I Heart Edmonton

Shaw Conference Center By Emil Tiedemann My friend Cindy introduced me to donairs back in the day, and so I owed her in a big way! If you like donairs, then you know what I’m talking about. That just might have been the reason why I agreed to cancel my New Year’s plans and join her for the very last Big Sugar concert before they called it quits (until reuniting in 2010, that is).    A view of the Shaw in downtown Edmonton, overlooking the river valley. That was December 31, 2003, and the Shaw Conference Centre was already 20 years old. That was the first time I had ever been to the Shaw, this strange - but in a good way - looking structure dangling on the side of the river valley in downtown Edmonton.  That night, I got drunk, Cindy met some guy, and I scarfed down two - yes, two - donairs by the time I made it home on the LRT. It was a good night, overall.  The Shaw is one of the premier venues for trade shows, festivals, concerts, galas, luncheons...

Looking for that next lost weekend?! Northern Lands invites you to taste some of the finest wines, craft beers and foods from across Canada! BY EMIL TIEDEMANN W hen you think about wine regions you think about France, Italy, Spain, or perhaps California, right? Northern Lands is Friday, March 27 & Saturday, March 28 at the Shaw! Most people most likely do, but most true enthusiasts know better. Plenty of vino fanatics are aware that there are plenty of regions around the world that produce world class wine, including right here in climate-crazy Canada! Over the last few decades, Canadian wine has transformed from a mere curiosity into what some would classify a healthy addiction! Us Canucks no longer have to scour the European or South American aisles of our local wine shops! Nope, now we can grab a bottle (or six) of wine produced anywhere from Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia, and plenty of spots in between! And to celebrate our ever-expandin...

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...

Edmonton "welcomes" Bush, Federal Building gets its anticipated facelift, Rexall Place is Top 10 in the world BY EMIL TIEDEMANN -If you're at least as curious as I am to see one of the world's most notorious leaders since Hitler come to Edmonton to speak of his eight years as chief commander of the globe's most powerful country, then you just may be willing to put down the $175+ for a ticket to "A Conversation with George W. Bush ." The 2-hour speaking engagement will hit the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday, October 20 (5-7PM), and I'm sure is expecting to evoke protestors to congregate outside the doors of the downtown venue. Seven months earlier, on March 17, four people were arrested during the former U.S. president's visit to Calgary, which also happened to be Bush's first official speech since leaving office. You may still be able to get tickets via Ticketmaster . -Finally, after 20 years of sitting vacant on the grounds of the Alber...