The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) had good news yesterday for those of us who can’t make it to Ottawa for their free monthly meetings — and good news for those who live in Ottawa.
Beginning September 10, BIFHSGO will launch its hybrid meeting format, where they will welcome members and non-members both in person and online.
Plans include hybrid meetings from September through December and March through June. January and February meetings will remain online only.
Since the pandemic began, BIFHSGO has hosted popular monthly meetings with excellent presentations and workshops that were all online, along with last year’s well-attended virtual conference.
New meeting location
BIFHSGO also announced a return to a more central location in downtown Ottawa, instead of in the suburbs where meetings have been held, I believe, for about a decade.
The board decided to move the meetings to Geneva Hall at Knox Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of Lisgar and Elgin streets. The hall seats 200, which is a good because attendance at BIFHSGO meetings is often around 150 people and more.
Limited free street parking is available, and the City Hall Parking Garage is conveniently located directly across the street from Knox, with entrances to the garage from Nepean, Elgin, and Laurier. The maximum daily parking fee on weekends is $2.00. In addition, within walking distance are two LRT stations — University of Ottawa (take the foot bridge at Somerset) and Parliament.
Photo: Earl Andrew, Wikipedia
Upcoming meetings
To see what BIFHSGO plans for the fall, take a look at the Events page where they have listed the speakers and topics for the monthly meetings.
Virtual conference
This year, the annual conference will be held September 28 to October 2, and it will be online only. The theme is England and Wales: at home and on the move. The fee is $40.
