The Bar U Ranch is located near Longview, Alberta, and was a leader in Alberta’s ranching community for over 70 years. It has been preserved as a national historic site since 1991 and opened to the public in 1995. Nestled in the Alberta foothills with the Rocky Mountains as its backdrop, visitors can take a step back in time to imagine what life on the ranch would have been like in the early 1900s. Both educational and fun for the whole family, it is a summer must for many local Albertans and visiting tourists from all over the world.
We have worked with the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site on many projects over the years and were excited to work with them again this spring, helping to get them ready for their first phase of re-opening post-COVID-19. Physical distancing regulations implemented this summer meant the Bar U Ranch had to adjust the way they welcomed visitors to their ranch and guide them safely through the venue.
During a normal summer season at the Bar U Ranch, the visitor centre is the gateway to the ranch. Visitors begin and end their tour there. They pay their entrance fee, browse the artifacts, read informative exhibit panels about the ranch, enjoy refreshments from the cafe and conclude their experience with a trip to the gift store. However, the summer of 2020 is a different story; only the outdoor attractions are open, which meant the visitor’s centre is strictly for guests to pay their entrance fee and keep moving onwards to explore the historic ranch below. The Bar U Ranch wanted to guide their guests as smoothly as possible around and through the visitor centre, educating visitors on their Covid-19 rules and regulations while maintaining the Bar U Ranch brand identity.
The announcement of their season-opening date and the safety signage requirements that would to allow them to re-open, both ended up happening very quickly! Scheduled to open June 1st for phase 1 of their re-opening plan, we had a week to meet the deadline to ensure they were ready to open safely. Our staff drove to the ranch on Tuesday to double-check window measurements and select materials. On Wednesday, we were already checking graphic files; we received approvals on Thursday, and on Friday afternoon, everything was printed and packed for Monday morning delivery and installation. Both ourselves and the Bar U Ranch are so happy with how everything turned out.