I Heart Edmonton

Garneau Neighbourhood by emil tiedemann F OR the first six months that Laurent Garneau spent in what was then known as Strathcona, in 1874, the Manitoba Metis was behind bars. Garneau had refused to obey a martial law that ordered inhabitants to take refuge in the original Fort Edmonton, in order to protect them from being attacked by the Aboriginal people of the area.  The irony of it all is that Chief Papasschayo of the Papaschase tribe was the man who stepped up and took Garneau and his large family - wife Eleanor and 11 children - under his wing.  The historic Garneau Theatre and trendy Transcend Coffee are some of the highlights of the Garneau district! Garneau, who fought with Louis Riel in the Red River Rebellion of 1869, did more than just get settled, acquiring substantial wealth and land in what would eventually become known as the Garneau district. He became extensively involved within both the Metis and Francophone communities, was a respected bus...

Some of the latest happenings in Edmonton... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E DMONTON'S flourishing hip-hop scene has just gotten a major boost, with the recent concert announcement for the Edmonton Event Centre . Drake ( see his latest video "Over" below ), who's one of the most sought-after acts in the world right now, will make his way to our city on Saturday, July 24 , as part of his Away From Home Tour . Tickets for the Toronto-born rapper (& actor) go on sale this Friday ( May 21 ). This Sunday ( May 23 ) the EEC will also host a no-minors concert by hip-hop legends Public Enemy , at 8PM. Contact Ticketmaster (780-451-8000) for tickets. There are a limited amount of half-price tickets ($19.99) available for Public Enemy until Friday at 10PM. S PEAKING of hip-hop, the Louise McKinney Riverfront Park (9999 Grierson Hill Road) will welcome thousands of locals this Saturday ( May 22 ) for the third annual 'Hip-Hop in the Park' concert. Mostly local rappers and DJs...

Some of the latest happenings in Edmonton... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN W ITH the new downtown arena on everyone's minds, the Shaw Conference Centre quietly announced that it's looking to expand right down to the North Saskatchewan. The bold venture would double the current size of the 27-year-old Jasper Avenue staple, and may include a sloping boulevard of escalators and incline elevators, a riverside boardwalk, new food & beverage vendors, and even a dock that could possibly service river taxis. Last year alone the Shaw hosted 78 conventions that brought in $90 million, but also had to turn down 18 others because it couldn't meet the space requirements. S PEAKING of the Shaw Conference Centre , it'll be dedicating more than 40,000 square feet of space to host Edmonton's International Beerfest on Friday, April 23 (4-10PM) and Saturday, April 24 (3-10PM). Bands like Sallys Krackers and Red Ram will be performing as patrons can taste any of more than 300 beers from ar...

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...

Edmonton begins 28th annual docu-film fest with a film made in its own backyard What: Global Visions Film Festival When: Thursday, Nov. 5-Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 Where: Downtown Arts District T HE opening gala ($20) for the 28-year-old Global Visions Film Festival kicks off at 8:00PM this Thursday, November 5th with the screening of the locally-based documentary feature Broke (2009). Helmed by first-time director Rosie Dransfeld , Broke follows the story of "grouchy old guy" David Woolfson , who runs an inner-city pawn shop in Edmonton, and has been for the last 16 years. The award-winning film has recieved applause throughout the national film community and has already been screened at film festivals in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. The GVFF "celebrates the work of passionate, accomplished documentaries from Canada and around the world." It started back in 1981 as the Edmonton Learners Center's Third World Film Festival, and is now recognized as Canada...