HOLIDAY FUN IN THE SUN
On the unofficial start of summer — the Victoria Day long weekend — Heritage Park officially opened for its 54th season, as visitors enjoyed sunny skies on Monday.
As Heritage Park opened for its 54th season this weekend, one of its special events included welcoming the winners of a special contest at the park.
Katherine Dubreuil of Bridgewater, N.S., won an exclusive Heritage Park experience for her family — along with a prize package of a hotel stay in Calgary, airline tickets, meals, attraction passes, shopping gift cards and spending money.
The family was celebrated at a white hat ceremony at the park Monday, capping off a contest that attracted entries from more than 158,000 people across the country.
The contest was launched in conjunction with the park’s sesquicentennial exhibit Journey of a Lifetime — a project that combined a live theatre experience and interactive exhibit, evoking the Colonist Car trip experienced by thousands of immigrants who crossed Canada to settle in the west.
“It was special because it was a story for all Canadians,” said Barb Munro, Heritage Park’s communications specialist, noting the vital role the Colonist Car played in the lives of new Canadians.
The exhibit had a 12-week national tour, made possible due to sponsorship from the BMO Financial Group, local philanthropist Joan Snyder and others.
If you haven’t yet seen the interactive exhibit portion of the project, Heritage Park has good news. It’s displayed in the railway car shop for the season.
Open daily until Sept. 3, the park has a variety of special events planned for the year in addition to its usual myriad offerings.
The colourful Festival of Quilts occurs next weekend; the River Forth Dining Car starts running every Tuesday starting this week; the Famous 5 Centre of Canadian Women offers a traditional afternoon tea on weekends, starting in June; and once July hits, the park will host its free concert series, Music in the Plaza, every Wednesday evening. A new interactive street theatre, called Frontier Filmmaking, will also be featured in the park.