Tag Archives: Jane’s Walk

These boots are made for yycgayhistory walks…

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

One of Kevin Allen’s favourite aspects of the Calgary Gay History Project are public gay history walks. Started at Jane’s Walk 2013, Kevin has been conducting these tours of a little known Calgary ever since. There is something unique about locating history in the landscape. Parks, alleys, and storefronts open to reveal their hidden past. Walkers learn new stories about the neighbourhoods they live in or travel through.

Nancy Sinatra’s iconic Boots video still (1966). Perhaps an early Pride commercial?

Every year the walk evolves as more stories from Calgary’s LGBTQ2 past come to light. Kevin will be hosting several walks for Calgary Pride 2020: two in the Beltline, and two Downtown. All of them are fundraisers for Calgary Pride, whose operations have been sharply impacted by the pandemic.

The Beltliner Presents Pride History Walk & Brunch

Kevin has teamed up with The Beltliner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Calgary Pride with a History Walk through the Beltline, followed by brunch on both Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th at 11 AM.

The event begins at The Beltliner (243 12 Ave. SW) with coffee and pastry for the Walk, which lasts approximately one hour. We will travel to significant historical gathering spots for the LGBTQ2 community in this inner city neighbourhood, including Calgary’s first gay bar, Club Carousel. Returning to the restaurant, brunch will be served! Tickets are $50 (plus applicable taxes and fees) and are available at www.showpass.com/pridehistorywalk.

The event is an #OURPRIDE initiative which invites businesses to host their own pride festival event to show support for Calgary’s LGBTQ2 community and raise funds for Calgary Pride.

Kevin interviewed by Leslie Horton on Global News Morning, August 20, 2020

Downtown Calgary presents a Downtown Gay History Walk

The Calgary Downtown Association is hosting a tour with Kevin that will explore the city’s LGBTQ2 past through the city core on Saturday, August 29th and Saturday, September 5th at 2 PM. This one hour tour will inspire a deeper understanding of the community’s struggles and activism in Calgary and highlight significant political and social events that affected the gay community. On the way, tour guests will pass by several former watering holes where Calgary’s gay community gathered.

Meeting Place: Hyatt Regency Calgary (700 Centre Street SE) 8th Avenue Entrance. Tickets are $10 (plus applicable taxes and fees) and are available at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/downtown-calgary-gay-history-walking-tour-tickets-117609496169. Ticket proceeds will be donated to Calgary Pride.

Note: Tickets are limited in all tours to allow for physical distancing. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. Although we will miss the Pride Parade this year, march with Kevin on a 2020 YYC Gay History Walk!

{KA}

May Gay, May Gay

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The Calgary Gay History Project is connected to a fulsome month of historical happenings. We hope to see you out!

May 3, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Downtown Gay History Walk. We are leading a Jane’s Walk again this year. Meet up at CommunityWise, 223 12 Ave. SW for a stroll through Calgary’s LGBTQ2 history.

Spontaneous sidewalk photo with previous walk participants during Pride. Photo: Gary Evans, Full Frame Fotography.

May 9, 6:00 -10:00 PM – Adults Only Night @ Telus Spark: Beyond the Binary: What does a Drag Monarch, the bell curve and the universe have in common? Explore the answers to these headline questions through selected partners, programs and social experiments at Spark. The Calgary Gay History Project will be hosting an information table with artifacts from Calgary’s LGBTQ2 past.

May 14, 6:00 -7:30 PM – Decriminalization at 50. Join Calgary Gay History Project’s Tereasa Maillie, Kevin Allen, and special guests, as we explore the significance of May 14, 1969, and the life of Calgary bus driver Everett Klippert. The event will take place at the BMO room of the New Central Library, 800 3 Street SE. {Bonus: there is an exhibition titled Decriminalization at 50 on the 4th floor of the library during the month of May.}

May 14, 8:30 PM until late – After the library presentation, meet us for drinks and a screening of our award-winning short film, Gross Indecency: The Everett Klippert Story. The Calgary Gay History Project is hosting this decriminalization salon at Civic Tavern, 213 12 Avenue SW (the former Hop & Brew).

May 8 – June 9, the Lougheed House exhibits Outliers: Queer History in Calgary with a smorgasbord of events including notably a tribute to Club Carousel on May 17 and Parkside Pride on May 30.

Also at the library this month, the 21st Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival, runs May 24 – June 2. We’re told there will be some queer history in the festival line-up being announced later this week.

Phew.

Finally, Our Past Matters had a number of media close-ups recently: on CBC Radio, in Avenue Magazine, and on The Calgarian Podcast. Thank you, everyone, who has been interested in the book and saying such heart-warming things. We’re truly grateful.

{KA}

Gay History Walk on Sunday!

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

Join the Calgary Gay History Project’s Matthew Gillespie on a walk through the Beltline from 10:30 AM – Noon. We will travel to significant historical gathering spots for the gay community in this inner city neighbourhood, including Calgary’s first gay bar, from 1968, Club Carousel.

Meet: CommunityWise (The Former Old Y) 223 12 Avenue SW

Originally from Montreal, Matt first got a glimpse of Calgary during a summer vacation in 1977 and returned in 1980 to work the summer laying carpet in Esso Plaza downtown. After university, he made the decision to go west for good in 1988. Matt has been active in the community thru Apollo Friends in Sports, Rocky Mountain Singers, Pride Calgary, GLCSA, One Voice Chorus and the Calgary Men’s Chorus.

The Calgary Gay History Project has been involved with Jane’s Walk since 2013 and the May walks have seen a great variety of weather conditions, including snow! Intrepid walkers came out regardless. Here is a photo montage of past walks.