I Heart Edmonton

For those who care, the EIA now offers free wireless Internet access, in the midst of major growth BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I SN'T it the worst when you're waiting in the airport terminal for your plane to start boarding for your 3rd trip to Vegas or Mexico ( since those seem to be the only two destinations most of my friends know! ), and you can't check out Snooky 's latest trainwreck via YouTube ? I know, right ?! Well, that's all about to change, my friends! That's because, as of Friday ( July 30 ), the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) offers "free, fast and reliable" wireless Internet, as part of its efforts to better connect with a growing and changing customer base. That means that you can now visit your homepage, I Heart Edmonton , while waiting for your next flight! I know, right ?! EIA President & CEO Reg Milley : "We're excited to provide EIA customers with free Wi-Fi service. Free Wi-Fi joins our array of technology and online of...

Black, white, brown, yellow and red Edmonton unite for a 3-day celebration of what makes us exceptional BY EMIL TIEDEMANN What: Cultural music/food/crafts festival When: Saturday, July 31-Monday, August 2, 2010 Where: William Hawrelak Park (9930 Groat Road) I T was 1974 and there was no denying the growing diversity roaming the streets of the cities and towns of Alberta. Of Edmonton. This clear observation lent then Minister of Culture, Dr. Horst A. Schmidt , an idea to toast to this colourful shift. Schmidt had the first Monday in August declared an annual holiday that would both celebrate and recognize our province's varied cultural heritages. Civic Holiday , they called it. But, to be honest, most of us spend the extra day off roasting wieners, ATVing, or getting stoned in somebody's basement or garage. For those who wanna actually pay respect to the true meaning behind Civic Holiday, there's the Edmonton Heritage Festival (a.k.a. "Heritage Days"), now in i...

Some of the latest happenings in Edmonton (Heritage Festival, Rock'n August, Monster Burger, etc.)... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN U niversity of Alberta pre-med student Paula Findlay (pictured right) has made our city beam with pride, with her Saturday ( July 24 ) first-place title at the 2010 World Championship Triathlon Series race in London, England. The Edmonton triathlete was the first to cross the finish line (at one hour, 52 minutes, 48 seconds) of the Elite Womens race at Hyde Park. "Oh my God, this is so unbelievable," said an elated Findlay, 21, who has won two other International Triathlon Union World Cup races this year already (Mexico and Quebec). "I felt better than ever on the run today, and just kept pushing as hard as I could." Silver went to Switzerland's Nicola Spirig , and England's Helen Jenkins took bronze. E dmonton's most diverse festival is just around the corner, as organizers are about to launch the 35th annual, 3-day Heritage Fe...

Let's face it, we love to eat! That's why Edmonton's best food fest is expected to do just fine in the midst of Capital Ex and the Indy BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HIS is officially Edmonton's busiest weekend, as a trio of major events are vying for your attention...and cash! Thousands will choose Capital Ex at the Northlands grounds, and thousands of others will opt for the Indy at the City Centre Airport, in the Kingsway area. But for something a little less... quiet ....you can try A Taste of Edmonton , at Sir Winston Churchill Square . And Edmonton tastes pretty damn good! From Friday, July 23 (11AM) to Sunday, August 1 (11PM) the 26th annual food fair will descend on Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton, where more than 40 vicinal eateries will offer up samples of their best dishes and desserts. There'll be 17 choices brand new to the 10-day festival, including an Orange Tangerine Sherbet Sandwich from the Blue Willow Restaurant , Calabrese Potatoes with Chipotle ...

Old Strathcona plays host again, this time to the 15th annual celebration & exhibition of our visual artists BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HE other weekend (July 9-11) we saw the exuberance of musical talent our city and neighbouring towns have harvested, all converged on Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona for the very first SOS Fest . Last weekend ( July 16-18 ) it was a visionary affair, but the talent was just as evident. More than 230 canvas sculptors exhibited their paintings and sketches as part of the 15th annual Whyte Avenue Art Walk , a non-juried "outdoor studio and gallery" meant to expose our brightest visual talents, and extend to them the opportunity to raise their profiles and build client lists. Mission accomplished. The event was born out of a communal desire to bring local art to the masses, to allow us not-so-talented beings to chit-chat and mingle with other art enthusiasts and supporters, as well as the actual artists themselves. And what better setting than the h...

