Cranbrook History Centre

Historic Walking Tours - The Communities That Forged Cranbrook
2022-08-13 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-08-20 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-08-27 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-09-03 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Edmonton) | British Columbia
Historic Walking Tours – The Communities That Forged Cranbrook
Meet up at The Cranbrook History Centre
Tickets $7.50
Kids 10 and under Free
*Make sure to select the date in the drop-down menu you wish to take*
Purchase Tickets HERE

Jr Paleontology Summer Camp
2022-08-22 08:00 - 16:00 | British Columbia
This year, Junior Paleontology will be run through a five-day-long camp that focuses on geology, evolution and extinction, fossils, and paleontology. Junior Paleo will be running the week of July 11th to 15th, August 8th to 12th and August 22nd to 26th. Our programs are designed to be as active as possible with plenty of hands-on learning and opportunities for growth and exploration!
Camps will run Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, for children ages 6-12.

Pricing:

Full Week Camp – $250 Child
Sibling Ticket – $225 Sibling

Itinerary:
DAY ONE: GEOLOGY
DAY TWO: EVOLUTION AND EXTINCTION
DAY THREE: FOSSILS
DAY FOUR: PALEONTOLOGY
DAY FIVE: CULMINATION DAY
We have sold out for our July session of Junior Paleontology! Didn’t get a chance to register? There are still spots available for August!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR AUGUST 8-12 SESSION

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR AUGUST 22-26 SESSION
More Information can be found below:
https://www.cranbrookhistorycentre.com/program/summer-camps-2022/

August Ed Talk - Ka*Kin Na Na Youth Drum Group from the Ktunaxa Nation
2022-08-31 19:00 - 20:00 | Idlewild Park, Summit Dr S, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 7A8
August 31st, 2022 we have a very special Ed Talks!

Join us IN IDLEWILD PARK, for the Ka*Kin Na Na Youth Drum Group from the Ktunaxa Nation!

The group will speak on their formation and perform several drum songs from their people and culture.

Performance starts at 7PM, at the Idlewild Park Bandstand.

Tickets Here

Interactive Murder Mystery Dining Experience Auditions
2022-09-01 18:00 - 22:00 | Royal Alexandra Hall, 57 Van Horne Street S, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 7A8, Canada
CASTING CALL!

Open auditions! No experience necessary! Everyone welcome!

Thursday September 1st at 6PM in the Royal Alexandra Hall at The Cranbrook History Centre.

These auditions are for our new ongoing Interactive Murder Mystery Dining Experience series–The YOUdunnit!

See pic for roles. Please come ready with a short monologue and prepared to do a cold reading.

programs@cranbrookhistorycentre.com
to sign up for an audition timeslot
Attn: AUDITION

#CHC #cranbrookhistorycentre #audition #murdermystery #murdermysteryparty #whodunnit #YOUdunnit #somethingtodo #whosaystheresnothingtodoincranbrook
#eveningout #historicrailcars #queenelizabeth #winstonchurchill #JFK #JackieO #rodserling #porter #marilynmonroe

Blackpress presents Post-Secondary Education & Career Event!
2022-09-08 11:00 - 15:00 | British Columbia
Join us in person at the Cranbrook Post-Secondary Education & Career Event!

https://events.blackpress.ca/cranbrook/

September 8th, 2022 | 11:00am – 3:00pm

Cranbrook History Centre
57 Van Horne St. S, Cranbrook, BC

Rotary Club Historic Walking Tour
2022-09-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Rotary Park (10th Ave and 2nd Street South)
This tour will primarily focus on the origin of the Rotary Club in Cranbrook, Rotary’s impact on Cranbrook, and the significance of Rotary currently. This tour will also point out projects that the Rotary Club of Cranbrook Sunrise has done over the years that helped shape the Cranbrook we see today and how those projects have contributed to the town’s beautification.
On September 24th, 2022 at 7 pm, the tour will start at Rotary Park, then will walk past many historical sights on the way to the Cranbrook Arch and will end in the Clock Tower.

Tickets Here!

Toddlers Tuesday
2022-09-27 10:30 - 23:30 | British Columbia
Join us for a train storytime surrounded by local railcars! Free craft hosted by the museum afterwards.
Toddler Tuesdays is an off-season (September – May) program that takes place at the Cranbrook History Centre on the last Tuesday of every month.
As a way of connecting our community with our collections, the museum is partnering with the Cranbrook Public Library to conduct the monthly program. The hour-long program consists of a free storytime led by the library, and a fun and family-friendly craft activity to complete afterwards. Entry to the program is free, but due to space restrictions, registration is mandatory.

