Events
Strike! – Winnipeg Shocks the Nation
Main Street at William Avenue
Saturday, May 23rd 2009
2:00 pm - Seating begins at 1:00 pm
Doors Open 2009 will commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike with a special free performance of the abridged version of Danny Schur’s award-winning musical, Strike! in the Exchange District. This special one-hour performance, titled “Strike! – Winnipeg Shocks the Nation,” is billed as a ‘musical re-enactment of the Winnipeg General Strike.’ Featuring a cast of 100, period vehicles, mounted horses and a life-sized replica of the infamous streetcar at the centre of the riot that sparked Bloody Saturday. The event takes place on Saturday May 23rd at 2pm.
Lawn chairs your only admission.
Listen to the Strike! movie theme
Streetcar 356 Replica (1909, 2009)
City Hall – 510 Main Street
Sunday Only 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Streetcar "356", the last remaining Winnipeg streetcar, was built in 1909 and is currently awaiting restoration in the Winnipeg Railway Museum. The production of Strike! - Winnipeg Shocks the Nation used the dimensions of “356” to re-create a life-sized replica for its depiction of the turning point of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
Visit the replica Streetcar on Sunday, May 24th at Winnipeg's City Hall to appreciate what previous generations of Winnipeggers used for mass transportation for 73 years. Streetcar “356” Restoration Committee members will on hand to answer questions about the project. Help raise funds and show your support by purchasing a “Winnipeg Electric Company” T-shirt, available on Sunday for $20 a shirt. All profits from the sale of T-shirts will to be dedicated to the restoration project. Visit www.winnipegstreetcar.com for further information.
Doors Open Connector
The Forks – Explore Manitoba Centre
Saturday & Sunday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
The Manitoba Transit Heritage Association and Heritage Winnipeg are offering a free shuttle service operating from The Forks and connecting with the following locations:
- Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
- La Cathédrale de Saint-Boniface
- Le Museé de Saint-Boniface
- Manoir de la Cathédrale
- Strike! – Winnipeg Shocks the Nation (Saturday only at 2:00 pm)
- Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg (Sunday only)
- Fire Fighters Museum of Winnipeg
- Ross House
- The Cathedral Church of St. John
- Seven Oaks House
- Bleak House (Saturday only)
Download the Winnipeg Transit schedule for Doors Open Winnipeg
The bus departs from the Explore Manitoba Centre at the top of the hour both days from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Also at The Forks, in front of the Forks Market, please visit the Manitoba Transit Heritage Association's fully restored 1937 Twin Coach and learn about the development and history of Public Transit in Winnipeg!
Government House Grounds
10 Kennedy Street
Saturday & Sunday 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Visit the well-manicured grounds of Government House this weekend to enjoy free refreshments and entertainment with The Honourable John Harvard, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. While you’re there, feel free to tour Government House.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S LEVEE (SATURDAY 1:00 – 2:30). All are invited to come and meet with the Lieutenant Governor and enjoy on-site entertainment.
Downtown BIZ Walking Tour
Meet at 426 Portage Avenue (Downtown Winnipeg BIZ office – near Helene’s Bridal)
Saturday at 10:00 am
Sunday at Noon
One tour only per day. Duration: approximately 100 minutes
Downtown is an area known for its unique blend of old meets new. From the historic beginnings of the Hudson’s Bay Company and of Canada’s most famous corner – Portage & Main – to the creation of both the Millennium Library and the MTS Centre as an urban entertainment complex, your mouth will gape in wonder at the revitalization of our downtown. View the 3rd floor of Portage Place like never before as a rich medium of entertainment and culture. Walk along Broadway and view one of Winnipeg’s very first skyscrapers, the Fort Garry Hotel, and explore various other downtown landmarks – Union Station, The Forks, and course, the historic Upper Fort Garry Gate. History and culture unite with new urban development; take a tour of the city centre with one of downtown’s most recognizable ambassadors, the Downtown Watch! Only the first 30 people will be admitted on the tour, so be sure to arrive on time! Tour begins at 426 Portage Avenue and ends at The Forks.
Exchange District BIZ Green Buildings Tour
Meet at Old Market Square Stage
Saturday at 11:00 am
Sunday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Duration: approximately 90 minutes
The Green Buildings & Sustainable Land Uses Tour showcases some of the most innovative green building projects in Canada. Discover forward-thinking businesses that have started a green building movement by using environmentally friendly and sustainable building practices to help bring some of the district’s heritage buildings into the future.
The Green Buildings & Sustainable Land Uses Tour is part of the Exchange District BIZ’s acclaimed Historic Walking Tour Program. Learn more about the Historic Walking Tour Program at www.exchangedistrict.org.
6,000 years in 60 minutes!
The Forks - Explore Manitoba Centre
Saturday & Sunday
Tours depart from the Explore Manitoba Centre at 1:00 pm (English tour), and 3:00 pm (French tour) each day.
Do a time warp! Take a 6,000-year journey through The Forks in just one hour with a costumed Parks Canada interpreter. Using a collection of curious objects and colourful stories, the history will come to life in this easy walking tour.
Save Local TV
Portage Place Shopping Centre – Edmonton Court
Saturday May 23rd, 2009
11 a.m. to Noon
CTV will be hosting a public event on Saturday, May 23rd at Portage Place Shopping Centre at 11 AM to call attention to the issues facing local television here in Manitoba and across the country. Come to meet and chat with community leaders, your favorite anchors, reporters, managers and staff. Hear from Community leaders about the relevance of local television in our community.
Join one of the groups that will be escorted through the skywalk for a tour of the CTV Winnipeg Newsroom and studio. Get a free Just One Thing environmental bag (while quantities last/ 2000 available).
For more information go to savelocal.ctv.ca/winnipeg