WHAT’S ON
Seniors Tours: Walk with Me: Intergenerational Heritage Walks and Talks for Seniors and Youth
DATE/TIME: Various, between September 2022 to March 2023
FREE Registration: Please Register with CMEF via email at admin@cmef.ca
The Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation is delighted to invite you, your family and friends to our free tours to learn more about Edmonton Metropolitan Region’s interesting and diverse history of early settlements, multicultural communities and natural sites. The 20 walking or bus tours are organized by an intergenerational and multicultural team of older and younger adults and youth. Most of the outings include knowledgeable tour guides; a few are self-guided. Tours are held rain or shine. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes for walking.
October 2022 Tours
Tour #1. Fort Edmonton Park. Date/Time: September 17, 11:00am – 1:00pm. Self-Guided. [Completed]
Tour #2. French Quarter Walking Tour for Seniors. Date/Time: October 7, 1:00pm – 2:30pm. [Postponed to another date]
Tour #3. Dive into the Secrets of Mill Creek Ravine History Walking Tour. Tour guide: Jan Olson. Date/Time: October 8, 1:00pm – 2:00pm. [Completed]
Tour #4. St Alberta River Lots historic Walking Tour
Date/Time: October 13, 2:00pm – 3:00/3:30pm. Space is limited max 15 people, register early. [Completed]
Starting Location: Meet at St. Albert Grain Elevator Park Train Station and Visitor Centre at 4 Meadowview Drive, St. Albert, AB (free parking). Please arrive 10-15 minutes before 2:00pm.
Description: Let’s head out to St Albert to enjoy a guided tour of St. Albert’s Historic River Lots and learn about the early history and homes on the lots.The River Lot system pre-dates the sale of Rupert’s Land to the Dominion of Canada and the adoption of the standard rectangular township plan of Alberta. River Lot 23 was originally used as the site of the Hudson’s Bay outpost in St. Albert from 1866-1875, while River Lot 24 is unique for its continued occupation by subequent generations of the same Métis Family that settled in St. Albert after the mission was created by Father Lacombe.River Lot 23 & 24 tell the story of the French-Canadian and Métis settlements in St. Albert with some of the oldest surviving historic houses and agricultural buildings.
Tour #5. Highlands Historic Bus Tour
Date/Time: October 15, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, Space is limited: max 20 people, register early. [Completed]
Starting Location: Meet in front of Highlands School (6015-118 Avenue) and board the bus for the tour. Park your car at the school or on nearby streets. Bus will depart at 12:45pm from the School to where the tour guides are waiting to start the tour. Arrive at the Highlands School by 12:35pm.
Description: The Highlands neighbourhood is a living museum of Edmonton Architectural History. There are public and private buildings, both grand and humble from every decade in the last 110 years. On this tour we will cover 3 main areas:1. The architecture and streetscapes; 2. Historical and current characters who have lived in the neighbourhood; 3. The sweeping events of the city, province, country, and the world that drove what we now see in the Highlands neighbourhood. Some “Highlands Highlights”: 1. We’ll see several Historical Mansions including Holgate and Magrath; 2. Edmonton’s history is full of boom and bust. You can see it in the houses!; 3. We’ll learn about some early inhabitants starting from before contact with Europeans; 4. We’ll meet the first weather lady in the commonwealth, Eda Owens.
Tour #6: 96 Street Church Street Historic Bus Tour
Date/Time: October 29, 1:00pm – 2:30pm. Space is limited: max 20 people, register early.
Starting Location: Board the bus for the tour at McCauley Community League 10750 – 96 Street . Board the bus for the tour at McCauley Community League. Park your car at the Community League or on nearby streets. Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the bus leaves at 1:00pm.
Description: Join us for a bus tour of 96 St. (Kinistino Ave). Known as Church St. for the number of churches built in a 20 year span in the early 20th century; many original structures remain. You will learn about waves of immigration and the communities that have renewed the street. This tour may include the interiors of Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, Ansgar Lutheran, and St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.
