For immediate release

Lethbridge—The Galt Museum & Archives will once again open its doors on June 2, 2020, in a limited fashion after closing to the public on March 15.

“We are excited to open our doors to the public again, but the safety of our staff and visitors is our primary concern,” says CEO/Executive Director Darrin Martens. “Our team has been carefully planning how to ensure that our facility is as safe as possible.”

One of the most significant changes is the implementation of ticketed admission. The tickets are the price of a regular adult admission, and visitors should purchase them on the Galt’s website before arriving. To ensure that visitors can follow social distancing guidelines, the Galt will maintain a capacity of only 50 individuals. Researchers needing in-person access to the Archives will also need to register for a time slot on the Galt’s website.

“Our online ticketing uses the same award-winning system that we launched earlier in the year for our school class bookings,” says Martens. “Each time slot has 50 tickets available, and those will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

Tickets are available for time slots between noon–5 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 1–5 pm on Sundays. Annual pass holders will have an opportunity to book a time slot in the mornings from 10 am–noon. Those times will be limited to 40 individuals at a time.

“We know that many of our annual pass holders are in age groups that are more vulnerable to COVID-19,” says Martens. “Inviting them to book their visit earlier in the day and with a smaller group is one way we can help them stay healthy and safe.”

Other changes include shorter hours to allow the Galt’s staff to clean and disinfect high touch surfaces, asking visitors to leave coats and personal items at home since the coat rack and lockers will be closed, providing a sheet of activities to engage younger visitors, and limiting access to the Museum Store.

“Because it’s difficult to monitor and regularly clean surfaces in the store area, we will be keeping the gates to the store closed,” says Visitor Services Coordinator Michelle Christensen. “Our staff will bring any items that visitors want to purchase to the desk and facilitate the transaction, and we will continue to enhance the selection of items for sale through our website.”

“We are committed to researching and sharing the rich history of our communities in southern Alberta,” says Martens. “We welcome our visitors to explore the exhibits on display in June, including A Painter’s Paradise, Swing! Music of the Home Front, Enemy Aliens—Internment in Canada, 1914–1920, and The Inn Purple. For those who choose to engage with us online instead of in-person, we will continue to enhance our online content delivery of past exhibits and presentations, articles, videos and archival materials.”

Tickets to the Galt can be purchased at www.galtmuseum.com/visit.

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This media release can be found at www.galtmuseum.com/news.

Media Contacts

Graham Ruttan (he/him)
Marketing and Communications Officer
graham.ruttan@galtmuseum.com
403.320.4009