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Canmore to kick off its first heritage festival

“For us, one thing our heritage advisory committee was looking for was a unique way of being able to tell the story of Canmore heritage and to tell community stories. For us, this festival was able to do a lot of heavy lifting of telling those different stories.”
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Ron Ulrich executive director of the Canmore Museum on Tuesday (Feb. 2). EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO

CANMORE – In an effort to explore the history of Canmore and celebrate the diverse cultures of the past and present, the Canmore Museum is hosting its first Canmore Heritage Festival.

The festival will run from July 21 to 24 and will feature more than 20 free or low-cost events and activities designed for the entire family.

“For us, one thing our heritage advisory committee was looking for was a unique way of being able to tell the story of Canmore heritage and to tell community stories,” said Ron Ulrich, executive director of the Canmore Museum. “For us, this festival was able to do a lot of heavy lifting of telling those different stories.”

Activities include heritage tours, geology walks, art tours, and interpretive programs. Indigenous-led cultural activities will also feature prominently during the festival. Members of Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda) First Nation will present a series of cultural activities and storytelling about life before settlement.

Everything begins on July 21 with a cultural dinner hosted by the United Mine Workers of America and Local 1387. The dinner will be a traditional Ukrainian meal, with a presentation that looks at the history of Ukrainians in the Bow Valley.

“It is top of mind for many people in terms of Ukrainian culture and history. There is also the Ukrainian community that is sizable here in Canmore,” Ulrich said. “There is also the dark side of that history with the internment.”

Hosting the dinner at the Miner’s Hall was a specific choice for festival organizers as Ukrainians played a vital role in the mining union.

“We wanted to bring those different stories to light as part of the dinner,” Ulrich said.

On July 22 at the Canmore NWMP Barracks, there will be a night of music called Concert in the Gardens, presented in partnership with the Canmore Folk Music Festival.

The Ghost Walk of Canmore will be held at 8 p.m. on July 23.

“The festival is an opportunity to tell the story of Canmore in different ways to appeal to different audience groups,” Ulrich said. “Not everyone is interested in history, so how can you make history interesting? The Canmore ghost stories was one way for us to share those stories in a different way for people who may not be interested in a historical walking tour of downtown Canmore.”

The Fabulous Fifties Movie Fest at the Opera House will showcase movies from the past on July 23 and 24.

“That is a look at a different era in Canmore history,” Ulrich said. “The Canmore Opera House was our local movie theatre until the 1960s. The opportunity to share some of those early vintage movies was an opportunity we couldn’t resist.”

Canmore and Banff have both been home to different movies. One movie filmed in the Bow Valley, which will be shown at the Opera House on Sunday, is River of No Return starring Marilyn Monroe.

Ulrich hopes those who attend the festival learn more about how those that came before having helped to shape the community that Canmore is today.

“We continue to develop as a community and more and more people come here to visit. This is an authentic community,” Ulrich said. “There are people who are moving here who stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. History is a relay race; you are handing the baton on to the next generation.”

To see a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, visit www.canmoreheritagefestival.com.

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