CentreCity

New Year's Plans in the Centre City

Now that the gifts have been unwrapped, the Boxing Day sales have been shopped, and the eggnog is fast approaching its best before date, time to make a New Year's Eve plan that involves your Centre City.

Here's a little list of all the activities planned in our CC (text courtesy Calgary City News)

Citytv New Year’s Eve Bash
The City of Calgary, in partnership with CityTV, will host a free, family friendly New Year’s Eve celebration at Olympic Plaza. The fun starts at 9:30 pm on Saturday, December 31, 2011 and ends at 12:15 a.m.

CityTV will nationally broadcast the event showcasing  live performances of Canadian country music artist George Canyon, R&B artist Raghav, multi-platinum selling artist Alyssa Reid and award-winning Canadian band Down With Webster. The evening will culminate with fireworks at midnight from the Municipal Plaza.

“Calgary is proud to host the western Canadian portion of this 27th annual national broadcast and looks forward to this partnership with CityTV that showcases Calgary to the rest of the country and creates an amazing experience for Calgarians,” says Beth Gignac, The City of Calgary, Arts & Culture.

Hockey in Calgary
Hockey in Calgary is a free, family friendly New Year’s Day celebration being held on Sunday, January 1, 2012 at the Municipal Building and Olympic Plaza.

The day kicks off at 11 a.m. with entertainment and public skating, hockey demonstrations, Hockey Hall of Fame memorabilia, hockey-themed art, and a ball hockey mania event with Hockey Canada alumni. A public outdoor ceremony will take place on the Olympic Plaza entertainment stage at 12 p.m.

“It’s the perfect start to a year-long celebration of Recreation’s centennial,” says Teresa Byrne, City of Calgary Recreation. “We’re planning a full year of events and activities that will highlight 12 monthly themes – starting with hockey and skating in January.”

Hockey in Calgary is being offered by The City in recognition of REC 100, and in partnership with Hockey Calgary and the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Public Ice Skating
Bring the family and skate under the stars at the Olympic Plaza outdoor ice rink, the only outdoor refrigerated ice surface in Calgary. The City of Calgary’s other outdoor ice rinks include Big Marlborough Park, Bowness Park Lagoon, Prairie Winds Park, and Prince’s Island Lagoon.

“Maintaining the outdoor ice rinks is a labour of love for the Parks’ staff. They are often out at 5 a.m. flooding rinks around the city to ensure smooth rink surfaces for the kids and community members who skate on them,” says Geraldine Henwood, The City of Calgary Parks. “It’s nice to see families and friends skating on the rinks and having fun. That’s what gets us up and out of bed on a cold, early morning.”

Public skating in Olympic Plaza will be impacted to allow for the set-up and take-down of New Year’s events.  A complete listing of City ice skating rinks available over the holiday season is available on calgary.ca, With the exception of Olympic Plaza all outdoor rinks are weather dependant and are tentatively scheduled to open in late December.

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(photo by yoniamir) 

And for a lengthy list of what's happening at nightclubs in the Centre City in New Year's Eve, click here.

Have a Moment? Nominate Someone for a Calgary Award.

Brett Wilson, Aretha Van Herk, and Gordon J. Hoffman; each are proud Calgarians - and while their work and histories are wildly different from each other (a businessman, writer and lawyer respectively), they're all proud recipients of a Calgary Award in 2010 (click here for a full list of last year's award recipients). The Calgary Award is a citizen recognition award and it acknowledges the work and dedication of special Calgarians who have helped to improve the quality of life in our city.

Now it's time once again to nominate someone special you know for this prestigious award. Think about the individuals, groups, organizations, schools, or corporations that have made a difference in your life. If you have someone in mind who meets the following criteria, and you believe they have contributed in a significant way to our city and its citizens, please consider filling out the nomination form:  

Nominees must be residents of Calgary (permanent address in Calgary) for two years as of December 31, 2011, or reside within 10 km of the city's boundaries for two years as of December 31, 2011. In special circumstances, the selection committee may consider a nominee from outside the 10 km radius.

Groups, organizations, schools, or corporations nominated for a Calgary Award must meet the following criteria:

• The organizations must be Calgary-based or be a local branch of a Canadian or international organization.
• Crown corporations are eligible for the Environmental Achievement Corporate Award.

You can refer to each award section for eligibility criteria specific to each award.