Registration HERE!

September Ed Talks - Ticket to Ride Tournament
2022-09-29 18:30 - 21:30 | Cranbrook History Centre, 57 Van Horne Street South, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 4H9, Canada
September’s Ed Talks is going to be a blast!

Join us on September 29th for a Ticket to Ride Board Game Tournament! Doors open at 630PM, the tournament starts at 7 PM– and this one is going to run late! We’re anticipating the tournament to run until 9 or 930PM.

Hosted by local Educator and board game enthusiast, Adam Wills.

Admission is free, but registration is required.

Tickets Here

Toddler Tuesday - October
2022-10-25 10:30 - 11:30 | Royal Alexandra Hall, 57 Van Horne Street S, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 7A8, Canada
The last Tuesday of every month is Toddler Tuesdays! In partnership with The Cranbrook Public Library, join us for stories, songs and a craft activity. Toddler Tuesdays is showcased in our Day Parlor historic railcar and our Paleontology exhibit, where we have rotating themes of TRAINS and DINOSAURS.

Join us Tuesday, October 25th at 1030AM for our train theme!

Admission is always free, but registration is required.

Tickets here!

Haunted Train Walk Thru - Night 1
2022-10-25 18:00 - 2022-10-26 21:00 | British Columbia
Join us on October 25th and 26th for our Haunted Train Walk Thru! Seven spooky stories told by the ghoulish conductors thru the Trans-Canada Ltd. Train set.
Limited Tickets and Times, get them online only!

Night One Tickets Available HERE!

Haunted Train Walk Thru - Night 2
2022-10-26 18:00 - 21:00 | British Columbia
Join us on October 25th and 26th for our Haunted Train Walk Thru! Seven spooky stories told by the ghoulish conductors thru the Trans-Canada Ltd. Train set.
Limited Tickets and Times, get them online only!

Night TWO Tickets Available HERE!

Murder Mystery Dinner - We Are Not Amused
2022-11-12 19:00 - 23:30 | British Columbia
We are happy to announce the launch of this new ongoing event—The YOUdunnit! Series, where the audience will be treated to cocktails, dinner and full theatre production. Set in 1961, We Are Not Amused is a comedic INTERACTIVE MURDER MYSTERY. During the evening you will mingle with the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, as well as President and Mrs. Kennedy. Please come dressed for the occasion and era.
Finally…don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting caught up in the action.

6:00 Doors Open
6:15 Bar Opens
7:00 Show Starts
7:30 Dinner*
9:00 Show Ends*
9:10 to 11:00 Dance*

*times subject to change
Tickets are SOLD OUT!!

Toddler Tuesday
2022-11-29 10:30 - 23:30 | British Columbia
Join us for a train story time surrounded by local railcars! Free craft hosted by the museum afterwards.
Toddler Tuesdays is an off-season (September – May) program that takes place at the Cranbrook History Centre on the last Tuesday of every month.
As a way of connecting our community with our collections, the museum is partnering with the Cranbrook Public Library to conduct the monthly program. The hour-long program consists of a free storytime led by the library, and a fun and family-friendly craft activity to complete afterwards. Entry to the program is free, but due to space restrictions, registration is mandatory.

Event sold out

*Postponed* Ed Talk - Forgotten Cranbrook
2022-11-30 18:00 - 20:00 | British Columbia
Postponed!

Murder Mystery Dinner – We Are Not Amused - Encore Presentation
2022-12-03 19:00 - 23:30 | British Columbia
You asked for it Cranbrook, and we’re more than happy to deliver it!

After selling out our Interactive Murder Mystery Dining Experience in less than a week (!!) we’ve decided to add another show! The entire cast has agreed to return to entertain you!

December 3rd, 2022 at 7 PM, in the luxurious Royal Alexandra Hall

Proudly sponsored by the City of Cranbrook, Fitness INC and Mike Paugh – IG Wealth Management! Please support local!

Saturday, December 3rd, 2022:

6:00 Doors Open
6:15 Bar Opens
7:00 Show Starts
7:30 Dinner*
9:00 Show Ends*
9:10 to 11:00 Dance*

Please note, that this is a 19+ licensed event.

Tickets go live Saturday morning! Check our website before they sell out again!

“Boo hoo! Boo hoo is what you’ll cry when the man with the deals passes you by!”

Who says there’s nothing to do in Cranbrook?? Not the Cranbrook History Centre!!

*times subject to change
Tickets are SOLD OUT!!!!!!

