Jane’s Walk celebrates its 10th anniversary

Take a walk through the eyes of a downtown bottle picker, a meander along the northeast’s culinary finest, or a riverside stroll through the city’s forgotten baseball history — Jane’s Walk celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend with its usual offerings of diverse, eclectic and fascinating walks in all corners of the city.

“It’s amazing how much we’ve grown, from just six walks 10 years ago to as many as 82 now,” said Julie Black, walk organizer with the Calgary Foundation. “The walks have become so popular because they tap into the vibrancy of city life, to its diversity, through the voices of different people who bring diverse views to different places. We’re trying to get more walks each year, so more Calgarians can learn about their city.”

Inspiring highlights among this year’s offerings include: Imagine This: An abbreviated look at East Village history through story, poetry and real estate, along with an experience of the arts scene rooted in East Village, how it honours its past and prepares for its future. Downtown Calgary Through the Eyes of Bottle Pickers: A chance to learn from bottle pickers about their economic contribution to the city, the discrimination they face and their innovative organization. Uncovering the +15 Network: Experience this iconic and much debated pedestrian network as it is and as it could be. Taste the Diversity of the Properties (N.E. Calgary): A walking conversation about culinary adventures and Canadian identity-making. Bow River Baseball: Before Calgary’s pro baseball heyday at Foothills Stadium, Calgarians gathered at inner-city ballparks along the Bow River to root for their home teams. Swap stories of the Brookman Dodgers, Calgary Stampeders and Purity 99, who all played in the 1940s and ’50s.

This year, another unique event has been added to the walks in partnership with Theatre Junction called 10-Minute Plays for Jane’s Walk, offering five original neighbourhood-specific plays developed and delivered by local artists.

On Saturday, all the groups will perform their pieces as a different kind of Jane’s Walk, in Theatre Junction Grand. And on Sunday, each group will perform their piece in the neighbourhood that inspired them. Further details will be released in Sunday’s program.

For more information about Jane’s Walk in Calgary, go to janeswalk.org/canada/calgary.