CentreCity

The Calm Before the Green (and blue, red and white) Storm...

The finishing touches are being made in Calgary's Centre City to ensure the estimated 15 - 20 thousand visitors to calgary are well-entertained before, during and after the big Grey Cup Championship game.   

Events over the coming days range from free pancake breakfasts to gala affairs and everything in between - and of course then there's the actual game.  

Local musicians, artists and designers will be featured in the Grey Cup festivities and it's pretty much guaranteed there's something for everyone.  

Enmax Illuminate Calgary is the highly anticipated light installation display set to run November 27th and 28th (5 - 11 p.m.).  People who work and live in the centre city have likely had a chance to watch a bit of the set up of the exhibit (with a modicum of bewilderment, no doubt!).  Even if you're not a football fan - you MUST try to get out to see this interactive and awe-inspiring light art display. 

   

It's Our Party...

...and we'll celebrate if we want to!  

Since we're the host city for the 97th Grey Cup championship, and since our team lost its opportunity to play in the game, here's the deal:  Calgarians still love a chance to celebrate, no matter what the circumstances.  So let's put on our game faces anyway and just paint the town (Stampeders) red, regardless!  Lots of Calgarians are of course still planning to attend the game - they've likely just had to drastically modify their team of choice.  Many others have taken advantage of the situation by putting their Grey Cup championship tickets on the market for upwards of a thousand dollars.  

It's not just about the game, though, people!  The City of Calgary has so many great events planned - you'd be hard pressed to NOT have a good time in the centre city this week and weekend even when your favourite team isn't playing. 

 (photo of Stephen Avenue Grey Cup party set up before the festivities get underway)

Here are some of the highlights of what's on the agenda (full agenda including start and run times here) starting Friday November 27th - and there's a lot of free stuff - perfect for the whole family.  

1.  (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) Calgary Herald Olympic Plaza Family Fan Fest.  This means - pancake breakfasts in November, people! There will also be plenty of exhibits, family-friendly entertainment and music from Em, Souls of Freedom, the Heebee Jeebees, The Dino Martinis, Lindsay Elle and more (check link above for exact dates of band performances). 

2.  (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) Scotiabank CFL Experience at the Telus Convention Centre.  Here's your chance to shake hands with CFL alumni and all-stars.  And you might even want to try some of the interactive camp drills and games they'll have set up.  

3.  (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)  Enmax Street Festival and Stage (Stephen Avenue) - This is being called "The Midway" of the CFL.  It's where you'll find all kinds of CFL-related displays, activities, vendors and performances from The Cripple Creek Fairies, The Lions, The Dudes, Mad Cowboys, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Fuzzcat and again - much more (check link above for exact dates for band performances)!

4.  (Friday and Saturday evening) Enmax Illuminate Calgary (Stephen Avenue) - putting on an amazing light show - a must-see for all ages. If you happen to take in any of this event, you have to let us know what you thought of the contemporary light installations.  Click here for a preview. 

5.  (Saturday 11 a.m.) Safeway Grey Cup parade -  route starts at 6th avenue and MacLeod Trail SE and Calgary's own t-v star from "24", Elisha Cuthbert, is the grand marshall.  

6.  (Saturday) CFL/NHL alumni ball hockey and skills tourney. 

*7.  (Sunday) Grey Cup family viewing party - at the Saddledome (*must pre-purchase tickets at Safeway or SportChek for 10 dollars).  So if you've sold your real tickets to the game - and you're still just kind of a little bit itching to see how those other teams do, you can watch it at the Saddledome on the big - really big - screen.  

And lastly, to speak about the so far unspoken...we're taking a straw poll of sorts - who will you be pulling for if you do plan on watching the game? The Saskatchewan Roughriders or the Montreal Alouettes?  We won't tell anyone, we promise!  

Community Heritage Roundtable

The next Community Heritage Roundtable is a showcase of heritage initiatives by various groups. Join the group on Thursday, November 26 to hear about a community arts project that imagines a new future for the Centre City’s old Cecil Hotel, get an update on what’s happening with the historic Calgary brewery and learn about the Haysboro community's new history book the, Meadowlark Monument,a cairn celebrating the origins of that 1950s south Calgary community. Also, Clancy Patton's excellent Calgary Memories website (www.calgarymemories.com) will be featured. These roundtables are popular and fun events and a great way to network with people interested in preserving and promoting heritage and community.

