Ukrainian Independence Day marked with events in Calgary and Edmonton

Newcomers from Ukraine were among the performers at Calgary's Ukrainian Day in the Park Saturday.

The event was one of several marking Ukrainian Independence Day in the city.

Food and Ukrainian items were also on sale, with proceeds going to support groups in Ukraine.

The day serves as an educational one for people wanting to know more about the local community, and how to get involved.

Around the same time, hundreds of people ran around Prince's Island Park to mark Ukrainian Independence Day.

Running across the Peace Bridge, the 3.2 "Forward to Victory" charity run honoured 32 years of Ukrainian independence.

Forward to Victory charity run for Ukraine, Calgary, Aug. 26, 2023

Some of the people who organized the run have husbands fighting in the war back home.

Proceeds from the event will go towards non-lethal defensive supplies for the Ukrainian armed forces.

"In Canada, there is big community which supports not only us but supports the newcomers coming here," said run co-ordinator Yuriy Zabava. "Or are still coming here to find a safer place and to try to build new life here.

This is the first year of the "Forward to Victory" run in Calgary.

For Calgarians looking for some Ukrainian culture on Sunday, the Collector's Gallery of Art in Inglewood has an art show showcasing the works of 10 Ukrainian artists who have relocated to Calgary because of the war. It's at 1332 Ninth Avenue S.E.

All of the proceeds from the sale of the art goes to the Ukrainian artists and there's also a silent auction featuring donated works by other Calgary artists that runs until Sept. 3.

Meantime, in Edmonton, members of the Ukrainian community gathered at the Alberta legislature for a somber celebration.

A rally was held for Ukrainian Independence Day. Demonstrators arranged themselves into a trident, the symbol from the Ukrainian coat of arms.

An organizer said it was a show of unity and support for those keeping the country free.

"We gathered to commemorate those thanks to whom we get to call Ukraine independent today," she said. "And that's those who have sacrificed their lives for Ukraine, as well as those who continue to fight in Ukraine at this very moment.

Rally for Ukrainian Independence Day, Edmonton, Aug. 26, 2023

"Everything we do today is really symbolic," she added, "and around that symbol, to show our unity."

The rally was followed by a bikathon, with more than two dozen cyclists following a route tracing out the national symbol on Edmonton's streets.

An exhibition of work by Ukrainian artists who have resettled in Calgary opens Thursday at the Collector's Gallery of Art in Inglewood. There's a free reception with live music performed by Ukrainian musicians between 5 and 9 p.m. Above: Your Wrinkles, Oleg Arkhanhorodsky, Carbon Print on Hahnemulhe bamboo Paper - 20” x 30"