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HISTORIC EDMONTON WEEK FESTIVAL 2000 PROGRAM HOT OFF THE PRESS!!!

It’s an exciting roster of events for Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000, a celebration of the people, places and the past of Alberta’s capital city. The program of this year’s festival is just off the press and is now available at various locations around Edmonton.

This year’s festival, the fourth annual, begins July 31^st and concludes August 7^th. It offers an opportunity to explore Edmonton’s fascinating history and built heritage with walking tours, workshops, behind-the-scenes "Tours of Discovery" and special events including The History Show. This year the festival will begin with a launch ceremony at Edmonton City Hall at noon, Monday, July 31^st. Historical displays, lunchtime entertainment and other surprises await during the History Show, which continues the entire week at City Hall.

Historic Edmonton Week began life as a hopeful project of the Edmonton and District Historical Society (EDHS) and, under the society’s wing, it has taken flight to become what has been called "Edmonton’s best new festival." Last year, many of the tours and events were filled days before kickoff time and organizers were elated at the response of Edmontonians and visitors who took time to learn and enjoy.

"This festival has been built from the ground up with the hard work and generosity of many volunteers and Edmonton heritage-related groups who have given so much of their time and effort," says Lawrence Herzog, coordinator of Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000. "Through the work of our partners in history, the festival is working to prove that Edmonton has a fascinating history. And that history isn’t just significant old buildings; it’s the stories found in neighbourhoods - stories right in people’s own backyards. Our roster of events this year reflects some of that diversity."

Returning this year are the hugely popular "behind the scenes" tours of discovery, which provide the opportunity to see places not normally open to the public. The Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000 web site - - is an invaluable source for event information. Programs are available at City of Edmonton libraries, the City of Edmonton Archives, the Old Strathcona Foundation office and dozens of other locations around the city.

HISTORIC EDMONTON WEEK FESTIVAL 2000 POISED FOR FOURTH ANNUAL INCARNATION

News Release

May 23, 2000

Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000, a celebration of the people, places and the past of the Alberta’s capital city, is just over two months away. This year’s festival begins July 31^st and concludes August 7^th

The festival, the fourth annual version of the event, offers an opportunity to explore Edmonton’s fascinating history and built heritage with walking tours, workshops, behind-the-scenes "Tours of Discovery" tours and special events including The History Show.

This year the festival will begin with a launch ceremony at Edmonton City Hall at noon, Monday, July 31^st. Historical displays, lunchtime entertainment and other surprises await during the History Show, which continues the entire week at City Hall.

Historic Edmonton Week began life as a hopeful project of the Edmonton and District Historical

Society (EDHS) and, under its wing, has taken flight to become what has been called "Edmonton’s best new festival." Last year, many of the tours and events were filled days before kickoff time and organizers were elated at the response of Edmontonians and visitors who took time to learn and enjoy.

"This festival has been built from the ground up with the hard work and generosity of many volunteers and Edmonton heritage-related groups who have given so much of their time and effort," says Lawrence Herzog, coordinator of Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000. "Through the work of our partners in history, the festival is working to prove that Edmonton has a fascinating history. And that history isn’t just significant old buildings; it’s the stories found in neighbourhoods - stories right in people’s own backyards. Our roster of events this year reflects some of that diversity."

Returning this year are the hugely popular "behind the scenes" tours of discovery, which provide the opportunity to see places not normally open to the public. The burgeoning interest in Edmonton history has been evident over the last few months, with the launch and subsequent heavy traffic at the Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000 web site - In its first three months of operation, the site has been averaging more than 500 hits per week and that number continues to build. The site is already an invaluable source for event information.

Media contact:

Lawrence Herzog, Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000 coordinator

(780) 479 8025

E-mail

or

Kathryn Ivany, Past-President, Edmonton and District Historical Society

(780) 489 4423

THIRD ANNUAL HISTORIC EDMONTON WEEK A ROUSING SUCCESS

News Release

September 6, 1999

The third annual Historic Edmonton Week Festival has concluded and partners and participants are calling it a rousing success. The festival, July 25^th to August 2^nd, offered an opportunity to explore the history of Alberta’s capital city, with walking tours, workshops, behind-the-scenes tours and special events including The History Show.

Historic Edmonton Week began life as a hopeful project of the Edmonton and District Historical Society (EDHS) and, under its wing, has taken flight to become what has been called "Edmonton’s best new festival." Many of the tours and events were filled days before kickoff time and organizers were elated at the response of Edmontonians and visitors who took time to learn and enjoy.

"We are very gratified with the response," reports Kathryn Ivany, past president of the EDHS. "This festival has been built on hard work and the generosity of many volunteers and many groups who have given so much of their time and effort. We are elated that the theme strikes a chord for many people and we are already working to plan next year’s event."

The organizing committee has hired Edmonton heritage journalist Lawrence Herzog to be coordinator for Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000. Herzog says building upon the success of the first three years will be a "joyous task, because there are so many good people with a lot of energy for this festival. It’s a very positive event and it’s a celebration of the fabric of Edmonton. I’m looking forward to working hard to make Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000 the best yet."

Media contact:

Lawrence Herzog, Historic Edmonton Week Festival 2000 coordinator

(780) 479 8025

E-mail

or

Kathryn Ivany, Past-President, Edmonton and District Historical Society

(780) 489 4423