For more information, please call 403-268-8881 or e-mail calgaryawards@calgary.ca

Nominations must be received by the City Clerk's Office by March 2, 2012. 

Online Nomination Form 

The awards will be presented in the spring of 2012. The Calgary Awards Committee selects all award recipients and bases its decision entirely on the information provided in the nomination package.

For more information or to send your nomination via email, the address is calgaryawards@calgary.ca 

A side note, if you are interested in nominating a Calgarian for The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize your submission needs to be sent directly to the Writers Guild of Alberta. Click here to check out some of the award's previous winners. The deadline for The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize is December 31st, 2011. 

Centre City Advent/Event Calendar December 23

It's officially wind-down time in the city. Can you feel it? People are slowing down their frantic gotta-get-all-the-holiday-chores-done-now! pace...many have today off and it's just a good time to take stock - spend time with friends and family and eat. It's really easy to find a great place to dine in our Centre City. So why not take some time today or over the holiday week to try out a new restaurant or two?

This is our final suggestion in our CC Advent/Event Calendar: dine out in the Centre City. Maybe you can even make it a fanciful walk through a park. Boxwood, located in the Central Memorial Park, presents a lovely setting and tasty local eats. Click here to check out their menu. 

And there's also River Cafe which sits proudly in Prince's Island Park - an oasis built out of local fare, comfort food and a view that is beyond compare. Grab some coffee or a hot chocolate on your way there and go for a little walk before you eat. It's truly a gem in on of our favourite Centre City parks. 

 

 

Centre City Advent/Event Calendar Dec. 22

(photo by Mr.Atrocity)

If you find yourself scrambling to get those last few gifts wrapped in time for Christmas (where IS THAT TAPE, anway?!), today's Advent/Event calendar idea is the perfect plan for you...

All day long at Banker's Hall (315 - 8th Ave. SW) in the Centre City, there are crafty little wrapping paper elves ready and happy to help dress up your presents to the nines. The suggested wrapping donation fee is $3 per item and it's for a great cause. All proceeds directly support ongoing workshops presented by Nurture Yourself Program, which teaches empowerment techniques for women, men and youth - to help improve self-esteem. 

Wrapping services are availble straight through to December 24th during regular hours. You'll find them located on the second level in the old Compleat Cook space.

Incidentally, if you're keen to help wrap - you know - if it's something you truly love to do - they're always looking for more volunteers to help wrap. You may direct your questions to Laurie at wrapping@calgaryfamily.org

For more information click here.

Centre City Advent/Event Calendar Dec. 16

It's time to deck the halls with Indie bands! Here's another instalment in our Centre City Advent/Event calendar:

Seasons greetings go better with rock, it's true. As part of the Calgary Folk Music Festival's "Raise a Little Hall" fundraiser (click here for details on that), you're invited to a family friendly Indie Rock Christmas party.

This is your opportunity to sample some of Calgary's best music in the Centre City's lovely Arrata Opera Centre. A dozen local acts are gearing up to put on an amazing show for you. Here, have a listen - check out who's on the roster and click the links to preview:

My Dear Watson
The Collective
Savk
The Magnetic North
Scars and Scarves 
Heather Blush
Dan Vacon
Eve Hell
Kenna Burima
Ship Shape
Brooke Wylie
Tom Bagley

These are some of Calgary's finest musical darlings...and each of them, we're sure of it, sparkle like tinsel, smell of fresh cut pine (not actually sure about that but if we had to hazard a guess..) and satisfy the creative soul better than any gift you'll find under a tree.

There's also going to be a scheduled visit from Santa (for the kids, not you silly), some hot chocolate, a little ornament art setup, and an early in the night sing-along for all those tots who come by. For grownups: mulled wine, the world's "smallest record fair", a sing-along and a silent auction with all proceeds going to Festival Hall. Pretty sweet. 

Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Order them here or call (403) 233-0904. It's happening December 17th, 2011 at the Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7th Street SW) and show time is 6:00 p.m.

'Tis the Season: Late Night Ride Home Stands

 

Watch this SHAW video for the latest on the Late Night Ride Home Stands.

These  taxi stands operate from 10 pm - 3 am in the Centre City on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. A great choice during the holiday party season, or any other season!

 

 

So remember, whether you're driving or looking for a cab - look for these signs!

