The heart of Lethbridge’s downtown beats with a blend of unique restaurants, cafes and retail businesses. Galt Museum & Archives special events celebrates and explores the community's growth through local businesses.

Taste of Downtown started in 2004 and allows local businesses in the downtown core to impress participants with food, beverage samples and discounts that reflects the flavor and atmosphere of their establishment.

People have been drawn to downtown Lethbridge since the early 1900s, when numerous stores were located in the business district on 5th Street (Round Street), west of the Public Square (now Galt Gardens). As other businesses demanded space in prime locations, streets were added and the Canadian Confectionery found a favorable location in the 400 block.

The building, nestled between Sydney Jackson’s drugstore and the Independent Meat Market, was constructed in 1912, and housed many businesses before it became a grocery store. The piano company Heintzman’s opened a piano shop at 403 for two years. The next tenant was the Superior Mercantile & Fruit Company in 1932, then Nagler’s Grocery, and finally the Canadian Confectionery in 1938.

The interior accommodated a counter, wall shelving, and isle shelves full of canned goods, bread, milk products, and other daily needs. A special item offered for the 1940 Christmas season was “delicious Maple Leaf ham”. Other specials were coffee at 25 cents per pound, two pounds of cocoa for 23 cents, and two heads of cabbage for 13 cents.

The Galt Museum and Archives is pleased to host Taste of Downtown on Tuesday, May 10, and Wednesday, May 11th, 2016. Tickets are available at the Galt Museum front desk for $30 per night, or buy both nights for $50. They can also be purchased on line at www.galtmuseum.com. For more information, or to sign up as a business, contact Chris Roedler at 403-320-4219 or chris.roedler@galtmuseum.com.