meet the financial obligations which face the sponsors.

        “Then again, it is fitting that, with the co-operation of the Civilian Committee of the Athabasca Squadron Air Cadets, the internationally famous R.C.A.F. band will furnish a prolonged open air concert, as well as participating in the annual inspection of the Air Cadet Squadron. F/L H. V. Bayliss commanding officer, in commemoration of the Queen’s birthday, considerable expense is involved in these arrangements. There will be no charge for these features, but a collection will be taken up on the grounds to assist in defraying expenses. Athabasca is proud of its Air Cadets, and The Echo throws out a gentle hint that when the hat is passed around by Cadets in uniform, the underlying principles of the air cadet movement should receive the encouragement of the citizenry of Athabasca and district in no uncertain measure by contributing from the family sock.”

The following edition, June 6, reported that the Board of Trade executive and special committees were adding the finishing touches to their plans and that town council had declared the day a civic holiday. The plans for the tug-of-war had been altered to be an eight-team competition with the councillors of the seven divisions of the county and the mayor of Athabasca each chairing a crew. An Old Timers’ cabin was to be set up in a central site across the river “to permit restful relaxation and the walls will be decorated with a display of old-time pictures that in itself will be most enticing. C. T. Richards and Charlie Seymour will be head hosts. There’ll be “Visitors’ Books” in which everybody will be welcome to sign, and particularly the old-timers who will be asked to list the date on which they originally entered the district. These books will be the property of the Athabasca Board of Trade and will be deposited in the archives of the community. Comfort stations are all being installed.”