I Heart Edmonton

Northlands By Emil Tiedemann I’ll admit it, I choked up singing along to “No One Needs to Know” at the 2015 Shania Twain concert at Northlands ’ Rexall Place. Judge me all you want, I don’t care! I couldn’t help it, after all...I had some sort of weird gay crush on Shania when she was one of the world’s superstars back in the ‘90s.  I knew all of her songs by heart and I knew everything there was to know about the Canadian icon, and now there I was, singing her lyrics right alongside her to a glowing audience tipsy on expensive booze and the sounds of their high school days.    The Edmonton EXPO Centre is the backbone of Northlands. But that certainly wasn’t the only time I stood in the aisles of Rexall belting out to the songs of one of my favourite singers or bands. Nope, it all stemmed back to when I was 12 years old and went to the Paula Abdul concert with my buddy Peter . Again, judge me all you want, it doesn’t phase me! It was one of the fondest memo...

The Concerts By Emil Tiedemann I was just 12 years old when I went to my very first concert. My buddy Peter and I were both “Straight Up” in love with Paula Abdul , and knew we had to see her as soon as we found out that she was coming to Edmonton to perform at what was then known as the Coliseum (with opening act Color Me Badd ).  We stood on the floor of the arena, barely able to see over the heads of the people in front of us, and sang along to every song in her repertoire. I know now how lame this sounds, but we were kids and love makes you do silly things! Paula Abdul, who happened to be my first-ever concert! Although it was years before I would ever go to another concert, they would eventually become part of what I did. It didn’t necessarily have to be at the arena or stadium either, because Edmonton seems to always be a tour stop for all the biggest names in the music industry, from AC/DC to Jay-Z , and anybody and everybody in between.  In fact, you m...

K-Days By Emil Tiedemann What was it when you were growing up that got you excited like that kid - my nephew - in the photo below? Was it opening presents on Christmas morning? Could it have been your birthday or Halloween, maybe? Perhaps it was standing in line for the latest iPhone! For me, it was Klondike Days .  K-Days 2017 will take place July 21 - 30 @ Northlands! It was the thundering carnival rides, the endless carts of colourful sodas and sugary treats, the shooting and tossing games at every turn, with prizes that always seemed easier to win than they actually were!  What more could a kid ask for, right?! And although the name has changed - a couple of times, actually - the excitement has not gone away. Kids, teens, adults, whole families look forward to those ten days at the end of July when K-Days takes over Northlands , and has been - for the most part - since 1879.  Who doesn't love "those little donuts"?! Back then, on October 13, ...

Alberta Avenue By Emil Tiedemann Every city has that area of town in which they tend to avoid, because it’s got that...reputation. You know what I’m talking about. For so many years, 118th Avenue has carried that burden, a neighbourhood that was stricken with higher levels of crime and poverty, which always seem to go hand in hand.  But, that was then and this is now, and now things are better...a lot better, depending on who you ask. In fact, it’s not even called 118th anymore, going back to it’s original name, Alberta Avenue (between 109th Street & Wayne Gretzky Drive), after nearly a century as 118th.    A temporary tipi set up during the 2015 Kaleido Festival along Alberta Avenue. Sure, there are still pawn shops and cheque-cashing joints “plaguing” the area, but Alberta Avenue has long evolved from just that, thanks to some dedicated locals who want to prove to the rest of Edmonton that this isn’t such a bad neighbourhood after all.  A revit...

Edmonton's biggest and oldest summer festival is back with exciting new rides, foods, a nd live mus ic! by emil tiedemann S UMMERTIME in Edmonton just wouldn't be the same without K-Days . For 10 days and nights every July, visitors and locals alike congregate at Northlands for the sites, sounds, and tastes of what has become our longest tradition here in Edmonton (since 1879). If you're from Edmonton, you've been to K-Days! This Ferris Wheel is just one of the 53 rides at this year's K-Days (July 22-31)! I was in my single digits when I got my first taste of Klondike Days, way back in the '80s , a nd it was spectacular! The bells and alarms coming from the giant steel amusement rides, the smell of greasy goodies, and all those flashing lights glowing in the warm summer night. These are memories forever etched into my mind, memories that are conjured up this time of the year, without fail.  And although our family has changed a lot over those years...

Bryan Finlay's "Good Times" (2014) by emil tiedemann Y OU'LL likely notice some familiar locales in the "Good Times" video from local pop singer Bryan Finlay , including Knoxville's Tavern, El Cortez Tequila Bar & Kitchen, and of course the K-Days grounds.  Bryan Finlay was discovered when he won a contest on 91.7 The Bounce Filmed mostly in Edmonton, "Good Times" features actress and YouTube star Rhaea Estelle , and was directed by Edmonton's own Blake McWilliam , who has also directed music videos for Tupelo Honey , Matt Mays , Colleen Brown , Brett Kissel , Reuben and the Dark , and others.  Penned by Finlay, Dan Davidson , and Ari Rhodes , "Good Times" recently won a pair of Edmonton Music Awards, for Single of the Year and Pop Recording of the Year. You can also follow Finlay on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .   

There's nothing better than K-Days to make you feel like a kid all over again! BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I  REMEMBER when I was just a kid and my parents would take my siblings and I to Klondike Days at Northlands. What more could a kid ask for than what was happening at the Midway?    There were lights and sounds everywhere, coming from rides that spun you around, turned you upside down, or made you wet your pants. There was every possible junk food we could think of all in one place, and an endless supply of things to see and do. It was the ultimate playground for us. As I got older K-Days , or Capital Ex as it became known, didn't hold that same charm as when I was a child, although that's not to say it didn't cater to folks who were now too old to be screaming for "MOM!" on the kiddie coaster. Now I was there for the live music, the beer gardens, and maybe to do a little people watching. But checking out the grounds was just not on my radar anymore. ...