Time capsule
About this project
The 100th Anniversary Time Capsule project to collect impressions of life in Deux-Montagnes in 2021 is part of the city’s official Centennial Celebrations. Personal memories and reflections from residents today will be preserved in a stainless-steel time capsule to be opened and made public a century from now, when Deux-Montagnes celebrates its 200th anniversary.
The stainless-steel time capsule will be 41 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter.
Frequently asked questions
1. Who can take part?
All residents of Deux-Montagnes are invited to take part in the project. During the selection process, letters from residents sharing their memories of and reflections on Deux-Montagnes in 2021 will be chosen and sorted to form a significant and representative historic legacy. The selection committee will save letters in five separate categories:
- At least one letter from a student in First or Second Grade at a Deux-Montagnes elementary school.
- At least one letter from a student in Third or Fourth Grade at a Deux-Montagnes elementary school.
- At least one letter from a student in Fifth or Sixth Grade at a Deux-Montagnes elementary school.
- One or more letters from students attending a Secondary School in our area.
- One or more letters from Deux-Montagnes Residents (all ages). These letters can be written by groups as well as by individuals.
Letters can be submitted in French or English.
2. What should my letter be about?
Since the project is meant to share our present-day memories and thoughts with Deux-Montagnes residents in the next century, we suggest you write about aspects of your daily life or experience, or events you personally witnessed in 2021.
Here are a few guidelines for teachers working with us who would like to make the project a writing exercise in their classrooms:
- Grades 1 and 2: A drawing with the theme “Picture of Deux-Montagnes in the Future.” Ask students to visualize what their city might look like in 100 years.
- Grades 3 and 4: A letter with the theme “Hello from the Past.” Participating students will send greetings from the present to the future. Ask those writing letters to introduce themselves, their school, and their city, and to greet their readers from the future.
- Grades 5 and 6: A letter with the theme “Dear Descendants.” Ask students to write a letter addressed to their descendants (great-grandchildren). The letter should briefly introduce the writer, and then include something about life in Deux-Montagnes in 2021. Students can report on, among other things, current events, fashions and trends, games, and their school.
- Secondary: Students are invited to write a letter with the theme “I predict…” Ask them to make one or more predictions about the future, such as: What will the city look like in 100 years? How will the world have changed? Or, what will happen to the environment? The letter can simply be addressed to a “Reader in the Future.”
Please be sure to indicate the writer’s name, age, and school (if applicable) on the first page of the letter.
3. Will there be prizes?
Yes. Prizes will be awarded to participants whose letters are selected, and also to certain other participants in a random draw.
4. What size should my letter be?
Because space is limited, letters should be one to three pages in length, written on standard 8½² × 11² letter paper. For the sake of their preservation, please use plain white paper only (not cardboard or construction paper). Letters may be handwritten in pencil or ink, or written on computer.
Students in Grades 1 and 2 can use felt-tipped pens or coloured pencils. Please do not use wax crayons.
5. How do I enter my letter?
- Email: Please send your letter as an attachment to biblio@ville.deux-montagnes.qc.ca. Please make sure that it can be printed and used immediately.
- Surface mail: Please mail your letter to Deux-Montagnes City Hall at 803 Chemin d’Oka, Deux-Montagnes QC J7R 1L8. The envelope should be addressed to the 100th Anniversary Committee.
- In person: Please bring your letter in an envelope addressed to the 100th Anniversary Committee to the Deux-Montagnes City Hall (803 Chemin d’Oka) or the Deux-Montagnes Library (200 Rue Henri-Dunant).
6. What’s the deadline for entering my letter?
The deadline for submitting a letter or drawing is 11:59 pm on Friday, June 4, 2021.
7. Who will judge the letters?
All letters will be read by the 100th Anniversary Committee. The committee is comprised of Deux-Montagnes city managers and elected officeholders. The committee will make its selection from all submissions received.
8. When will the time capsule be sealed?
Deux-Montagnes plans to seal the capsule at the end of August 2021.
9. When will the time capsule be opened?
The time capsule will be opened in 100 years, in 2121.
10. Where will the time capsule be stored in the years and decades ahead?
The time capsule will be buried in Centennial Park, which is scheduled to open in 2021-2022. In the meantime, it will be on display in the Deux-Montagnes Library.
