Explore Kingston’s history at free Heritage Hour talks

The City of Kingston is offering free bimonthly sessions with feature speakers from across the community who will speak about Kingston’s past and living heritage.

According to a release from the city, the 2023 Heritage Hour talks are a continuation of the Heritage Resource Centre Lecture Series, which has been running since 2014.

“Kingston’s history cannot be told from a single story or perspective,” said Kevin Gibbs, Manager of Heritage Programming. “This series will continue to expand our understanding of the region’s history by inviting a range of voices to explore cultural, environmental and built heritage across the community.”

The city said that the first talk, scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 20, 2023, will be in conversation with Claudia Hirtenfelder, an international student and Ph.D. Candidate in Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. Hirtenfelder studies the relationship between animals and cities; she will be sharing her research about the history and geography of cows in Kingston and their eventual removal from urban spaces, according to the release.

Additional talks are scheduled to take place this year on select Thursdays in June, August, October and December, the city noted. Finalized dates and a list of speakers will be published on the City’s website once confirmed.

Register now for April’s Heritage Hour at CityofKingston.ca/HRC. The city said that advance registration is encouraged but not required. Some Heritage Hour sessions will be filmed and made available on the City’s YouTube channel.

Heritage Hour will be held in Memorial Hall on the second floor of Kingston City Hall, located at 216 Ontario Street, from 12 to 1 p.m. unless otherwise noted.