William Hawrelak

William Hawrelak (October 3, 1915 – November 7, 1975) was a politician in Alberta, Canada, the longest-serving mayor in Edmonton's history, and a candidate for election to the Canadian House of Commons.

Early life

Hawrelak was born in Shandro, Alberta to Ukrainian immigrants William and Anastasia Hawrelak (the family's ancestral name was Гавриляк (Havryliak)). He married Pearl Shandro (daughter of Alberta MLA Andrew Shandro, after whom Hawrelak's hometown was named) the pair would have three daughters.

In 1945, Hawrelak moved to Edmonton and purchased the Prairie Rose Manufacturing Co., which made soft drinks. He served as president of the Alberta Farmer's Union and of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues before entering politics.

Early career in municipal politics

Hawrelak's first attempt at political office took place in the 1948 municipal election, in which he ran for Edmonton City Council and was defeated, finishing seventh of twelve candidates for alderman. He was more successful in the next election, winning the last available aldermanic position by finishing sixth of nine candidates after being backed by the Citizens' Committee, a municipal political party dominated by Anglo-Saxon businessmen.

William Hawrelak Park

Coordinates: 53°31′41″N 113°32′51″W / 53.52806°N 113.54750°W / 53.52806; -113.54750

William Hawrelak Park (or simply Hawrelak Park) is a park in Edmonton, Alberta. It is named after former mayor William Hawrelak, and was formerly known as Mayfair Park.

The park is situated in Edmonton's river valley, next to the North Saskatchewan River. The park is home to the Heritage Amphitheatre, which is used for many festivals and performances, such as the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, the Edmonton Heritage Festival and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Under the Sky Festival.

Rented paddleboats may be used on the artificial lake or ducks fed during summer. The lake is also used for the swimming portion of the Edmonton Triathlon. In the winter the entire lake is a vast skating rink.

The park has walking–hiking trails around the perimeter which can be used for cross-country skiing in the winter. There are picnic sites, a playground, and even beach volleyball nets on site.

In recent years, the park has played host to the Bright Nights Festival around Christmas time. Many light installations are present.

Park

A park is an area of natural, semi-natural, or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of grassy areas, rocks, soil, and trees, but may also contain buildings and other artifacts such as monuments, fountains or playground structures. In North America, many parks have fields for playing sports such as soccer, baseball and football, and paved areas for games such as basketball. Many parks have trails for walking, biking and other activities. Some parks are built adjacent to bodies of water or watercourses, and these parks may comprise a beach or boat dock area. Often, the smallest parks are in urban areas, where a park may take up only a city block or less. Urban parks often have benches for sitting and they may contain picnic tables and barbecue grills. Parks have differing rules regarding whether dogs can be brought into the park: some parks prohibit dogs; some parks allow them with restrictions (e.g., use of a leash); and some parks, which may be called "dog parks," permit dogs to run off-leash.

William

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