Calgary Alberta - It will be a golden summer for Heritage Park.
 
The southwest Calgary attraction, billed as Canada's largest history museum, will celebrate 50 years with fireworks, shows, new attractions, and a revised family friendly pricing structure.
 
President and CEO Alida Visbach said when the park celebrates it's golden anniversary on Canada Day, it literally will be a blast.
 
"This will be the first time Heritage Park has ever had fireworks," she said of the planned pyrotechnics show that will light up Glenmore Reservoir after a day of celebrating both the nation's and the park's birthdays.
 
In partnership with GlobalFest, Engineered Air, and Nexen, Canada Day will feature a pancake breakfast, mini-chuckwagon races, a Heritage Quest challenge along with the annual citizenship ceremony.
 
There will be an early light show for kids at 8 p.m. followed by a dazzling display at 11 p.m.
 
Visbach said its just the start of an important year for the Park, which first opened its doors on Canada Day in 1964.
 
"It's a very exciting milestone for us," she said.
 
"We've really evolved."
 
That evolution went full speed in 2009, with the addition of its $65-million Gasoline Alley expansion.
 
Visbach said since she took over as the park's CEO in 2005, annual attendance has jumped from 360,000 to just under 600,000.
 
But 2014 will be more than just the Canada Day bash.
 
A special concert will also commemorate Heritage Day on 4 Aug 2014, headlined by Holly Cole along with Sarah Slean and The Stellas, with the $44.95 tickets set to go on sale Wednesday at Heritage Park.
 
Proceeds from the show will go to preserving the park's collection of buildings and artifacts.
 
Also new for the summer of 2014 is a Western Rodeo on 9 Aug 2014, the soon to be opened Famous 5 Centre of Canadian Women, a new train-themed playground, and all-inclusive pricing that will see gate admission allow full access to all rides and attractions.
 
That will see a $24.99 general admission ticket allowing access to everything in the park, including the historic steam train, and the SS Moyie riverboat.
 
A 50th anniversary commemorative book, "Heritage Park Historical Village - How the West Was Once", has also been published and will be available at the park for $24.99.
 
"You'll notice some big changes as soon as you walk in the gate," Visbach said.
 
"We have a very exciting couple of months ahead of us."

Shawn Logan.

View and learn more about the Heritage Park railway and its structures with this article.