On May 4th and 5th, 2013, Reginans will take to the streets to participate in their fifth annual Jane’s Walk, a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that explore our collective history, architecture, planning and personalities.

Jane’s Walk is an annual celebration of people and cities held around the world on the first weekend of May. Through the simple act of walking together and discussing what makes a neighbourhood, Jane’s Walk helps knit people together into strong and resourceful communities. Celebrating the legacy of Jane Jacobs, the foremost urban thinker of our times, Jane’s Walk inspires citizens to get to know their city and each other by getting out and walking.

In Regina, volunteer tour guides customize their tours with personal stories, local perspectives and insider information to help bridge social and geographic gaps and create a space for Regina to discover itself. They cover the everyday and the extraordinary. To celebrate their 5th year, Jane's Walks are offering tours that explore everything from modernist architecture to community murals, and timely discussions about heritage, booming development, and housing in our city.

This year's Janes Walks include:

* Professor Marc Spooner leading a discussion about homelessness in Regina’s downtown and Heritage neighbourhoods;

* Jan Morier and Jessica Hannah providing a view of community murals created by new and established artists throughout North Central;

* Martin Gourlie leading a discussion about the opportunities and challenges inherent in one of Regina’s biggest development projects, the Regina Revitalization Initiative;

* An exploration and celebration of the Central Library by a collection of dedicated patrons including heritage architect Bernard Flaman, and writer and activist Florence Stratton;

* Bike Regina hosting a ride through the downtown to discuss bikability in the city;

* Story-teller Vincent Murphy exploring the history of the Warehouse District;

* And Jeannie Mah returning to host her popular tour of modernist architecture in the downtown.

For more details and walk times, go to http://janeswalk.net/index.php/walks/canada/regina/

Regina’s Jane’s Walk is organized and presented by Regina Urban Ecology with many community partners.

Have you ever thought your town's or family story should be on the big screen? Well take that thought and add some homemade puppets and you get...the International Puppet Underground Film Festival (IPUFF) debuting this weekend at the Regina Public Library!

For the past couple of years, the Saskatchewan Film Pool ran a successful series of workshops that encouraged various participants to use stories found in local history books from all over Saskatchewan (note: they used the Prairie History's extensive collection!) so as to create their own puppets and then film their story. The end result is a 2 hour film called Prairie Puppet Underground, featuring 19 home-grown live-action stories for you to enjoy this Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 7 pm to 9 pm at the RPL Film Theatre, 2311-12th Avenue. In addition to the screening, there will also be a number of displays and artists' talk throughout the weekend for you to enjoy.

Click on the link for this weekend's complete itinerary as well as admission prices for the screening. For more information about the Film Pool program that started the festival, check out Chrystene Ells's website This Big World.

To celebrate Heritage Week (3rd week of February), members of the public are invited to attend the 6th Annual Heritage Week Public Lecture taking place on Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m, at Artesian Performance Venue on 13th Ave. 2627 13th Avenue, Regina, SK.

This year's talk is titled Housing & Heritage: The Missed Connection and will feature Donovan Rypkema, President, Heritage Strategies International. Mr. Rypkema's talk will look why historic buildings have proven to a be valuable source of much needed housing stock and learn what developers, governments and other stakeholders can do to take better advantage of these often overlooked community assets.

Admission is free followed by a reception sponsored by the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation and the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan.

Please join Biographies Regina as they launch their newest book Regina’s Warehouse District….Bricks and Mortar – Pride and Passion on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 10 AM. Be the first to see copies of this delightful book of stories of the entrepreneurs and visionaries who developed this diversified community.

Enjoy music, readings, coffee and treats at the launch being held at Focus 91 Photography, 1734 Dewdney Avenue (located at the corner of Broad St. and Dewdney Ave. in the former Light and Power Co. building, built in 1905 and one of the oldest buildings in the District).

Please RSVP to info@warehousedistrict.ca or 585-3957 by January 29, 2013.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Richard Wood, Biographies Regina,
Audrey Price, Regina’s Warehouse District

50 years! Modernist Central

Date: Wednesday, Dec 5th at 7:30pm
Location: Central Library, 2311-12th Avenue

Friends of the Regina Public Library (FRPL) would like to celebrate the official opening day, 50 years ago, of the Izumi-designed modernist Central Library by inviting the public to join us in a walking tour of Central Library! People are invited to talk about a specific part of the architecture of Central Library that touches them, a special place within the library that they love, or a library service that they could not live without. They welcome contributions from the audience.

