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Calgary Herald

After over 60 years, 'iconic' Calgary Danish Canadian Club moving out of Beltline

Danish-Canadians in Calgary have decided on a new home away from home after decades in the Beltline. Article content Article content Founded under a different name in 1928, the present-day Danish Canadian Club moved into its 727 11th Avenue S.W. location in 1964. Article content Over 60 years later, the club is relocating to the the Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre at 3112 11th Street N.E. after May 31. Article content Article content Although the building will be sorely missed, she is excited for the club's next chapter. Article content 'We're going to build that sort of excitement around our new place and create a new community there,' said Pedersen. Article content Club president Per Andersen came to Calgary in 1975 and joined the club shortly after. He arrived after the club's restaurant, the Mermaid Inn, opened up. Article content Amid the chatter of several dozen people inside the restaurant and occasional clanging of plates, Andersen spoke about the club over the years. Article content 'It's been a fantastic meeting place for all the Danish immigrants that came over,' said Andersen, adding that many came to Calgary for the adventure, with no intention of sticking around. Article content 'A lot of people ended up staying because it was just such a pleasant atmosphere in Calgary,' said Andersen. 'I just celebrated 50 years of being in Canada — and I still have my return ticket unused.' Article content He recalls a waitress that used to work at the Mermaid who everyone called 'mum.' Article content 'As soon as she saw a new face, she would say, 'Oh, I know this person from the same area as you're from in Denmark' … she would make the introduction,' said Andersen. Article content The Beltline location was always a place to go for your lunch after the Stampede parade, and the Danish Club even did a parade float for many years, said Pedersen. Article content 'The building has sort of outlived its usefulness, and we haven't been able to renew the business at the rate that's required to operate the club,' said Andersen, noting the oil crash in 2014 and pandemic closures didn't help.