Remember and reminisce at the MAG

The Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery has opened a new exhibit called My Home Town.

“We’re inviting locals to come see what they haven’t seen for years,” said Lorna Johnson, executive director at the MAG. “For those folks new to Red Deer, come see what they’ve never seen before.”

While most of us wouldn’t consider the past 50 years as ‘historical, the photographs, artifacts and material represent a way of life now past. Some specific items, like the sports equipment and uniforms, or the CKRD announcer’s jacket, will be very familiar to Red Deerians that were born and raised in the area.

“The MAG’s collections hold many items that represent specific periods in Red Deer’s history,” explains Valerie Miller, MAG collections coordinator. “The Museum’s job is to collect these kinds of local stories, and the community has responded. For example, Sylvia Hayhoe has shared many of her photographs with us for the exhibit.”

An additional project based on the exhibit theme will be launched in early July. The Great Red Deer Trivia Challenge has been designed to reach a broader audience.

Each week a trivia question will be posted on the MAG’s facebook and web site. Individual segments feature local Red Deerians who will ask questions and give clues. The community is invited to test their knowledge and share their memories on local history in online conversation.

Answers will be revealed the following week.

Harley Hay, local author and photographer, has been involved with the project.

“As an original ‘B&R’ (born and raised) Red Deerian, it meant a lot to me to do the film production for the Great Red Deer Trivia Challenge. Not only was it great fun to re-visit the history of many of the iconic places and events that came (and often went) with the growth of our City, but I learned a lot about this place we all call home. And that’s always a good thing.”

The My Home Town exhibit runs until Sept. 2.

Visitors are reminded to see the new permanent history exhibit, Remarkable Red Deer: Stories from the Heart of the Parkland.

-Weber