I Heart Edmonton

'I Heart' hopes Edmonton outdoes herself for 2010! Stay tuned to 'I Heart' for all the happenings of the new year (& decade) in E-town...the fests, the Ex, the Indy, the concerts, the nightlife, the Oilers, and all the rest that makes this city great! Play safe tonight Edmonton. Cheers! e

Citytv meteorologist & Edmonton advocate Michele McDougall takes part in our brief Q&A about our favourite city BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HERE aren't many media outlets that allow for such candid moments as those of Michele McDougall and her co-workers than on Citytv 's 4-hour (6-10AM) morning show Breakfast Television . I'm sure I can speak on behalf of the spirited program's loyal audience, and say that we wouldn't want it any other way! Weather specialist and BT co-host McDougall, known for her devoted positive disposition and passion for her craft, hails from Brandon, Manitoba, where she realized her knack for camping, fishing, hiking and all things "green." It was also where she pioneered her current meteorological route, studying journalism and broadcasting before joining Citytv in 2000. "My favourite part of working for Citytv is reporting the weather," said McDougall. "It fascinates me, and as we know around here, is always chang

So much has happened over the last 12 months, and 'I Heart' is here to revisit the best (& worst) moments... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I T'S been another exceptional year for the city of Edmonton, despite some unseasonably cold & record-breaking temperatures, an Oilers losing streak (or two), and that recession that everybody's been talking about. But, as is our intention, I Heart Edmonton is gonna try and stick to the good that has graced our growing metropolis...more or less. So, before I ramble on any further, let's recap some of my favourite moments or memorable experiences in my hometown during 2009! (Part 3 of 3): Edmonton Is North America's #1 Spot...Twice In One Week! On Sunday, December 13th Edmonton was the coldest place on the continent ( -46.1/ -58.4 with windchill), and only second to Siberia (-48) worldwide. The low was recorded at the International Airport , but still falls short of the city's all-time record of -48.3/-61 (with windchill), o

So much has happened over the last 12 months, and 'I Heart' is here to revisit the best (& worst) moments... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I T'S been another exceptional year for the city of Edmonton, despite some unseasonably cold & record-breaking temperatures, an Oilers losing streak (or two), and that recession that everybody's been talking about. But, as is our intention, I Heart Edmonton is gonna try and stick to the good that has graced our growing metropolis...more or less. So, before I ramble on any further, let's recap some of my favourite or most memorable moments and experiences in my hometown during 2009! (Part 2 of 3): Favourite Local Film of the Year Although director Rosie Dransfeld was born far from Edmonton, her sobering documentary Broke (4/5 stars) was filmed right here in our city. Set at the inner city pawn shop A1 Trading , Broke lent us an inside look into how the poor get by, thanks to their "friendly pawnbroker." In this particula

So much has happened over the last 12 months, and 'I Heart' is here to revisit the best (& worst) moments... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I T'S been another exceptional year for the city of Edmonton, despite some unseasonably cold & record-breaking temperatures, an Oilers losing streak (or two), and that recession that everybody's been talking about. But, as is our intention, " I Heart Edmonton " is gonna try and stick to the good that has graced our growing metropolis...more or less. So, before I ramble on any further, let's recap some of my favourite or most memorable moments and experiences in my hometown during 2009! (Part 1 of 3): Best Fest of the Year There's literally dozens to choose from in " Festival City ," but one stands out for its record-setting season that was full of innovation and community spirit. The Fringe ! The 11-day live theatre event (August 13-23) recaptured its title as North America's #1 fringe festival, with ticke

Thousands will head down to the Square to say goodbye to '09 and welcome 2010! What: Edmonton New Year's Eve 2010 Party When: Thursday, December 31, 2009 (9PM-) Where: Sir Winston Churchill Square (downtown) A LL adjacent roads to Churchill Square will be shut down to allow Edmontonians to celebrate the end of 2009, one of the most challenging years for many locals who were affected by the "Great Recession." But it's almost time to put that all behind us, share some cheap champagne, and clock out all inhibitions to ring in 2010! The annual celebration is free of cost and is family-friendly, which means there will be plenty of things to do for the kids, including live music, face painting, wagon rides, clowns & magicians, a snowball-throwing contest, skating, concessions, and, of course, a 12-minute pyrotechnics display at midnight. Amongst the acts that will perform during the festivities are Hanson Jeans , Joe Nolan , Catalyst , All the Range in Dallas ,

Season's Greetings from "I Heart Edmonton"

...Why not revisit a local holiday standard from 630 CHED?! N EAR the beginning of December I Heart Edmonton posted a brief article profiling the long-running local radio broadcast, " And a Creature Was Stirring ," a classic that has become a seasonal tradition in our city. The 4-1/2-minute audio clip was penned & narrated by former 630 CHED staffer Jerry Forbes (produced by Bob McCord ), who was inspired by an experience with the radio station's Christmas charity Santa's Anonymous . So we thought it was worth another listen just before you open those gifts under the tree. Enjoy the clip Edmonton, and Merry Christmas from I Heart !

