It’s time to step into the past again, rain or shine.
For the third year in a row, the MusĂ©e HĂ©ritage Museum is hosting historic walking tours of the city’s Mission Hill and Perron District, an area that is a treasure trove of stories for history buffs.
“I’m excited about it,” remarked Roy Toomey, the museum’s educational programmer who gets to play one of the tour guides. “It should be great.”
The tours (which started in 2011, the year of the city’s 150th anniversary) have become popular not only with local residents but also with Edmontonians and those from the greater metropolitan region.
Toomey said these kinds of interactions are important “to share my passion for history but also to educate people about the history of this great community.”
It’s even turned into a great date night event: “They see the ads and they think it’s a nice evening getaway for them.”
People can take one of two options going up or down the hill starting from the Little White School. He talks about the school first before taking his group down Founders’ Walk, across the bridge, past the site of the Bruin Inn (“one of the highlights of the trip because everybody knows about it”) and into the heart of the historic downtown area.
Toomey could even answer questions about Fleuri Perron and why the street named after the former prominent businessman was first spelled “Piron’.
“That was actually named for the Piron family in France who donated the bells to the church. It’s actually two different families. It’s interesting that they decided to go with a name that was so similar when they renamed the street.”
A guide from the Father Lacombe Chapel will conduct the other tour. That walk will proceed up the hill along Founders’ Walk toward the chapel and the St. Albert Parish.
“That tour is more about the early history of St. Albert and the religious or the church’s history, which of course is such an important part of the history of this community,” Toomey said.
Attendees will visit the crypt, the grotto and the cemetery.
Details
Historic Walking Tours<br />Free of charge<br />Every second Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m.<br />July 11 and 25, August 15 and 29, and September 12<br />Each tour generally takes 60 to 90 minutes, but could run longer depending on the participants.<br />Meet at the Little White School, 2 Madonna Drive<br />Call 780-459-4404 or visit www.museeheritage.com for more information.