Toddler Tuesday - December Holiday Edition!
2022-12-20 10:30 - 11:30 | Cranbrook History Centre, 57 Van Horne Street South, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 4H9, Canada
Join us for a Holiday story time at the festive Cranbrook History Centre! Free craft hosted by the museum afterwards.
As a way of connecting our community with our collections, the museum is partnering with the Cranbrook Public Library on this monthly program. The hour-long program offers a free story time led by the library, and a fun and family-friendly craft activity to complete afterwards. Entry to the program is free, but due to space restrictions, registration is mandatory. Register early as the event fills up quickly!
Sold Out!
Toddler Tuesday runs the last Tuesday of every month September until May.

Barney Bentall w/ Wild Honey Band
2023-01-21 18:15 - 23:00 | British Columbia
Barney Bentall will grace the stage in this intimate setting with guests Wild Honey.
General Admission
Doors Open at 6:15 pm
Show Starts at 7:00 pm

Tickets Here !!!

Author Reading *Giller Prize Winner Suzette Mayr*
2023-01-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Cranbrook History Centre, 57 Van Horne Street South, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 4H9, Canada
Join the Cranbrook History Centre for an exclusive reading with 2022 Giller Prize Winner, Suzette Mayr, and her newest award-winning book The Sleeping Car Porter. The historic Argyle Dining Car, the real-life setting of the fictional novel, provides an intimate setting for this half-hour reading, moderated question period and meet & greet with the author.

What people are saying about The Sleeping Car Porter
“I couldn’t help imagining what a film Wes Anderson might make of Suzette Mayr’s The Sleeping Car Porter. The novel’s main character is a gay Black porter riding the rails in 1920’s Canada, coping with a horde of difficult long-haul passengers, including a child who appears to have permanently attached herself to his leg. Terrified that a breach of one of the railway’s insanely restrictive rules will get him fired before he can save enough money for dental school, he amuses himself―and keeps awake on his grueling shifts―by imagining the medical horrors that lie behind the smiles (or grimaces) of his clientele.” – The New York Times
“Mayr’s prose is vivid but never overwrought, capturing the surrealism of intense fatigue in constant motion … Readers will be captivated.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Suzette Mayr brings to life –believably, achingly, thrillingly –a whole world contained in a passenger train moving across the Canadian vastness, nearly one hundred years ago. As only occurs in the finest historical novels, every page in The Sleeping Car Porter feels alive and immediate –and eerily contemporary. The sleeping car porter in this sleek, stylish novel is named R.T. Baxter –called George by the people upon whom he waits, as is every other Black porter. Baxter’s dream of one day going to school to learn dentistry coexists with his secret life as a gay man, and in Mayr’s triumphant novel we follow him not only from Montreal to Calgary, but into and out of the lives of an indelibly etched cast of supporting characters, and, finally, into a beautifully rendered radiance.” – 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize Jury
Awards
WINNER OF THE 2022 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY TOP 20 LITERARY FICTION BOOKS OF 2022
THE GLOBE 100: THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022
CBC BOOKS: THE BEST CANADIAN FICTION OF 2022

Tickets: $40.00 + GST
Ticket includes the exclusive reading, a copy of The Sleeping Car Porter, and refreshments. *Limited tickets available*
*Your included copy of The Sleeping Car Porter can be picked up in advance from Huckleberry Books* Please present your email ticket confirmation to Huckleberry staff on pick-up
*Sold Out*
*All proceeds of this fundraising event will support future programming at the Museum
About the Author
Suzette Mayr is the author of six novels including her most recent, The Sleeping Car Porter, which won the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Award. Her other novels have won the ReLit Award and City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, and been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book in the Canada-Caribbean Region, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Best First Book and Best Novel Awards, and the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction. Mayr has also published articles in the peer-reviewed journals Horror Studies, Canadian Literature, Studies in Canadian Literature, The Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, and in Antipodes. She is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Calgary where she teaches fiction-writing.

Ed Talk - Suzette Mayr
2023-01-25 19:30 - 20:45 | Royal Alexandra Hall, 57 Van Horne Street S, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 7A8, Canada
As part of the background research for her award-winning novel The Sleeping Car Porter, Suzette Mayr visited numerous archives across Canada and in the United States. The Cranbrook History Centre was a key resource for Mayr as she worked to situate her fictional main character within a non-fiction, historical setting. In this talk, Mayr will discuss the ways in which she incorporated historical research and Cranbrook History Centre artifacts into the novel – using the research as a frame and guide for the work – while also realizing at a certain point that, as Kate Atkinson writes, “sometimes to find the truth at the heart of a book a certain amount of reality falls by the wayside.”
Ed Talks are always free to attend but space is limited so please be sure to register
Register Here

About the Author
Suzette Mayr is the author of six novels including her most recent, The Sleeping Car Porter, which won the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Award. Her other novels have won the ReLit Award and City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, and been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book in the Canada-Caribbean Region, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Best First Book and Best Novel Awards, and the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction. Mayr has also published articles in the peer-reviewed journals Horror Studies, Canadian Literature, Studies in Canadian Literature, The Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, and in Antipodes. She is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Calgary where she teaches fiction-writing.

