By Sarah Klein
The Qualico Family Centre at Assiniboine Park will open to the public on Friday. (HANDOUT)
The first indoor facility to open at Assiniboine Park in more than 40 years held a ribbon cutting on Thursday.
The new Qualico Family Centre will officially open for business Friday, and is located on the edge of the Duck Pond.
The 10,000-square-foot year-round centre will include the new park café, with affordable menu items to accommodate breakfast and lunch diners. The café will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offer a dine-in and take-out menu.
“This is something our visitors have been asking for and we’re so happy to welcome them to this beautiful new facility,” said Margaret Redmond, president and CEO of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. “The Qualico Family Centre is a venue beyond compare and a wonderful place for people of all ages to gather, learn, celebrate and create special memories for many years to come.”
The centre will also serve as a venue for events and activities, park educational programs for children, wedding receptions, corporate retreats and other celebrations. An in-house banquet facility includes a 106-seat reception hall, which is already booked for more than 40 special events in 2012.
The completion of the centre is the final component in the first phase of the park’s $200 million capital redevelopment plan.
