When Family Day was first introduced 36 years ago, most Albertans saw it as a well-deserved statutory day off between New Year’s Day and Good Friday. It bridged the gap between holidays.

However, decades later, it’s much more.

At the Military Museums in Calgary, ration-tasting and armoury demos were among the activities on offer for visiting families. Its curated exhibits were aimed at offering history as a way to connect with families.

While some children said their favourite part of Family Day is getting off from school, David Petrovich, a veteran and volunteer at the museum, says, “Seeing history and talking about concepts that have happened before that affects today’s lives, it’s great for kids to experience that. But also for the parents.”

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A lot of places in the city chose to host free events for Family Day, creating more accessible ways for people to get out of the house.

There was free family skating at the Ernie Starr, Frank McCool and Murray Copt arenas. Canyon Meadows, Bob Bahan and Thornhill pools also had free swimming for the day. On-street parking in Parkplus zones joined in the free fun too.

Alberta’s government waived the fees for nine of its historical sites this Family Day. Among them, Lougheed House, a historical fixture in the city of Calgary, opened its doors at no cost to visitors.

Steven Kellier, the director of programs and visitor experiences at Lougheed House, says welcoming visitors to the house is part of its fabric.

“It’s an opportunity for us to welcome lots of people in and host people like Lady Lougheed would have done historically,” he said of the free day.

Families got to experience guided tours and learned Métis beading designs from volunteers in the main foyer of the house.

Esau Buenrostro visited the house with his family, including his infant Bella, who took great interest in the wall sconces. He said that using Family Day to get in touch with history was a day well spent.

“Getting the baby out of the house, she’s so intrigued by all the stuff that’s on the wall, there’s so much to look at. It’s definitely keeping the baby preoccupied,” he said.

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