Ward 9 Jane's Walk Roundup!
Updated April 18, 2023
Jane’s Walk 2023 is taking place May 5, 6 + 7. Calgarians of all ages are invited to participate in free walking tours throughout the city!
A global event inspired by and in honour of Jane Jacobs, an urbanist and activist who championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building. Jane believed that in order to properly observe how people, through their actions and interactions, create communities with a strong sense of belonging, we need to get out and walk the city.
Below is a roundup of the Jane’s Walks scheduled throughout Ward 9. Register today for walks in your neighbourhood.
We’ll update this list as more walks are announced over the coming weeks, so be sure to check back soon!
Ernest Cashel, Victoria Square and Devil’s Playground
Sun, May 7, 2023 2PM - 3:30PM | 1.5 hour(s)
Greater Forest Lawn SE Calgary
Led by: Shelly McElroy
Meet the locals who called this area home, learn about the towns and businesses that predated the communities of Applewood and Penbrooke, meet an American outlaw on the run for murder and discover the truth behind the site known as Devil’s Playground. Please note that this is a long walk (about a 3.5 km loop). A great family event for ages 12 and up!
Keep in mind that Elliston Park has two entrances. We’ll meet at the entrance off of 17th Avenue and 60th Street SE (you’ll see the windmill). Look for the tour guide by the intrepretive signage near the parking lot.
Accessibility: Some Steep Slopes, Uneven Terrain, Breaks Offered Along The Way
Areas of Interest: History, Neighbourhoods
Shelly McElroy is a local historian and 2022 Historian in Residence for Calgary Public Library and Heritage Calgary.
Fort Calgary
Sat, May 6, 2023 11AM-12PM | 1 hour(s)
Fort Calgary SE Calgary
Led By: Jeff Murray
Come join us at Fort Calgary on Saturday, May 6, for a guided outdoor walking tour, being hosted in partnership with the Federation of Calgary Communities Jane’s Walk. This tour provides an opportunity to learn about the layered, complex histories of our site, with fascinating stories that reveal how the past connects us to the present.
This walk will start at the front door of the Museum, traverse in a clockwise direction pausing at the statue.
Accessibility: Outdoors - Potentially Some Uneven Terrain.
Areas of Interest: History, Indigenous Community
Jeff Murray (he/him) is a graduate of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Arts program, majoring in Art History and minoring in Museum and Heritage Studies. He considers himself a lifelong learner and is an eager student of our local history and the environment. Jeff is a dynamic presenter who welcomes the opportunity to share his learnings with others. Born and raised in Calgary on Treaty 7 Territory, he has a keen interest in both the arts and music and enjoys playing music with others when he has the chance.
History of Millican-Ogden
Sun, May 7, 2023 10AM - 12PM | 2 hour(s)
Millican-Ogden SE Calgary
Led By: Bonny Warbeck & Bob Appleby
Ogden is one of Calgary’s earliest communities, being built in 1912, and far from the Calgary town limits at the time. Originally built by the CPR, Ogden’s history is closely intertwined with the railroad. On the walk, you will learn about the fascinating history of the former Ogden Hotel, the Ogden Block apartments, St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, the Scout Hall, and many of the 120 heritage homes in the area. Join us on this captivating walk to learn about one of Calgary’s hidden historic communities!
Please note – the walk will be broken down into two parts. It will begin in Ogden and will continue in Millican. It a 2-minute drive from one area to the next, or a 13-minute walk. Participants can get to the second venue in whichever manner they choose. Walk volunteers will help direct the participants.
Accessibility: Some Uneven Terrain, Busy Sidewalks, Breaks Offered Along The Way
Areas of Interest: History
Bonny and Bob are members of the Millican Ogden Heritage Group. Over the past two years, the group has helped create an inventory of pre-1945 heritage homes in the area, worked to increase public awareness of the community’s history, and are working to save the historic 1914 Ogden Block (“Ogden’s Chinese Laundry”) from demolition. Both have been community residents for decades.
