Heritage Park expected to bring in record attendance for Alberta Day festivities

Alberta became a province on September 1, 1905, and at Heritage Park, festivities are taking place to celebrate its history over the last 118 years.

“We are having the biggest day in Heritage Park’s history,” said president and CEO Lindsey Galloway.

“Our mission is about connecting people with the past. The past is still relevant today. If you think about the many, many stories you can talk about from the past. We make choices about the history that we tell. We make choices about the stories we tell.”

Galloway says Alberta Day festivities at the park will see around 20,000 people enter through the gates with free admission, a record setting day.

“To do 20,000 people, we can do that comfortably in this park,” said Galloway.

“We have 65 acres. We've got all the parking that we need. We’ve got the beautiful reservoir, the beautiful view. To have a free day at Heritage Park, allows so many different types of people, those who couldn't otherwise enjoy the day with us to be here. So it's something we'd like to do again.”

It’s the first year the park has held an event with 73 vendors, shops, train rides, the antique midway all open and live musical performances including the 8 p.m. headliner Nice Horse.

There are 183 buildings, 55,000 historical artifacts and 17,000 antique costumes on display at the grounds that celebrates western heritage and culture.

For Kirill Korepanov and his family, celebrating Alberta Day was about being together.

“Just really having fun and having no sense of time at all right?,” he said.

“Just having a good time, getting around and enjoying the rides.”

He says Heritage Park was the perfect place to spend the day with the family.

“I think that diversity is just such a big thing for us and seeing all kinds of people and seeing friends that we haven't seen in a while, it's just a really good community vibe,” said Korepanov.

The night will close off with a drone show at 9 p.m.