For more information, contract FRPL at email: frpl@sasktel.net; phone: 535-9570; or website: www.friendsofrpl.ca

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Regina Tornado, a number of events are taking place on Saturday, June 30th at the City Square Plaza and Victoria Park. Besides unveiling a plaque to commemorate the event, the City of Regina has created a self-guided walking tour. To download a copy of the walking tour go to Regina.ca/Heritage & History.

Four downtown churches will be open for public tours:

• Knox-Metropolitan (11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.);
• First Baptist (11:30 to 2 p.m.);
• St. Paul’s Cathedral (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.);
• Blessed Sacrament (12:45 to 2 p.m. – Mass is being held earlier so people are asked not to enter the church prior to this time).

Knox-Met and First Baptist were damaged and St. Paul’s was a triage centre in the aftermath of the disaster.

Regina's Development Review Branch prepared the self-guided walking tour brochure for downtown. Pick one up at the Legacy event or at the four churches. The brochure provides information about the architecture and history of these churches and other buildings of the era along with details of the 1912 tornado.

Most of the events are being organized by the Regina Tornado Legacy Group and the Spiralling Forces Festival. For a detailed program on the events of June 30 visit www.spiralingforces.ca

Also, be sure to check out the great CBC website on the 1912 Regina Tornado: http://www.cbc.ca/sask/features/1912/

This is the 100th Anniversary of the devastating tornado that hit Regina on June 30, 1912.

## Related posts:
Boris Karloff's Stay in Saskatchewan

Anniversary of the Regina Tornado, June 20, 1912

Canada Day in 1912

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Have a look at the recent book about the Regina Tornado:
Storm of the Century by Sandra Bingaman

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Check out the new drama Swept Off Our Feet: Boris Karloff and the Regina Cycle put on by Regina Summer Stage July 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Regina Performing Arts Centre at 1077 Angus St. in Regina

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The Tornado Project is a series of free events engaging art, science, nature and history to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1912 Regina Tornado. Go to the Spiraling Forces website for details of events on June 27 - June 30.
Of particular interest is the Path of the Tornado walking tour on June 30 - Meet at the bandstand on the north side of Wascana Lake at 4:30 p.m.

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Interested in the current tornado situation in Saskatchewan?
Visit tornadohunter.com and check out Greg Johnson's blog.

The time has finally arrived - Regina's annual Jane's Walk kicks off tomorrow morning (May 5) and runs through the weekend (May 6)!

We have 10 great walks being held this weekend and lots of Regina neighbourhoods - north Regina, the Warehouse district, Germantown, the U of R... you name it! Please remember that walks go rain or shine so dress appropriately and wear comfortable shoes! More tips for Jane's Walkers can be found at: http://janeswalk.net/walk

For a full list of walks being held in Regina, you can visit: http://janeswalk.net/cities/list/category/regina

You can also get the free Jane's Walk app here to know what walks are happening: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/janes-walk/id428357590?mt=8

So go, explore our city, share your thoughts and stories, and enjoy!

Happy walking!
-Laura, Jane's Walk Organizer

p.s. please send us any photos and stories - we'd love to know about your experience!

The Regina Regional Heritage Fair Committee cordially invites the public to attend the annual Regina Regional Heritage Fair this Friday, April 20, 2010 at the T. C. Douglas Building and Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 3475 Albert Street from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm.

The Heritage Fair is an annual competition held for kids in grades 4-9 to research and present a topic on Canadian history or culture. Kids get very involved and will often get dressed up in period costume, construct fabulous models and make every effort to put a smile on your face as they tell you what they have learned.

The best part? All of this fun and excitement is FREE! So if you want to see the best history projects in the city and have an hour or two to spare, drop by the T.C. Douglas Building and enjoy the competition!

You are cordially invited to join the Prairie History Room as we explore what makes our city so intriguing in this upcoming free lecture that will examine local architecture, historical events and key personalities:

The History and Folklore of College Avenue

Location: RPL Film Theatre (lower level), Central Library, 2311-12th Avenue
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Description: From its magnificent architectural structures to its prominent role in the ongoing development of Regina, College Avenue continues to fascinate and inspire people. Join Don Black, Instructor at the University of Regina Centre for Continuing Education, for this free lecture as he shares captivating stories about the history and folklore of College Avenue. Ask nicely, and he may even tell you about some of the ghosts that supposedly haunt the street!

Pre-registration is not required.