Copies of The Sleeping Car Porter can be purchased ahead of the Ed Talk at the Cranbrook History Centre giftshop and Huckleberry Books

The Ed Talk Program is funded by the Community Foundation of the Kootenay Rockies and Cranbrook Rotary.

Toddler Tuesday - Trains, Trains Trains!
2023-01-31 10:30 - 11:30 | Cranbrook History Centre, 57 Van Horne Street South, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 4H9, Canada
Join us for story time in one of our historic train cars! Free activity hosted by the museum afterwards.
As a way of connecting our community with our collections, the museum is partnering with the Cranbrook Public Library on this monthly program. The hour-long program offers a free story time led by the library, and a fun and family-friendly craft activity to complete afterwards. Entry to the program is free, but due to space restrictions, registration is mandatory. Register early as the event fills up quickly!
Register Here
Toddler Tuesday runs the last Tuesday of every month September until May.

For the Love of Gordon: Valentines Party
2023-02-14 18:00 - 22:00 | British Columbia
About Valentines Party
A Valentines Day Party featuring a gala reception with appetizers, signature cocktails, a silent auction, door prizes and live music by Pretty for the People and Mile High Club. All proceeds will go to the Sheridan Family who are facing financial difficulties due to a medical crisis.

‘For the Love of Gordon’ – a Valentine’s Party, happens February 14, at the Key City Theatre. From 6:00 to 7:30 pm there will be a catered reception in the foyer with sweets and appetizers, silent and live auction, a photo booth and branded merchandise. Live music on the main stage starts at 7:30 PM featuring two top-tier local bands: Pretty For The People and The Mile High Club. This is Valentine’s Day at its finest and what better way to celebrate love than to come together to help someone we all love?
Proceeds from the event will go to the Sheridan Family. Gordon Sheridan has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His wife Rhonda is looking to maintain her full-time job while managing his comfort and care needs and at the same time parenting their son, Parker. Both Gordon and Rhonda have long been active members of the Cranbrook community, particularly in the arts. Now their friends and family are looking to give back to help cover their expenses over the next months. Thank you for your support!

This is a KEY CITY EVENT Tickets HERE

Meet the Museum - Family Day
2023-02-18 10:00 - 16:00 | British Columbia
Come meet YOUR Cranbrook History Centre on February 18th for our Family Day fun day!

Free Admission
View the backrooms of the Museum with limited tours
Games
Colouring contest
and more

Follow our socials for more information about our event!
*Events and Times are subject to change without notice

Toddler Tuesday - Stomp them Dino Feet!
2023-02-21 10:30 - 11:30 | British Columbia
Join us for story time in one of our historic train cars! Free activity hosted by the museum afterwards.
As a way of connecting our community with our collections, the museum is partnering with the Cranbrook Public Library on this monthly program. The hour-long program offers a free story time led by the library, and a fun and family-friendly craft activity to complete afterwards. Entry to the program is free, but due to space restrictions, registration is mandatory. Register early as the event fills up quickly!
Register Here – OPEN
Toddler Tuesday runs the last Tuesday of every month from September until May.

Ed Talk: Jenny Feick
2023-02-23 19:00 - 20:15 | Cranbrook History Centre, 57 Van Horne Street South, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 4H9, Canada
Canada’s Great Divide Trail (GDT) traverses the vicinity of the high elevation continental watershed divide designated as the interprovincial boundary between Alberta (Alta.) and British Columbia (B.C.). It crisscrosses the vast northwest to southeast trending Canadian Rocky Mountains for more than 1,100 kilometres from the US/Canada border in Waterton Lakes National Park in the south to Kakwa Provincial Park in B.C. in the north. Although not always officially designated and sometimes merely a wilderness route, it inspires today’s adventurers to walk some of the same paths as the initial Indigenous peoples and European explorers in the area. The GDT has become one of the most spectacular and demanding long‐distance trails on the planet, providing hikers with challenges, scenic rewards and inspiration. But, how did it arise?
Join Dr Jenny Feick, author of Tales from the Great Divide, Vignettes on the Origins and Early History of Canada’s Great Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail Association for an evening of stories and photos about how the vision for the Great Divide Trail originated and its route devised. You will journey back to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s when the daunting challenge was to consider thousands of square miles of rough and often unmarked terrain to define and establish the GDT route from Mount Robson Provincial Park, B.C., south to the US/Canadian border in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta. Over the years, several idealistic individuals felt compelled by the vision of a long-distance trail along the crest of the Rockies. Their dedication and tenacity kept them going in the face of challenging and sometimes even life-threatening adventures, expanding industrial developments and motorized recreational use, financial limitations, and bureaucratic obstacles. The work completed in those early days and in the decades to follow laid the foundation for today’s successful GDT and the Great Divide Trail Association.
Register Here
About the Speaker
Jenny Feick is an environmental biologist and geographer whose career with Parks Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Environment gave her field experience and an understanding of land use and policy issues in the mountains of western Canada. She currently provides technical editing and environmental policy research services through Nature Wise Consulting. Part of the history of Canada’s Great Divide Trail since 1973/74, she maintains an active interest in seeing it completed and its corridor protected.

