CentreCity

The East Village Tree Sparkles

We promised we'd update with a new photo once the lovely 20 foot East Village tree had lights. So here we are, check it out! 

 

(photo from www.evexperience.com)

To read the full story about this beautiful, shining tree that sits on the west side of the Simmons Building (5th Street SE) along the RiverWalk pathway, click here to get to the East Village Experience website. 

Forget Rockefeller, Centre City Has its Own Tree!

(photos taken from EV Experience's twitter feed! Click here to follow them too)

That 20 foot tree (sponsored by Stantec) went up Friday in the Centre City's East Village. Now, for the fun stuff: decorating! Watch for updates here - we'll post a photo of it in all its sparkly lit glory very soon.

Peace Bridge Project Update

We've seen illustrations of what it would look like and now we get to see the Peace Bridge almost entirely in place. It's truly a sight to behold:

(Peace Bridge photo by Leighton Klassen, CBC)

...and on such a grey day, that vibrant color and wonderful helix shape over the Bow river is a great addition to our Centre City.

Graham Construction slowly pushed the Peace Bridge across the temporary bridge structure along a rail system. It has been quite the process to witness this week.The pedestrian bridge is in its final construction stretch and is slated to open early 2012.

If you're out and about this weekend, you should definitely ride or walk by it to check it out.

To read more about the Peace Bridge project in the Centre City, click here and here.

Burger Inspiration

(Alley Burger truck shot by buzz.bishop)

We don't know the exact stats but we're gonna go out on a limb and say it's likely that you or someone you know has eaten or at least plans to sample an Alley Burger in the very near future. The Charcut restaurant-born Alley Burger Truck is just one of the many wildly popular mobile food stops in Calgary. These trucks that feed #yyc-ers on a daily basis are hugely exciting for our Centre City. They create a vibrancy on the street wherever they go and they bring people together from all over.

Now the idea of alley eating has spread to other locales. Check out this great article in the Globe and Mail about why concrete dining has become such a hit.

Sien Lok Park Improvement

Here's your chance to help shape the space you use - or would like to use - in the Centre City...

Earlier this year we told you here on the Centre City Talk blog about calls for public input regarding ways to update and rejuvinate Chinatown's only major greenspace - Sien Lok Park. 

You know the park, it's that lush space (when there's no slightly imposing snow blanket) on the south Bow River pathway:

All the information that's been gathered with the help of volunteers in the community and also online has been turned into a draft plan which is now ready for you to check out. An open house is scheduled for November 23rd (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre, Main Floor – Cultural Hall, 197 – 1 Street S.W.) and there, you'll be invited to view and comment on the draft plan.

Then the next stage of the process, between November 24 - December 8, you will be able to check out the document online and provide your feedback through The City of Calgary Parks webpages.

All the final input that is gathered at both the open house and online will be considered for implementation in the final plan which has a projected completion date for early 2012.

And a big congratulations to...

The City of Calgary's Parks team! It was recently awarded the prestigious Parks Excellence Award from the Alberta Parks and Recreation Association for the revitilization of Centre City's historic Central Memorial Park. Check out the Beltline Community website for the story on this latest award.

This Beltline area park, is certainly one of our best public spaces and it's been recognized with several honours. It won a Calgary Heritage Authority Lion Award for landscape conservation and an honourable mention at the Mayor’s Urban Design Awards. 

The park has also been named one of the 100 Best Public Spaces in North America by Planetizen and People for Public Spaces. What's your favourite activity in the park?

Calgary: We're Not Living up to our Stereotypes

Tweet from @jianghomeshi on Friday November 18th, 2011:

"Hey Calgary - You're doing a lousy job of living up to stereotypes. My opening essay/ode to #YYC on Q today: http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2011/11/18/jians-essay-on-calgary----live-from-calgary/"

What do you think? Is he spot on? We like all the indirect Centre City references... we'll take that as a pat on the back! :)  

Pecha Kucha Night: Featuring A Few of Our Own!

What have you reclaimed lately?

Maybe it's a bit of time in your day to spend reading or walking around the Centre City at lunch. Perhaps a family heirloom was reclaimed or your favourite sweater - taken back from an ex-boyfriend?

The act of reclamation can be small enough to impact only one person - or it can also reach as far and wide as to impact the world. And that's what the upcoming PechaKucha Night in Calgary is all about with its theme Reclaim.

 

Tickets are free and this is a night not to be missed. It's happening Wednesday, November 23rd (doors at 6:30 pm and event starts at 7:00 pm at the John Dutton Theatre, Central Library 616 Macleod Trail SE). This will be Calgary's 10th PechaKucha Night. 

Some Centre City supporters will be speaking at the event, including The City of Calgary's Sonny Tomic, who is our new manger of Centre City Planning and Implementation. Here's the rest of the guest list so far:

• Kathleen Bell, Communications Officer, Calgary Counselling Centre
• Brian Johns, Wildlife Biologist
• Ben Millen, Board of Directors, The New Gallery/John Snow House
• Jesse Moffatt, Manager of Collections and Artifact Care, Cantos Music Foundation/National Music Centre
• Mike Morrison, Blogger/Writer
• Gene Poole, Calgary Cassette Preservation Society
• Dr. Roger Saint-Fort, Associate Professor and Chair, Mount Royal University Department of Environmental Science
• Lorna Crowshoe, Aboriginal Issue Strategist, Social Policy and Planning, City of Calgary
• Additional speakers announced soon.

  

Tickets are available at the door or in advance at PKN10.Eventbrite.com.

PechaKucha Nights in Calgary are hosted by Calgary Arts Development (CADA) and sponsored by East Village.

And if you're still reading and wondering what a PechaKucha night looks like, here's a presentation from the previous night in Calgary - a chat by local actress, Ellen Close:

PechaKucha Night Calgary #9 - Ellen Close from Calgary Arts Development on Vimeo.

 

 

 

Dance in our Centre City

Just in time to help defeat the cold and snow, a powerful punch of spicy, jazzy indoor art is happening in our Centre City this week (actually, to be honest, art is always happening in the CC but we took a real shine to the danciness of this particular event).

So bundle up and check out this show for the whole family: The Great Jazz History Mystery. Put on by Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, it's an exploraton of the history of jazz...and it's rumored to be fun and giggle-worthy for kids both young and old. We love art that is accessible to everyone and this show, which is choreographed by local dancer extraodinnaire Kim Cooper, should fit that bill precisely. Take a peek: 

 

The Great Jazz History Music- Characters from Decidedly Jazz Danceworks on Vimeo.

Tickets are still available at the DJD box office and it runs November 17th - 20th. The show is for kids ages five and up and it's happening at Theatre Junction Grand. 

 

Buy a Piece of Old Science Centre History

If there's a science buff on your holiday shopping list, here's a chance to wow them.

The former Telus World of Science (in our Centre City) is gearing up for an auction this coming Sunday, November 16, 2011. You'll find antique telescopes, audio and visual equipment, children's furniture, artwork and much more. A public viewing of the items is being held tomorrow, Friday, November 18th but the actual auction event will take place on Sunday at the old Telus World of Science Building (#701, 11 St. SW).

To read more about auction items, visit calgary.ca or reidsauction.com.

  (photo by kootenayvolcano)

On the subject of the old TELUS Science Centre - while the old tennants have moved out - any ideas on who you would like to see move in to the Centre City building? It's a fun idea to think about. Share your thoughts in our comments!