 

Centre City Advent/Event Calendar Dec. 14

It's another installment of our Centre City Advent/Event Calendar!

Check out this stunning shot of the historic Simmons Building in East Village...we snagged it from the East Village Experience's Twitter feed earlier this week (thank you!) because we want to tell you about an exciting event scheduled there for this coming Saturday. The Simmons Building is about to become overrun with elves in their first ever Elves in the Village Christmas Market.

 

Cream puffs, cheese making kits, sock monkeys, ornaments, pottery, jewelry, clothing, and so much more... You'll find all sorts of great holiday gifts - or treats to fill your own stockings  - at the market on Saturday December 17th between 11:00 am and 5 pm.

 Clare Nolan, from Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), says this market is "a great way to invite the community and Calgarians into East Village to see first-hand the transformation of the community."

When asked about about the setting in this historic building and redeveloped area, Nolan explained why it was the perfect choice: "(In order) to create a vibrant and creative community there needs to be a variety of activities and events that bring people together and celebrate a community – this event was a way to do that."

So you know what? The mall atmosphere, mall Santa, mall parking lots can be put on hold on Saturday... come find a festive spark right here in the heart of your city.

Oh and we heard a rumour there will also be an ornament-making station set up...and robots(?!)...and musicians from the National Music Centre will be there for your entertainment. The YYC Food Trucks will also be there in full force so you could grab some lunch after you shop and take a stroll around the RiverWalk, check out how East Village has changed.

We hope to see you there. Bring a donation to the Interfaith Food Bank please!

If you're still craving more information about this event, click here and here.

Centre City Advent/Event Calendar Dec. 9

Here's another great advent/event idea to help get you out and exploring your centre city this month: visit some +15 art.

Right through this month and most of January, TRUCK Gallery presents the work of Calgary based abstract sculptor, Graham Krenz.

His project, titled Land of a Thousand Lakes, is described as "an arbitrary pixel of space and time that combines geometry, found and and handcrafted objects" (quote via www.truck.ca). The +15 Window Project can be found at the EPCOR Centre for the Perfoming Arts. It's right in the +15 walkway at 205 - 8th Ave. SE on the second level.

Grab some tea, an art-appreciating pal, and check out some wonderful local art.

(Graham Krenz, Land of a Thousand Lakes, TRUCK Gallery)

Centre City Congress Recap - Calgary Public Library

We took a little break from our post-Centre City Congress review of ideas that were brought to the table but we're back in action now. The CCC was once again a great showcase of ideas, visions, hopes for what we could achieve if we all came together to make Calgary the most livable, thriving and inviting place to call home. 

The Calgary Public Library's CEO, Gerry Meek, was one of the scheduled speakers at the event and his presentation about the future new Central Public Library got the whole room pretty much giddy with anticipation. 

The new site for the building in the East Village was selected over the summer and The Mayor and Council approved funding that will provide a total of $175 million over the course of five years.

Meek's talk outlined much of the visioning of what the library will be to Calgarians. No longer are libraries simply books and mortar (sorry couldn't resist). This new central location will serve, as Gerry Meek so succinctly put it, as a "space and place for everyone". It will have a kind of  "living library" vibe that is made up of collaboration space, a centre for literacy (health, consumer, finance and other), school, experts in residence, and an overall rich human resource - a meeting and gathering space for all. 

In his talk, Meek announced, "this is not your Grandma's library". And that sentiment stayed with us. He said this was going to be a great way to help "refashion Calgary" - that the story of Calgary would be told there and that's something we're all really eager to see taking shape in this new location. 

Here are a few photos from Meek's presentation: 

 

Centre City Advent/Event Calendar December 7th

(Olympic Plaza skating photo by Sherlock77)

Not to get all bossy but...you've gotta get out there and enjoy this mild weather of ours here in Calgary - do something fun and outdoors in our Centre City!

Here is another great idea for the CC Advent/Event calendar this month: 

Skate your lunchtime away at the Olympic Plaza. This is an amazing outdoor venue to don your best fuzzy mittens and hat, and practise your triple lutz...and this week, between December 5-9th and also the 12th and 13th, there'll be choirs to serenade you over the lunch hour. 

Bring a thermos of soup and a colleague and get out there and really enjoy your centre city - and get a great workout to boot. 

 If you'd like to read more about exciting events going on around downtown Calgary, click here to get to the Downtown.ca blog. Happy skating everyone!