This is a free event and refreshments are provided.

Haysboro Community Centre

1204 - 89th Ave S.W., just off Elbow Drive
Doors at 6:30 pm, Event from 7 - 9 pm.

RSVP on-line at the link below or phone 403-244-4111

Calgary Communities (Look for Roundtable - Heritage Showcase in the drop-down menu)

David Plouffe
Heritage Planner

 

  

Building a Better Bridge

And then there were three...

A new pedestrian bridge for St. Patrick's Island is much closer to becoming a reality now that the finalists have been selected in the bridge design competition.  

Part of the plan to help revitalize the East Village in Calgary's Centre City involves building a new pedestrian bridge over St. Patrick's Island.  The bridge will span between the East Village and Bridgeland (at the westerly point of St. Patrick's Island).  Below is a map of the site, courtesy of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. 

Here are the three finalists in the competition:

(**Important note: names are my own creation, not those of the designers'**)

   

1.  Star Trek, the St. Patrick's Island Generation (London-based ARUP and Falco Schmitt Architects)

2. The String Art From the 70s Bridge (Vancouver-based Buckland and Taylor Ltd. along with Victoria-based Kitchell)

  

3. Dusky Minimalist Skipping Rocks (by Paris-based RFR and Calgary-based Halsall)

So which is your favourite?  

To read more about the bridge design finalists, click here and here.  

TEDxYYC = Greatness Abounds in Calgary

TED^XYYC

If you're familiar with TED.com, then you have probably already rejoiced -- shouted from the rooftops several times over about the news that Calgary is hosting its own independent TED event.  

The TED mission is to spread ideas.  So we now have this amazing chance as Calgarians to step up to the mic and show the world just how progressive, creative and thoughtful we really are.  

One could spend days - weeks - watching the 450+ videos collected from the various TED talks that have been hosted around the world over the past two decades.  If you're not familiar with these videos, please treat yourself to an evening viewing (at LEAST an evening).  You can watch Malcolm Gladwell talk about spaghetti sauce, Johnny Lee show off his ingenious Wii "hacks", Pranav Mistry on the idea of a sixth sense, Eva Vertes on the future of medicine, Richard St. John sharing his 8 secrets of success and, well, hundreds more mind-bending, informative lectures.  

TED^xYYC is slated to run in Calgary on February 26th, 2010.  Event organizers are now looking for input on who, from our city, should be on that lecture roster.  Calgary is indeed a place rich with innovative thought, creative spirit and we arguably have enough drive and determination in just the centre city alone to fuel an entire continent.   

So let's get a dialogue going.  Who do you want to hear from at this year's TED^xYYC?  We want you to share your ideas and nominations for environmental warriors, musical geniuses, energy trailblazers, animal ambassadors, creative masterminds, technology gurus, medical marvels and physical heroes (did I leave anyone out? if so, let's hear about it from you!).  The goal of TED^xYYC is to bring together the youthful minds of Calgary - to hear from those who will be our leaders - people who will be instrumental in building a future Calgary.  Remember, if you know just the right person to nominate, please also submit your idea to the TED^xYYC website.

Pssst....I can hear you still scratching your head about that spaghetti sauce lecture...so here it is just to get you in the mood.

For more TED^xYYC information, follow the organizers on Twitter and you can find them on Facebook here.

Parking on the Cheap(er)!

It's one area where downtown Calgary may prefer to distance itself a little from the typically oh-so-desirable New York City -- parking costs.  Starting today, we've moved in that direction, with new pricing for short term parking. Instead of an hourly rate of $5 an hour (between 9-6 Monday through Friday), it's now $2 for the first half hour and $2.25 for the second half hour. There will also be some monthly pricing changes to three downtown lots beginning in January. This is all in an effort to encourage quick turnaround in downtown parking and to bring more people into the Centre City.  The changes are meant to benefit everyone - drivers and business owners alike. The reduced rate has happened just in time for holiday shopping (that's right, I said it!).  

For more on the lowered downtown parking rates, you can read this story from the CBC.

Will you be taking advantage of the new lowered first hour parking rates?  Let us know what you think.  

Get Into the Gemini Awards (Whether You Have Tickets or Not)

 

If you think you've noticed an air of excitement hanging over our Centre City - you're not imagining things.  It's the eve of the 24th annual Gemini Awards and this Saturday, Calgary's Stampede Corral plays host to the ceremonies.  Tickets to the event are still available for $10.50 a piece through www.ticketmaster.ca.  That's cheaper than a night at the movies these days!   