Tour #7: In Time for Halloween: Old Strathcona Ghost Tour (This is a ticketed event paid for by CMEF. MUST register by emailing admin@cmef.ca to reserve your free ticket by Sunday 3pm October 23; non-registered people will be turned away.)
Date/Time: October 23, 7:00pm – 8:00pm. Space is limited: max 10 people, register early.
Starting Location: Meet in front of the Rescue Statue, next to the Walterdale Playhouse in Old Strathcona at 10322 83rd Avenue. Arrive by 6:45pm. Residential parking is free in the surrounding areas. Close by parking lot is located just off Gateway Boulevard between 83rd and 85th Avenue for $3/hr.
Description: A ghostly walk through Old Strathcona, where we stop in front of the Strathcona Hotel, the Princess Theatre, the Strathcona High School and many other buildings, houses, and shops that have reported ghosts, hauntings, murders, and mysteries. They are all true stories that come from area residents and business owners. The tours are hosted by a veteran storyteller with 12 years of experience. The tours are a great outing for the whole family.
NOVEMBER 2022 TOURS
Tour #8: Royal Alberta Museum Self Guided Tour
Date/Time: November 13, 1:00pm – 3:00pm (please stay as long as you like). Registration is limited: max. 20 people, register early
Starting Location: Meet inside the Royal Alberta Museum by the admission area 9810-103a Avenue. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before 1:00pm. Must arrive by 1:00pm for free admission covered by the organizer. Arriving after the tour group has entered the museum, the admission fee is $14/person, to be bear by you.
Description: The Royal Alberta Museum is the crown of Alberta arts institutions and the largest museum in Western Canada. It is a multidisciplinary place where art, design, community, nature, and language come together to tell the story of Alberta—the experience of its people over time—and to inspire Albertans to explore and understand the world around them. You will be free to visit any of the galleries, including the new special exhibit, “Drive”. Walk with the group or on your own to enjoy the largest museum in western Canada.
Tour #9: Teas and Treats: 97 Street Chinatown Health and History Talk & Tour
In partnership with the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society (CTC).
Date/Time: November 19, 1:00pm – 3:00pm. Space is limited: Max 30 people, register early.
Starting Location: Meet in the old Hull Block 10601 – 97 Street, CTC’s future Chinatown Storytelling, Museum & Tourist Information Hub. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before 1:00pm. Free 2 hr parking along 97 Street or no limit along 106 avenue east of 97 Street (take note of parking rules on city signs).
Description: Enjoy a pleasant fall afternoon in Chinatown with fragrant Chinese tea and assorted pastries from local Chinatown bakeries. Listen to a talk on health and self-care entitled, Traditional Chinese Medicine First Aid Kit, followed by a Chinatown history talk and walking tour. In Chinese culture, people stayed well through self-care practices that were passed down from generation to generation. There is a wealth of information when it comes to home remedies, self-massage and common herbs. Learn how to naturally relieve headaches, nausea, colds/flus, period cramps and more. Each participant will get to take home a TCM “first aid” kit! The second half of the afternoon is a talk on the history of Edmonton Chinatown from 1890 to today, followed by a short stroll around the area. The talk will cover the formation of three Chinatowns, their demise or deterioration and current strategies to revitalize it. Both events are set in the historic 1914 Hull Block. That’s another story in itself.
Tour #10 [postponed Tour #2]. The French Quarter – Edmonton’s Franco Albertan Community
Date/Time:To be Confirmed. Space is limited max 20 people.
Starting Location: To Be Confirmed.
Description: Learn about the history, institutions, education, and cultural life of Edmonton’s Franco-Albertan community at La Cite´ Francophone and Campus St. Jean in Bonnie Doon.
JANUARY to MARCH 2023 TOURS (Watch for details around November 15th).
Please share this event with seniors, youth, and young & old friends and family members, poster can be accessed on Upcoming Community Event page on this website
Funded by the Government of Canada. Financé par le gouvernement du Canada.
CMEF October 2022 Tour Info (1)
CMEF Oct Nov 2022 Tour Info