This picture, taken by her husband Ian Hatter on July 21, 2018, shows her where she loves to be — out on the High Rock Section of the Great Divide Trail in Alberta.

Killing the Indian in the Child: Generations Lost and Youth on Reconciliation - Travelling Exhibit
2023-03-03 10:00 - 2023-04-04 16:00 | Royal Alexandra Hall, 57 Van Horne Street S, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 7A8, Canada
From March 3rd to April 4th you can visit our new travelling exhibits from the Legacy of Hope Foundation.
*The exhibit is free with regular admission *
EXHIBITION:
Killing the Indian in the Child: Generations Lost
For several centuries, Indigenous children were taken from their homes and communities and placed in institutions called Residential Schools. These schools were run by religious orders in
collaboration with the Federal Government and were attended by children as young as four or five years of age.
Separated from their families and were prohibited from speaking their native languages and practicing their culture, the vast majority of the over 150,000 children that attended these schools experienced neglect and
suffering. The impacts of sexual, mental, and physical abuse, shame, and deprivation endured at the Residential Schools continue to affect generations of Survivors, their families, and communities today.
Remarkably, in the face of this tremendous adversity, many Survivors and their descendants have retained their language and their culture and continue to work toward healing and Reconciliation. This is likely due to their traditional and cultural beliefs, teachings and ways of life prior to attending Residential Schools

EXHIBITION:
Youth on Reconciliation – Imagine A Canada
This exhibition explores the concept of Reconciliation through artistic expression and what that means to youth in Canada. The banners feature artworks and poems by winners of the first Imagine a Canada competition, announced in March of 2016. Imagine a Canada is an annual national art and essay competition sponsored by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in collaboration with Rideau Hall. It asks young people to share their thoughts on what the future of Canada can look like through the lens of hope, respect, and Reconciliation.
WARNING
These exhibits contain subject matter that may be disturbing to some visitors and may be triggering.
Please call 1-866-925-4419 or your local crisis line for counselling and support.

Blanket Exercise - Community Workshop
2023-03-16 16:00 - 18:00, 2023-03-18 16:00 - 18:00 | Royal Alexandra Hall, 57 Van Horne Street S, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 7A8, Canada
The CHC would like to invite members of the community to participate in the KAIROD Blanket Exercise March 16th and 18th and gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous experiences in Canada. We are honoured to have Ktunaxa Elder, Margaret Teneese, host this program in collaboration with the Cranbrook History Centre.
What Is The KAIROS Blanket Exercise?
Developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers and educators, the KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is an interactive and experiential teaching tool that explores the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the land we now know as Canada.
During this 2 to 3-hour workshop, participants step on blankets representing the land and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. They are guided by trained facilitators, including Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, who work from a script that covers pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, resistance and much more. Participants read scrolls and respond to cues in the script. The KBE concludes with a debriefing, conducted as a talking circle, during which participants discuss the learning experience, process their feelings, ask questions, share insights, and deepen their understanding.
Over the past two decades, thousands of KAIROS Blanket Exercises have been delivered in Canada and around the world, including in the United States, Central and South America, Europe, and Australia. By engaging participants on both emotional and intellectual levels, the KBE both educates and creates empathy and understanding.
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise at the Cranbrook History Centre is led by a KAIROS trained facilitator and local Ktunaxa Elders.
Reconciliation through Education – We agree with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada that education is the key to reconciliation. Without a shared understanding of how our collective past brought us to where we are today, we will not be able to walk together into a better future. We also understand that education is just one step in this journey and that it must be followed by action.

REGISTRATION HERE
