Transpo-Expo event at Lower Fort Garry Aug. 17
Parks Canada and Friends of Lower Fort Garry (FoLFG) invites you to move along memory lane and discover the evolution of transportation at the Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site.
Lower Fort Garry is hosting a Transpo-Expo on Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate the different modes of transportation used at the Historic Site from 1836 to the present day.
“We will be commemorating the use of moccasins in motor cars,” explained FoLFG President Dr. Carolyn Weiss.
This is the second year Parks Canada and FoLFG are hosting the Transpo-Expo at Lower Fort Garry.
Over 500 people attended the event in 2023, marking the event as a huge success.
Special presentations and unique demonstrations will be held throughout the day. The Transpo-Expo is a fun-filled day that people of any age can enjoy.
Patrons are invited to join in on the fun with games such as hobby horse racing, bean bag toss and mini golf.
Hobby horse racing is a thrilling event in which participants mount onto a toy horse and dash through a miniature obstacle course.
Dr. Weiss explained how they would reenact the races and use toy horse heads attached to a pole.
She also explained that the Manitoba Motor Country Club used to own a golf course south of the National Historic Site.
“You can play a round of golf almost like they did in the 1930’s,” said Weiss.
Lower Fort Garry has you covered for anyone who wants to have a bite to eat.
“[We] will have a concession stand with period-appropriate snacks including cotton candy, hot dogs, kettle corn, and flapper-era mocktails,” said FoLFG Vice-President Ben Gillies.
One of the mocktails on the menu is the Bees Knees, a bubbly drink full of honey and lemon flavours.
There will also be live entertainment throughout the day.
The Thirsty Beaver Cantina will play jazz music inspired by the 1920s to help you take a step back in time.
The Transpo-Expo is more than just fun and games. While you travel back in time, several educational components will occur.
You can witness Armand Jerome, a Métis Red River Cart builder, construct a cart similar to the one the Métis used in the 1850s.
This is the second segment of Lower Fort Garry’s Knowledge Sharing Series. A compilation of unique stories shared by Elders or Knowledge Keepers at the Historic Site.
The Red River Carts are unique, as there were no metal nails in the 1850s. Jerome has made over 57 functioning carts in his career and has ridden them on many trails throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Visit Jerome at the Transpo-Expo to hear more about his adventures and see how a Red River Cart is made.
Expert canoe and paddle maker Mark Blieske will also attend the Transpo-Expo.
For over five decades, Blieske has been constructing functional canoes and paddles with what once started as a hobby with his Dad.
Blieske has always remembered going canoeing with his family.
“I started doing canoe trips when I was young, and I never looked back,” said Blieske.
Now, he has over 10,000 hours of experience in canoe and paddle making and has taught over 3000 students across Canada how to make their own paddles.
Blieske will demonstrate all the aspects of properly building a canoe and making a paddle at Saturday’s event.
“I will be demonstrating how to split the roots, mixing bear fat, using tree saps,” explained Blieske.
His hands-on demonstration will give viewers a live and tactile canoe and paddle-making experience.
Canoes were vital during the 1920s at Lower Fort Garry. They were the main mode of transportation and were essential for the fur trade.
“I am going to show how it (canoe making) was done back in the day like how the First Nations made canoes.”
Blieske explained the importance of the connection between the Indigenous Peoples and the art of canoe making.
“It is important that I give credit where credit is due.”
He explained that the original designs of the canoe and paddle have barely changed and that today we still use the structures that the Indigenous first created.
The Transpo-Expo is all about transportation and will also include unique motorized vehicles on display at the site.
Lower Fort Garry was once home to the Motor Country Club from 1913 to 1962.
Saturday’s event will feature an All-British Car Show with vehicles from three Motor Clubs across the province.
The Mid-Canada Mini Group, the British Car Club of Manitoba, and the Austin Healey Club of Manitoba are all groups local to the province. They will bring their own British vehicles to be on display at the event.
Paul Thomson, President of the Mid-Canada Mini Group, will attend with his 1973 Austin Mini.
Thomson attended 2023’s Transpo-Expo and was thrilled at the number of people who attended.
“Last year was fantastic,” he exclaimed.
This year’s Transpo-Expo will feature approximately 40 vintage British vehicles.
“The oldest car will be about the 1940s to around the 1980s,” said Thomson.
“We don’t want it to look like a parking lot where you can see all new cars.”
Thompson added that most cars are still drivable and are vehicles people enjoy.
He explained that the cars were designed in the United Kingdom and built in Canada or were manufactured overseas and shipped to Canada in the 1950s.
“Lots of immigrants also brought over their vehicles,” Thompson said.
Come to Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site on Aug. 17 to experience the Fort’s transportation history.
Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site fees are in effect for the Transpo-Expo and historic interpreters, and the site grounds will be open for visitors.
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