Some of the latest happenings in Edmonton (Capital Ex, A Taste of Edmonton, Honda Indy...) BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E dmonton's most anticipated annual event, Capital Ex , is nearing! From Friday, July 23rd to Sunday, August 1st the exhibition will take place at Northlands, which will host dozens of rides & games (hopefully not the Scorpion ride from the Stampede!), free concerts, food & shopping, fireworks, and 522,000 square feet of exhibits at the newly renovated Edmonton EXPO Center (including a casino, and beer & wine gardens). Amongst the impressive list of guest performers at TELUS Stage during the 10-day event are Kardinal Offishall & Karl Wolf (July 23), Colin James & Odds (July 24), George Canyon & Gord Bamford (July 25), Stereos , Down with Webster & Jhevon (July 26), Sloan & Maurice (July 27), April Wine & Shawn Hlookoff (July 28), Shane Yellowbird , Dean Brody & Hey Romeo (July 29), Metric & Hot Hot Heat (July 30), ...

Visionary independent musician festival shakes up Old Strathcona, exposing 150 of the most talented artists of our thriving music scene BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I N a town synonymous with a rich festival legacy, virgin events better have the chutzpah to garner any real recognition or relevance to stand out from the crowded surplus of summertime goings-on in Edmonton. By all accounts, the maiden SOS (Sounds of Old Strathcona) Music Festival did just that. Without a hitch, no! But the 3-day Whyte Avenue extravaganza was a definite triumph for its organizers, the artists, the venues, and the thousands of local and not-so-local patrons who took in the 150+ shows from July 9-11 . Last Friday (July 9) was the kickoff of the first-ever SOS Fest, when acts like Captain Tractor , Ann Vriend , Ten Second Epic , Mustard Smile , and Politic Live blistered huddled barrooms and cramped lounges with the best indie music this province has to offer. The following morning (July 10), I arrived on the infamou...

The Internet claims another victim, as low sales leads to the closure of the Megatunes indie record chain BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E VERY Thursday Vue Weekly publishes the twenty albums most popular with customers of the local Megatunes record shop. By the end of the summer season, this tradition will cease. Our province's solitary indie record chain announced earlier this week that it's closing both of its stores, one located on Calgary's 17th Street S.W., and the other here on Whyte Ave. According to Edmonton manager Dave Gawdunyk , the reasoning behind the closure doesn't fall back on the Whyte Avenue branch, which is apparently still "very viable," but rather due to slumping sales in the Calgary store. But, "If you're an independent business," said Gawdunyk, "you need both stores to do well--and in Calgary, there's been a drop-off in sales. It's like one hand clapping, right? You need both to coexist." Megatunes open...

Dozens & dozens of indie acts will merge in Old Strathcona for Edmonton's newest festival, simultaneously highlighting our diverse music scene BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I KNOW what some of you are thinking. Do we really need ANOTHER festival in this city? Well, if that was what you were thinking, then I'm here to tell you: YES! I mean sure, we have the Fringe , Folk Fest , Capital Ex , the EIFF , Street Performers , Heritage days, The Works , Blues Fest , the Dragon Boat Fest , Global Visions , the International Jazz Festival , the White Light , A Taste of Edmonton , NextFest , Symphony Under the Sky , Ice on Whyte , DEDfest , Cubamemucho , Exposure , Creative Age Festival , the North of Nowhere Expo , Chante , the Literary Festival , dEdmonton , Improvaganza , Ink Fest , Original Fare , the Vocal Arts Fest , Summer Solstice , PoFest , the International Children's Festival , Silver Skate , Serca Fest , the Alberta Drama Festival , Dreamspeakers , the Feats Festival of Dance...

It's been one hell of a year discovering what our city has up her sleeves, so let's reminisce, shall we? BY EMIL TIEDEMANN W HEN I first started I Heart Edmonton 365 days ago, I had to admit that I was not a very good Edmontonian. I know...crazy, right?! But it's true. I never attended any of our 2 million (& counting) festivals, I certainly couldn't recommend any local venues or restaurants based on personal experiences, and I'd be hard-pressed to name any of our local bands, aside from Corb Lund or the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra . Does that even count? I Heart has given me a 360 shift, in terms of my knowledge, awareness, and even appreciation for our city and what she has to offer. I had no idea how outta the loop I really was. Skip ahead one year later and I've gotten to know my hometown on a much more personal level, taking in homegrown bands, comics and theatre performers, shoving past crowds in clubs, galleries and cafes I'd never been to befo...