July 16, 2025/For Immediate Release
AIRDRIE, AB – Restoration efforts at Gwacheon Park are now complete. A public celebration of the recent park improvements will be held this evening, July 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the park.
‘It’s important we preserve areas like Gwacheon Park, as they not only serve as a reminder of our community’s heritage but celebrate Airdrie’s diverse culture and provide a place for the enjoyment of public art and park green space’, says Mayor Peter Brown.
The park’s six totem poles, gifted by the City of Gwacheon, were restored and reinstalled at the park in May of last year. The City also updated the park’s landscaping and added interpretive signage and a Korean archway, called a Hongsalmun.
‘The work completed at Gwacheon Park was done under the guidance of a historical scroll, which established the relationship between the City of Gwacheon and Airdrie’, says Kim Harris, culture specialist at the City of Airdrie. ‘The butterfly symbol of Gwacheon has been incorporated into the park’s central flowerbeds, flag poles and sitting area and the Hongsalmun is meant to represent a cultural bridge between our cities’ past and present relationships. We invite Airdrie to come celebrate the park’s rejuvenation with us and to explore the newly added interpretive signage that explains how symbols of each city’s culture has been incorporated into the park to represent our communities’ friendship.’
More information on the Gwacheon Park commemorative ceremony and celebration can be found at airdrie.ca/gwacheonpark.
Gwacheon Park was established in 2003 to recognize the historical significance of the sister-city relationship between the City of Airdrie and Gwacheon, which was established in 1997. In 2007, the City of Gwacheon gifted Airdrie six totem poles in honour of the 10-year anniversary of the friendship between the two cities. The totem poles can be found in Gwacheon Park, which is located in Nose Creek Regional Park.
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Media contact:
Communications, Engagement & Marketing
corporate.communications@airdrie.ca