May 5, 2020
Province Plans Virtual Celebration of Manitoba Day
– – –Manitobans Coming Together in Spirit to Celebrate Our Past and a Bright, Exciting Future: Cox
Manitobans are encouraged to join in a creative online commemoration of Manitoba Day in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox announced today.
“We have so much to celebrate in Manitoba, and on May 12, we encourage everyone to mark Manitoba Day virtually, with online visits to their favourite museums, heritage sites, cultural centres, and unique Manitoba attractions,” said Cox. “It is a great opportunity for Manitobans to come together in spirit to celebrate our beautiful province and share our hopes for a bright, exciting future.”
Virtual opportunities to celebrate Manitoba Day include:
• A colouring page of the Manitoba flag is posted on the provincial website for families to print, colour and post in their windows or elsewhere. Find the colouring page at www.gov.mb.ca/chc/manitoba_day.html. Share a photo of you, your family and your coloured flag on social media using #ManitobaDay.
• In celebration of Manitoba Day, the Archives of Manitoba is now posting digitized films from its holdings online. The first uploads feature Manitoba’s history, including a film about the 1926 opening of the downtown Winnipeg Hudson’s Bay store, a 1959 film about a public health issue in the province and a 1968 film about Manitoba in the winter. Visit www.manitoba.ca/yourarchives/events.html.
• Manitoba Archives is also commemorating Manitoba Day with Your Archives: The Histories We Share, a year-long initiative which offers Manitobans the opportunity to choose an archival record and explain why that record matters. There are also commemorative videos available for viewing. For more details, visit www.manitoba.ca/yourarchives.
• In honour of Manitoba Day, the Association of Manitoba Museums (AMM) is highlighting artifacts from its online exhibit, A Museum Called Manitoba. The AMM will feature a different artifact each day in May, on Instagram and Twitter. For more details, visit www.museumsmanitoba.com/150.
Cox noted that May 12, 2020, marks the 150th anniversary of The Manitoba Act that created the province and led to entry into Confederation on July 15, 1870. On May 12, 1966, Manitoba’s official flag was dedicated and unfurled for the first time. In 1986, May 12 was designated as Manitoba Day in perpetuity.
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