I Heart Edmonton

The Shopping By Emil Tiedemann When its Christmastime in Edmonton, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to where to get your holiday shopping done. All year round, there’s an abundance of places offering up everything from the international brand name fashions to trinkets hand-made by local artisans.  Edmonton is home to more than a dozen shopping centres, including North America’s largest, West Edmonton Mall . On the opposite side of the city is South Edmonton Common , the largest retail power centre in the country, with more than 150 shops & services spread over 320 acres.  For those into relics and antiques, check out the two-storey Old Strathcona Antique Mall near Whyte Avenue. Other folks prefer to hit up some of the smaller centres to spend their hard-earned dollars, like Kingsway , Southgate , Londonderry , City Centre , Northgate , or Mill Woods Town Centre , home to all the famous brands we’ve come to love or hate.  For Edmontonians ...

124th Street By Emil Tiedemann Filming of MGM’s iconic The Wizard of Oz began on a lot 2,800 kms away in Culver City, California on October 13, 1938. On that very same Thursday, Edmonton began it’s own cinematic legacy, as the doors of The Roxy Theatre opened up for the first time on the corner of 124 Street & 107 Avenue.  At the time, the Roxy was considered one of the most luxurious movie theatres around, built by I.F. Shacker of Hanna with spring seating, air conditioning, and plenty of legroom! Designed by Edmonton architect William G. Blakey , the Roxy would eventually screen The Wizard of Oz (1939), but the very first feature lit up on the theatre’s marquee was Deanna Durbin ’s Mad About Music , which started at 6:00 that evening.  Eventually, in 1988, the Roxy became a live performance venue, and by 1989 was the home of the Theatre Network and their Nextfest . It remained one of Edmonton’s most beloved venues for local artists up until January 13, 20...