End of Summer Update from Kirstin Evenden, Executive Director

It has been a busy summer at Lougheed House and as we close out the season and anticipate fall, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on Lougheed House’s upcoming plans and recent activities.  On June 16th, 2021, we held our first ever Annual General Meeting via Zoom.  While a brief meeting this year, it was also a milestone for the Society.  Gerry Meek, Chair for over seven years with the Society, completed his term and we thanked him for his remarkable service in supporting the evolution of Lougheed House.  Melissa Cook, previously Vice Chair, was voted in as our new Chair.  Welcome Melissa!  Our Board also welcomed some terrific new Members!  See our webpage for an updated list of Board Members and our latest Annual Report to the Community. We are excited by our ongoing evolution and are all looking forward to working together to move Lougheed House forward.

Since July 1st, Lougheed House has been open to the public on weekends, and as of late August we have extended our public hours to 11am – 4pm on Thursdays and Fridays and 10-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.  We have so enjoyed seeing everyone spending time in our beautiful Gardens and taking in our summer exhibitions; your support of Lougheed House through visiting, volunteering, donating, and participating in our events has been a boon to us all, and an opportunity to reconnect after time apart.

Since our reopening we have maintained COVID protocols throughout the House, in part because we welcome families and children on site.  These include mandatory masking for all staff, visitors, and volunteers; social distancing at our events, as well as in the House and Restaurant; limiting numbers at our events and offering timed ticketed entry.  Please note that these requirements remain in effect for the foreseeable future for the safety of everyone visiting and working at Lougheed House.

Staff continue to work both from at home and on site.  I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our staff who have been working under unusual and sometimes challenging circumstances and who continue to go above and beyond in service to Lougheed House and the community.  I want to thank all our volunteers, supporters, and visitors for their patience, their unwavering support, and their willingness to help Lougheed House to remain as safe as possible during the pandemic.

As always, we are developing opportunities to remain engaged with the House despite any changes to restrictions, and will adapt in what we do. Some of the things we have been working on to better serve our community include the redevelopment of a new fibre optics connection to Lougheed House which will dramatically increase our ability to livestream and connect with community online (and bring our tech out of the 1890s?!)  This work has been supported by a Calgary Arts Development Recovery grant.  You will also be seeing some changes to our Restaurant offer for the remainder of 2021.  In the coming weeks we will soon be announcing a new catering partner who will be bringing classic, local, and innovative flavours to the Lougheed House Restaurant food experience.  During Autumn and Christmas 2021 we will be offering brunch, afternoon tea, and specialty dinners.  Stay tuned for more information on how to book!

With gratitude,

Kirstin Evenden, Executive Director