Music Mile
Sat, May 6, 2023 2PM - 4PM | 2 hour(s)
Inglewood/East Village SE Calgary
Led By: Bob Chartier
This walk will be of interest to those who love music of all sorts, who may be interested in some of Calgary’s music history and who would like to explore the role of music and the arts in the heart of inner city life. From small cafe’s to Canada’s national museum of music to the Calgary home of Alberta’s arts radio voice, you will have a chance to have a conversation with one of the founders of the Music Mile, Calgary’s music district since 2014. Join me in the Fort Calgary parking lot…singing on the way is optional!!
Accessibility: Busy Sidewalks, No Dogs Please - Except Service Dogs
Areas of Interest: History, Neighbourhoods, Music
Bob Chartier, a true late bloomer, has performed in venues such as the Ness Creek Bluegrass and Old Tyme Festival and the Water Valley Festival. He hosts the Songwriters in the Round at the Gravity Café in Inglewood, and co-founded the Music Mile in Inglewood and the East Village. He has a number of music accomplices (The Coffee Row Orchestra) who try to make him look good… Bob is a singer-songwriter and performs many of his own songs as well as a variety of Roots/Americana-type songs. He’s one-half of a new songwriter duo with Catherine Checora. He is partial to gospel but stops at taking up a collection…
The Death & Life of Inglewood
Sat, May 6, 2023 11AM - 1PM | 2 hour(s)
Inglewood SE Calgary
Led by: Gian-Carlo Carra
This walk will discuss Jane’s first and last books as illustrated by a couple of blocks within Inglewood. Our community faced the same threats, within the same era, that Jane Jacob’s Greenwich Village faced in NYC. The Death and Life of Great American Cities, while not ours, is a testament to the power and the beauty of communities at their best in the face of the worst – it is almost ours. But despite the success of both The Death and Life as well as Inglewood’s own remarkable struggle for community, Jane’s last book represents a warning. Dark Age Ahead offers little optimism and suggests that when we fail to remember where we’ve come from, our future darkens. Walk with me and let’s rediscover our City’s misremembered past in the patterns and echoes of its oldest neighborhood.
The meeting location will be in front of Madison’s 1212- 1212 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0T1.
Accessibility: Uneven Terrain, Busy Sidewalks, Breaks Offered Along The Way
Areas of Interest: Urbanism, Architecture, History, Neighbourhoods
Urban Sketch Walk at St. Patrick’s Island
Sat, May 6, 2023 1PM - 3PM | 2 hour(s)
St. Patrick's Island SE Calgary
Led by: Carolyn Fisher
Do you like to draw? Grab some colored pencils and paper and join children’s book illustrator and author Carolyn Fisher at St. Patrick’s Island for a 3.6km walk with frequent stops to sketch. All ages and levels of experience welcome. Kids must be accompanied by a grownup.
Urban sketching is the practice of capturing a real place at a real moment in time — live and on-the-spot. For this urban sketch walk, we’ll sketch to observe the way that nature and humans live side by side in the middle of the city. We’ll jot our impressions, practice drawing techniques, play creative games, and feed our imaginations while taking a leisurely wander through St. Patrick’s Island park in the Bow River. At the end of the walk, we’ll stroll across the bridge for treats at a local coffee shop.
Supplies to bring:
Sketchbook if you have it; or a handful of paper, like 20 sheets. It doesn’t matter what kind of paper it is, it could be blank or lined or colored.
A hard surface to set your paper on, like a clipboard or a hardcover book or a piece of cardboard.
Colored pencils or colored Sharpies or markers or felt pens or highlighters, whatever you happen to have.
A jacket or tarp to set on the ground to sit on.
Hat, water, sunglasses, extra clothing layers, rainjacket (you can sit on it or use it for rain), sunscreen.
Accessibility: Some Steep Slopes, Uneven Terrain, Busy Sidewalks, Fun For Kids, Breaks Offered Along The Way
Areas of Interest: Urbanism, Environment, Art
Carolyn Fisher is an award-winning artist/author that has illustrated eight picture books, three of which she also wrote. Her most recent book, Summer Feet (with writer Sheree Fitch) won the David Booth Prize at the Canadian Children’s Book Awards. In addition to teaching at art college for seven years, Carolyn has talked to thousands of kids and adults about writing, art, and making books. She investigates science and nature by sketchbook from her home in Calgary. See more at www.carolynfisher.com.