Heritage Park to honour Famous 5 on Canada Day

On May 21, Heritage Park reopens for the season

CALGARY -

Heritage Park is open again and has big plans for Canada Day this year.

On July 1, the park will be hosting a tea throughout the day at the Famous 5 Centre of Canadian Women offering a special experience to guests.

The usual Canada Day festivities found throughout the rest of the park are expected to be back as well.

The first 1000 guests will receive a free mini-butter tart.

The event will honour the achievements of the Famous 5 and 100 years of women’s right to vote in Canada.

Heritage Park added the Famous 5 Centre of Canadian Women in 2019. The museum is a replica of Nellie McClung’s home that features the life stories of the Famous 5 and other outstanding Canadian women.

Nellie McClung is pictured. (National Archives of Canada/C.Jessop )

The menu for the tea will feature items such as petit finger sandwiches, French pastries, miniature scones and Danishes.

The tea will have limited seating so guests are encouraged to make reservations – there will also be an additional ticket price to attend the event - booking times are between 10:30am and 3:30pm July 1. Reservations can be made by calling [phone]. More information on the event can be found here.

The park is now open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until September 6.

THE FAMOUS 5: A BRIEF HISTORY

The Famous 5 (originally known as the Alberta 5) go back over 100-years,laying the foundation for women’s rights in Canada.

Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Emily Murphy were political activists in Canada who launched the suffragette movement.

The Famous 5: Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Muir Edwards and Emily Murphy.

They are known for their petitioning on the Persons Case, a constitutional ruling that allowed women to be in the Senate and considered “persons” in Canada.

Up until 1921 women were not considered “persons” in Canada. After the 1921 federal election, which saw female voters with no restrictions at the voting booth for the first time, Emily Murphy started petitioning for women to be involved in every aspect of Canadian Parliament.

Murphy and the other Famous 5 were able to keep strengthening the movement on the way to Canada’s Supreme Court.

The Famous 5 won their case and the decision to allow women to join federal offices in Canada was made in 1929.

The decision was approved by the highest court in Canada at the time – Britain’s Privy Council – after the Canadian Supreme Court initially rejected the petition.

More information on the Famous 5 and Canada Day events can be found on Heritage Park’s website or by visiting in person.