(Photo: Guests test out the Kids’ Zone inside the McMurray Experience which officially opened Wednesday, August 12. Sarah Anderson / REPORTER)
The interactive welcome centre off of Jubilee Plaza designed as a space for sharing and shaping experiences and understanding of Fort McMurray and the surrounding area was officially opened Wednesday afternoon in the middle of the Western Canada Summer Games and as the municipality hosted another successful Urban Market in the downtown square.
The McMurray Experience cost nearly $3M to build and features interactive walls outlining upcoming events and recent social media buzz about Wood Buffalo and Fort McMurray, a digital interactive Kids’ Zone, a photo booth, a moving ferris wheel displaying local art, an interactive table, a theatre, a wall outlining the history of the region and the town, and more.
“This is just an amenity that is going to entice people coming in, getting to know our community perhaps a bit differently. It’s great for people who live here and even better for people who are just visiting the region,” said Mayor Melissa Blake.
She said the information isn’t overwhelming but provides an excellent overview of what it’s like to live here and truly experience the culture and all that the community, the natural surroundings and the friendly population have to offer.
Blake said she is hopeful McMurray Experience will continue the positive conversations about our community begun during the Western Canada Summer Games.
“We got to see a bit of video today about reaction from various Games participants and it’s the same thing I’m hearing from the real people that are involved in the community. More than 3,000 volunteers have shown up to support this and I think this and I think this amenity is one that is going to continue and share the stories that we’ve experienced this year,” she said.
In the video Blake mentioned, Games participants spoke about being impressed by the excellence of the venues, the helpfulness of the volunteers, the beauty of the local landscape and the friendliness of the residents of Fort McMurray.
The McMurray Experience space is available for rent through the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and is otherwise open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
