As England wraps up the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne, at least one local resident—Rosemary (Smith) Lamson remembers a visit by then-Princess Elizabeth to Thunder Bay, Ontario in October 1951. Accompanying Elizabeth on a trip through Canada was Prince Philip. The Grand Marais High School Band, directed by Harold Ikola, was invited to perform at the ceremony. Rosemary was a Viking majorette, along with Sherryl Thompson, Joan Toftey, and Barbara Wahlstrom. The CCHS band was the only band at the event. And, Rosemary was told, the only American band to play for the princess during the entire trip. Rosemary and her friend, saxophone player Dianne Ose (daugher of then-superintendent Gordon Ose), asked one of the royal guards if they could take a picture. The guard let them get close enough to hear a little bit of the royal conversation. As the prince and princess were leaving, they heard Philip say, “Strike up the band!” Just a few months later, on February 6, 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II.
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