Whether you’re a newcomer to Red Deer or an old timer, the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) is inviting everyone out to their ‘Celebrating Canada 150: Welcome to Red Deer’ event on Heritage Day.
“We’re going to be doing a variety of activities, so we’re going to have some outdoor, old-fashioned games that we’re going to be playing and some very modern games within that. We’re actually going to have waffles instead of pancakes this year,” said Kim Verrier, coordinator of visitor experience at the MAG.
Edmonton-based entertainer Trent Agecoutay will be stopping by to perform, along with Red Deer local Kaylee Rose.
They will have liège waffles by Wannawafel-Red Deer, activities, a scavenger hunt, games and balloon twisting by one of the MAG’s employees.
The event is for all ages and free to attend, but donations are welcome.
“Heritage Day is a great opportunity for the MAG to extend a welcoming handshake to everyone in our community,” said Lorna Johnson, executive director in a recent press release.
“We invite Red Deerians, whether they are young or old, old-timers or newly-arrived, to come down and share in celebrating our City and our history.”
With financial support from the Government of Canada for their Canada 150 commemorative Red Deer Mosaic project, members of the community will get a chance to go inside and view the exhibit.
The mosaics are comprised in part of photos taken by Tim Van Horn at the MAGapalooza Family Day event this past February.
Van Horn created six Canada 150 commemorative photo mosaics that will be permanently installed on the exterior of the building. The unveiling, originally planned to take place on Heritage Day, has since been postponed to a later date.
There will also be an opportunity for the public to view ‘Memory Bones’, another exhibit, which takes place until Aug. 20th.
Verrier said last year they held a Welcome To Red Deer event, but it was held in July, and was part of a travelling exhibition they had coming in.
“It was so successful last year that we wanted to try it again this year on Heritage Day, so it’s our second year of trying this and we’re really excited. At the event last year we had people who have made Red Deer home from around the world, intermingling and having a good time with people who have made Red Deer home for the last 50 or 100 years,” said Verrier.
