Doors Open Kingston 2021 to host both on-site and virtual activities
The Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites (KAM) announced that Doors Open Kingston 2021 will take place this month with both on-site and virtual activities.
KAM has coordinated this Ontario Heritage Trust program on behalf of the City of Kingston, according to a media release from the association. Every year, the Ontario Heritage Trust works with communities across the province to open the doors, gates, and courtyards of their unique and most fascinating cultural sites so that residents and visitors can explore the stories inside.
“Kingston was the only municipality in Ontario that offered on-site Doors Open activities last year,” shared Jamie McKenzie-Naish, Managing Director for KAM.
“Doors Open is a wonderful way for communities to engage with local cultural heritage experiences. With the success of our 2020 event, we look forward to offering a 2021 event that is safe and appropriate, as well as enjoyable for KFL&A residents,” he continued.
Due to the ongoing circumstances of COVID-19, Doors Open Kingston’s broader celebration of Kingston’s cultural heritage is offering a small, but diverse range of heritage spaces to explore in safe and appropriate ways, according to the release. Entry to all Doors Open Kingston locations remains free to the public.
“As the Doors Open event in 2020 demonstrated, there are many ways that we can safely continue to explore our City, to show support to local heritage sites and organizations and to learn more about the spaces and places that surround us everyday,” said Jennifer Campbell, Director of Heritage Services, City of Kingston.
Doors Open Kingston 2021 will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25 and Sunday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The current list of participating sites for 2021 includes:
- The Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning
- St. Marks Anglican Church
- The Spire
- Bellevue House Gardens
- Murney Tower Museum
- Lower Burial Ground
- South Frontenac Museum
- Window Art Gallery/KSOA
- Marine Museum of the Great Lakes
- Frontenac County Schools Museum
- Barriefield Village Heritage District and Rock Garden
- Kingston Theatre Organ Society
- Museum of Healthcare at Kingston
Those interested in visiting Doors Open sites are asked to register through Eventbrite for a specific tour time. KAM said that participating sites will not all be offering the same number of tours, or be able to accommodate the same number of visitors per tour. To avoid disappointment, please register early. Public registration for Doors Open is now open. Register through the KAM website. Hand sanitizing stations and disposable facemasks will be available (free of charge) to all registered tour participants.
For further information about Doors Open Kingston, as well as updates about participating sites please visit: https://www.kingstonmuseums.ca/doors-open-kingston, contact the KAM office at 613-507-4014, or visit: https://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/Events/