I Heart Edmonton

EDMONTON has had its share of nicknames over the decades, from "Oil Capital of Canada" and "Gateway to the North" to "City of Champions" and the erroneous "Deadmonton." But the one I've come to prefer more than any of those is "Festival City," which seems the most fitting of the bunch.

All year long Edmonton is hosting major, minor, or back alley festivals that nobody has even heard of. There always seems to be something going on in our under-appreciated city (see "Edmonton Festivals" in the sidebar)...you just gotta look for it!


One of those dozens of fests that take over the city every year is the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival, which was hosted by the Louise McKinney River Front Park in late August.

"The Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival Association (EDBFA) is a non-profit organization which promotes Dragon Boat racing and its multicultural celebration in the city of Edmonton," reads the group's mission statement…

U2, Bon Jovi & John Mayer are amongst the major acts coming to town in the new year

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

OVER the last few years Edmonton has become a preferred destination for some of the world's most celebrated music acts to come to perform.

Why?!

Well, Alberta's economy was numero uno in the nation during those years, and amongst the most stable on the continent, which meant that plenty of Edmontonians had plenty of expendable funds. As it turns out, many of the major concerts in E-town would either sell out or come damn near close.

It also didn't hurt that the music industry was on the opposite end of a boom, suffering deeper with every passing year, as record labels watched album sales drop substantially, and illegal downloading take over as the favoured way to gather music. That meant that musicians were forced to hit the road more and more, in order to make up for lost revenue from those dramatically-weakened record sales.

During these past few years Edmonton has hosted …

Ward 5 city councillor Don Iveson takes part in our brief Q&A about our favourite city!

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

AT 30, Don Iveson is currently the youngest city councillor in Edmonton's City Hall. But it isn't his age that Iveson will be best remembered for in the coming years. It's "for proving you can change city hall--with lots of persistence, patience and non-partisan bridge-building."

Or at least that's why he recently made the inaugural "Top 40 Under 40" list by Avenue magazine, recognizing Edmontonians dedicated to building a better future for our city.

The Ward 5 councillor--and self-confessed Trekkie--was born right here in Edmonton. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, where his mother Margaret is an education professor. Iveson also served as the editor of the school's newspaper The Gateway, and then as advocacy director of the U of A's Students' Union.

He entered politics in 2007, surprising many when he was v…

EIFF '09 has come and gone, but organizers are already looking towards 2010

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

IT'S been a month and a half since the 2009 Edmonton International Film Festival came to an end, but that doesn't mean that we can't still check in. After all, the EIFF recently issued their latest newsletter, declaring the '09 season a success!

Attendance for the 23rd annual EIFF (Sept. 25-Oct. 3) was up again, and the festival experienced even more interest in their programming streams, which included "Sobey's Lunchbox Shorts" and "In Our Own Backyard."

The EIFF is already accepting submissions for its 2010 edition, but films must have been produced AFTER April 1, 2009. There are four categories to consider when submitting: Narrative Feature (75 minutes or more), Documentary Feature (60 minutes or more), Short Films (30 minutes or less), and Documentary Shorts (30 minutes or less).

In addition to films, the EIFF is also on the look out for board member…

Live music will help raise money & awareness for group destined to save Alberta Hospital

What:Save Alberta Hospital Edmonton Concert
When:Saturday, November 28, 2009 @ 7PM
Where:Edmonton Event Centre (8882-170 St.)/ 780-489-7469

ANYONE who's been tuned into the local news over the last few months knows at least something about the recent controversies involving the Alberta Hospital. The 86-year-old, 275-acre, 45-building, 400-bed psychiatric hospital is downsizing.

The province announced the closing of some of the facility's acute care beds back in August, but has since seen a swift backlash of protestors who warn that this decision could have serious consequences.

This Saturday (Nov. 28) has been set aside by those very protestors, who have organized a special evening of music to raise proceeds and awareness for their cause. Presented by Friends of D.A.V.I.D.S., the "Save Alberta Hospital Edmonton" benefit concert will take place at Edmonton Event Centre in West Edmon…

Director Rosie Dransfeld discovers more than she expected to tell in her documentary, based in a local pawn shop

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

IT'S when he's so desperate that he'd break into a parked car to steal its GPS unit and a few CDs. It's when his addiction has taken over his inhibitions, and spare change and empties are all he's got left. It's when her wedding band is no longer irreplaceable and has lost the meaning it once held.

These are the kind of lonesome moments director Rosie Dransfeld captures in her sobering documentary Broke, which was filmed last year right here in Edmonton.

Set entirely in or just outside the cluttered A1 Trading (9434-111 Ave.), Broke examines the mostly loyal patrons of the inner city pawn shop, which happens to be situated across the street from an elementary school (see picture below).

Jewish immigrant David Woolfson is the poor man's banker, of sorts, lending cash to bottle collectors, drug addicts, alcoholics, or folks just down o…

When the 98th Grey Cup comes to the 'City of Champions' next year, Earl the mascot will be in tow!

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

EDMONTON has a new mascot, sorta. Earl Grey, as he will be known, was unveiled earlier today (Nov. 20) to a group made up mostly of the media, and will make his official debut at the 2010 Grey Cup in Edmonton.

The $10,000 mascot made quite an impact on those on hand, as well as subsequent readers and bloggers, who had lots to say about the cartoonish character.

The Edmonton Sun conducted an online poll to clarify whether locals were content with Earl, or flat-out hated him. The results were about 50/50.

Modelled after the 100-year-old Grey Cup championship trophy, the green & gold-coloured Earl was made possible after the federal government handed over $150,000 to the Edmonton 2010 Grey Cup Committee.

Earl was designed and created right here in town by the International Mascot Corporation, which has production & marketing facilities in New York, Madrid, Atla…

In the vicinity of the U of A campus is an Italian-style cafè that wears several hats...

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

EVERYTIME I drive by this place it seems to be brimming with specialty coffee drinkers and loyal admirers of simple Italian fare. In fact, when I recently checked out the licensed Cafè Leva for the first time, the only reason my buddy and I were able to get our order "to stay" was because a pair of patrons were just leaving. We pounced on their still-warm seats with our $4 lattès as I stared down the gourmet desserts and pastries behind the '60s-styled glass showcase. Yum!

Hidden in a residential area in the Garneau district, somewhere between the U of A and Whyte Ave., Cafè Leva is a cozy little getaway from busy streetscapes. The quaint departure is "focused on providing traditional Italian-style coffee" to its devoted patrons, and has been since 2001.

We found free parking on one of the narrow lanes that criss-cross Leva on the corner of 111th St. (despite …

JOE FM's Rhubarb Jones takes part in our brief Q&A about our favourite city!

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

IHEART Edmonton is excited to introduce a new segment to our humble site, "A Few Minutes with...", which is a 6-part Q&A with local celebrities, TV/radio personalities, artists, athletes, or regular Edmontonians dedicated to bettering our amazing city.

Our first victim will be Rhubarb Jones, who only recently became Program Director over at one of Edmonton's most popular radio stations, JOE FM (92.5), playing "80s, 90s...Almost Anything!" Jones is also part of the on-air team at JOE FM, DJ'ing weekdays from 2-6PM.

I Heart would like to thank Mr. Jones for being the inaugural participant for "A Few Minutes with...", and for answering all of our hard-hitting questions. Okay, maybe they're not exactly Oprah-worthy, but still...

1.What is one thing about Edmonton that you think stands out from other Canadian cities?There is a real sense of communi…