But for those of you who choose to stay home on Saturday night, what's stopping you from hosting your own Gemini Awards shindig?  Here are a few ideas to help you get your Gemini on: 

1.  Mix your own Gemini cocktails (recipe found here on Martha Stewart's website). 

2.  Party's gotta have snacks.  Astrologers all agree: Geminis like a little variety in their treats, go nuts - put together some Chex Mix-type snacks, make an assorted cheese platter.  Ask guests to bring their favourite Canadian treats.  Raid the kids' Halloween stash (don't pretend you haven't done it before!).  

3.  Dress like your favourite Canadian tv personality. A Rick Mercer-style suit and tie would be a pretty safe bet for the guys and for the gals, Canada's Next Top Model is up for an award in best reality tv - going as any one of those models would be easy.  Just pout lots, cry, giggle hysterically at inappropriate moments, and strike a pose or two. For more ideas, here's a list of the who's who.

4.  Most importantly, turn on your tv!  Set it to Global tv at 9 pm on Saturday November 14th.   And if you want a little preview of what the host of the awards ceremony is like, check out this interview with Canadian funny guy Ron James.

5.  If you're on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/GeminisYYC and follow them for updates on the event.

6.  When the Gemini Awards are over, check back here, let us know what you thought of how it all went down.  We'd like to hear from you. Did your favourites win?  What did you think of the event?  What awards ceremony should Calgary's Centre City host next?  

Century Gardens Facelift

You know this old guy, right? 

Today his surroundings, Century Gardens (located at 8th and across from the Nexen tower in the SW), will be up for discussion with the Calgary Planning Commission.   The idea in the works is to revamp and rework the space to make room for a high rise.  To find out more, you can read a brief article about it in the Calgary Herald here.  

Extending Our Remembering

It was beautiful autumn morning this November 11th, 2009.  A perfect day for taking time to remember veterans, Canadian Forces members, friends and family -- everyone who gave their lives in the name of peace for our country and also the rest of the world.   

Several Remembrance Day events were scheduled across Calgary.  We took part in the ceremony held at the Central Memorial Park Cenotaph (1221 Second St. SW).  It was led by the Calgary Highlanders and there was a great turnout.  Lots of families with young children could be seen running up Fourth street just before 11 am to make it to the Cenotaph in time.  It was a peaceful and respectful ceremony - wonderful to see so many young and old standing quietly, listening intently.  It's a comforting thing to see the city coming together to remember. 

 

Visitors to the park also had a chance also to see the great work underway to revamp its layout.  Even with much of the blue fencing up to protect areas that aren't finished yet, it seems like the park is much bigger - easier to walk through - more inviting.  That's precisely how the project leaders wanted people to feel.  If you'd like to read more about the Central Memorial Park revamp, click here.  And even better yet, grab a coffee one day at lunch sometime this month and visit it yourself.

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Any war veteran you'll ever meet will ask you to carry on with today's remembrance throughout the year - to think of everyone who has ever contributed in any way to the peace process.  One marvelous way to extend this sentiment is to visit Calgary artist Bev Tosh's "War Brides" exhibit at the Glenbow Museum.  It's a collection of war bride portrait paintings on wood, along with mutlimedia installations featuring the brides' personal life stories. 

(Vera and her Mother, portrait on wood from Bev Tosh's "War Brides" exhibit)

Tosh's "War Brides" exhibit runs now through February 14th, 2010 at the Glenbow Museum.  Here's a link to read more about Bev Tosh's work.

Dramatic Change Afoot Thanks to The City's Clean to the Core Program

Calgary's Clean to the Core program is highlighted in the Calgary Herald today.  So really, how could we not boast about it?  

Just like its name implies, Clean to the Core's intent is to do more than just a quick surface tidying; rather, its aim is to evoke major change by reducing crime rates, keeping the streets and green spaces cleaner and reaching out to centre city citizens and businesses.  

Of course, a critical part of the program has been to bring down individual crime rates.  You know those beat cops and other officers (Bylaw, Transit and EMS) you've seen more of on our downtown sidewalks over the past few years? Their presence is paying off, big time. You can read about it here.

 

And if you'd like to know more about the Clean to the Core program, go here.