Tag Archives: Historic Calgary Week

Meet Lois in Lois Szabo Commons!

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

On Monday, July 29th at 7:00 pm, step into history with Lois Szabo, a 2SLGBTQ+ community builder, as she engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Kevin Allen of the Calgary Gay History Project. Please join us at Lois Szabo Commons: 936 16 Avenue SW and enjoy complimentary pizza and soda, sponsored by Calgary Pride. Bring a folding chair if you have one.

In 2021, the City of Calgary unveiled Lois Szabo Commons, a park in the Beltline, as a testament to Lois’ instrumental role in the creation and development of the groundbreaking gay bar, Club Carousel, in 1970.

*Lois with politicians, friends and family at the Park’s dedication ceremony. Photo: Marlene Hielema.*

This free event is part of Historic Calgary Week 2024. There are 88 events to take in during the fascinating 11-day history festival. The theme this year, Community Builders, will focus on the people and organizations that have made Calgary and surrounding area a desirable and vibrant place to live.

Bonus queer history event on the same day, July 29, at the Central Library:

3:30 – 4:30 pm — Generations United: Connecting Calgary’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Community

Join Historian in Residence, Tess McNaughton, in an exploration of Calgary’s 2SLGBTQIA+ history. In this presentation, Tess will share their research so far and explore queer stories of Calgary, proving that resilience and strength are timeless qualities. From overcoming adversity to celebrating triumphs, dive into the diverse history of this city. Through this presentation, you will gain insight and respect for the vibrant queer community members who have called Calgary home.

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Historic Calgary Week

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

July is one of our favourite times of year—not for the über-famous Calgary Stampede happening currently, but for Historic Calgary Week, running July 23-August 2, 2021. It is the signature event for the Chinook Country Historical Society, who program engaging history events all year long. An incredible number of volunteer hours go into making Historic Calgary Week happen; the 2021 iteration is cleverly subtitled: Unmasking Our History.

The Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen was invited on a mapmakers panel discussion on Tuesday, July 27 at 7:00 PM.

Behind the Scenes with the Mapmakers will tackle how one maps a city’s unknown histories. Kevin is joined by Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers Author Shaun Hunter and the Calgary Atlas Project’s Jim Ellis. They will chatter about charting the city’s cultural landscape, using maps to (sometimes literally) pin down the past. The panel will be moderated by Heritage Calgary’s Asia Walker and hosted online by the Calgary Public Library.

Gay Activist Doug Young’s map of the 1980s Beltline: Glenbow Archives M-8397-1.

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The Western Alienation Merit Badge

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

Every summer, I take it upon myself to read some gay history fiction while enjoying seasonal downtime. Last summer it was The Well of Loneliness; this summer, to my delight, it is a Calgary story. The Western Alienation Merit Badge is the first novel from author Nancy Jo Cullen, a former Calgarian, and recipient of the Writers’ Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers. It has been gathering plaudits and praise.

Our Summer Read for 2019

The book chronicles the staggering trials of the Murray family during the 1982 oil recession in Calgary. A death in the family, unplanned pregnancy and a coming-out story test family bonds against a backdrop of economic precariousness – a lot of drama, which Cullen deftly weaves with a poetic touch. My favourite aspect of the book is its use of non-linear time. The plot ricochets through the decades and only slowly reveals the larger tapestry of the Murray family’s sadness and regrets.

The Western Alienation Merit Badge has some eerie resonances to the Calgary of today. An economic slump mixed with anti-Trudeau rhetoric and general Calgarian embitterment makes one think distressingly about the cyclical nature of our city. After all, was it not that legendary 1980s recession that brought us the bumper sticker: “Please God, let there be another oil boom. We promise not to piss it away this time.”

The book also takes us to a period where gay identity was generally disparaged. In the early 80s, coming out was fraught with rejection, and new support groups like the Lesbian Infomation Line were saving lives.

It is fun to read a smart book where Calgary is given a starring role. The locations, the atmosphere, and the dialogue are all achingly familiar. Plus there is a queer protagonist at the heart of it – fans of Calgary gay history could not ask for anything more!

Tangentially, “Oh The Fun We Had” is the theme of this year’s Historic Calgary Week, which starts today. History buffs have a bursting smorgasbord of programming to feast on.

The Calgary Gay History Project will be part of Historic Calgary week again in 2019. In collaboration with the Calgary Public Library, we are hosting a lecture titled: Among friends: the history of LGBTQ2+ recreation and sport in Calgary. Join us on Saturday, August 3rd from 1:00 – 2:00 PM at the Memorial Park Library. There is a post-lecture screening at 2:30 PM of Outliers: Calgary’s Queer History (the Directors Cut) in partnership with the Calgary Queer Arts Society.

We hope to see you out and happy summer reading!

{KA}