A quarter million twinkling bulbs light up Edmonton's Christmas season every December at 'Maisie's Magical Christmas House' BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E VERY holiday season Edmonton homes light up with Christmas glee. Some bare a strip of red or green lights across their eavesdrops. Others extend that single strip across the whole front frame of the house, and perhaps add an illuminated snowman or Santa Claus on the front lawn. Making the rest of us look bad! Then there's " Maisie's Magical Christmas House "! Sticking out like a sore thumb on the corner of 97th Street & 144th Avenue ( 9619-144 Ave. ), "Maisie's House" is like no other in the city, sparkling with gleaming light displays that could easily be spotted from an airplane miles above. The front yard of the modest house is anything but modest, brimming with bells, candy canes, snowmen, and strings of multi-colour lights in the shape of Christmas trees. Reindeer stare up

This holiday institution has great intentions, but lacks in what made it special in the first place BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I FEEL bad for saying this, but that snippy title is no spelling mistake! Candy Cane Lane , as it is properly known, kinda sucked, failing to live up to my imaginations of glittering streetways, snowman colonies, and blinking lights you could see for blocks and blocks. You see, at 30, this was the first time I can remember visiting the famous Edmonton strip (148th St., from 92nd to 100th Ave.), some ten blocks of houses dressed up for the holidays that doubles as a fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank , and has been for many years now. But, as much as I want to, I can't lie. Last night, at about 2 km/hr., I drove past the 200 humble houses that make up Candy Cane Lane (Sunday, December 20th) and kept waiting for something to catch my eye, besides at least a half-dozen horse-drawn MP Stables clicking along the snowy street in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The sidewalk

The Art Gallery of Alberta is just six weeks away from the big reveal, and is celebrating with numerous events BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I T'S been a long four years since the Art Gallery of Alberta set out to find the right candidate to redesign its structure for the next generation of Alberta's art enthusiasts. And now, there remains just six weeks until we, the public, get to see the culmination of all those months of planning and construction...all $88 million worth of it! The New AGA will hold its grand opening on Sunday, January 31, 2010, with free admission from 9AM to 9PM, and again on Monday, February 1st. Visitors will be welcomed in 30-minute intervals in order to avoid over-crowdings. But before I go any further, let's take a look into how the new gallery came to be, shall we? The competition to find the architect who would design what we currently see at 102nd Street and Jasper Avenue, was initiated back in '05. L.A.-based Randall Stout was selected to come up wi

Holidays In Dub @ The Pawn Shop What: Holidays In Dub When: Wednesday, December 23rd @ 9PM Where: Pawn Shop (10551-82 Ave./780-432-5058) How Much: $5 cover

Mexican prison drama is latest in 6-part film series that will spotlight world-class docs over at the Metro BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I N conjunction with Edmonton's Global Visions Film Festival and the Toronto-based Hot Docs , Edmonton has welcomed the acclaimed Doc Soup film series. Already a fixture in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, Doc Soup is a monthly documentary film series that "exposes audiences to compelling, real-life stories from across Canada and around the world, along with opportunities to engage in discussion with guest directors." Metro Cinema , in Citadel Theatre 's Zeidler Hall (9829-101A Ave.), will host these award-winning features on the first Thursday of every month, up until May 2010. The next screening will be Roberto Hernandez and Georffrey Smith 's Presumed Guilty , on Thursday, January 7, 2010 @ 7:00PM. The 1-1/2-hour subtitled docu film follows a pair of attorneys from Mexico who are attempting to exonerate Jose Antonio Zuniga , a young ma

Let 'I Heart Edmonton' guide you through the upcoming weekend W ELL Edmonton, it's Thursday, which means that a new weekend is just around the corner! For those of you who work for the weekend you might want to listen up...or read on, in this case. Here's some of the things that are going on this upcoming weekend (December 18th-20th): - Not in the Christmas spirit yet? Maybe the Jubilee could help you out with that, as they are welcoming the return of " The Singing Christmas Tree " from December 18th to the 20th (7PM Fri/ 4PM & 7PM Sat/ 4PM Sun). This will be the 40th annual "Singing Tree" concert and the first since 2005. Tickets are at Ticketmaster (780-8000). -Montreal-born musical comedian and Internet celeb Jon Lajoie ("Everyday Normal Guy") will perform two shows this Friday (December 18th) at the Myer Horowitz Theatre (8900-114 St.). The first show will start at 7:30PM, followed by a second at 10:15PM. Call 780-492-4236 for m

Alberta's capital region has won Sociable City Award for providing a safe and active nightlife that's the envy of the rest of the continent BY EMIL TIEDEMANN W ELL, it's official! The RHI ( Responsible Hospitality Institute ) has confirmed what I Heart has been preaching all along...that Edmonton is the most "sociable city" on the continent! The distinction took various critieria into account before it was cast upon our deserving city, which is now recognized for providing the most vibrant and safe nightlife in North America. But the RHI awarded E-town with the honour based on more than just our nightlife, also citing our partnerships between businesses and government, innovative marketing campaigns, proactive compliance education & training, public space entertainment, multi-cultural activities, and serveral city services, such as the Public Safety Compliance Team . 13 of Edmonton's entertainment districts--including Whyte Avenue , 124th Street , West Ed