September 8 Edmonton Headlines
Good Thursday morning to you, Edmonton.
It’s nice to see that taking the LRT is such a good option that you can’t get a parking spot at Century Park station. More transit please!
An Old Strathcona parking lot looks to lose just over half of its parking spots. Tie that into some transit tweaks, including bus lanes on 99 Street, and I think you’d be just fine.
Is Edmonton forgetting its fallen soldiers? Or is this weekend, the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on the U.S. just taking people to other events?
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Guys, I keep telling you, if we’re going to talk about important issues our government department is working on you send the e-mails to JordanFan789@hotmail.com.
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In the “Does not bode well for the future of the oilsands” category; Nobel Peace Prize winners are lining up in protest of the Keystone XL pipeline which would take oil from Alberta to the Texas coast.
If you want more, and stable, funding for education in Alberta, the opposition Liberals and NDP have ways for you to voice that opinion.
Meanwhile…in the crowded classrooms…more students enrolled in Edmonton schools, which means both the Public and Catholic boards can hire a few extra teachers…
Alberta is going to offer more surgeries to obese people to combat the many health problems associated with being so overweight. Also, some more food and exercise education in schools.
A judge in Calgary says the war on drugs is one that cannot be won, so our best hope is to keep casualties to a minimum.
While smoking is down across the country, more Albertans are taking up the habit, especially teens.
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(And FC Edmonton is headed to the playoffs in their first year.)
Labour Day Events
The Labour Day weekend. Always a tough one.
It’s great to have a long weekend, but this September holiday also means summer is ending. We might as well enjoy it. (And there is supposed to be nice weather.)
The Labour Day weekend features one of Edmonton’s most musical summer festivals. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s annual trip to Hawrelak Park for Symphony Under The Sky.
Tonight, Saturday, and Sunday, there are Movies on the Square. This weekend’s films are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and Kung Fu Panda.
A few music notes for you (no pun intended)…Tonight, Mass Choir is at the Pawn Shop…and Paul Bellows releases a CD, at the Haven Social Club, with James Murdoch, Nathan Carroll, Stew Kirkwood, and Peter Hendrickson…Saturday, there’s a non-stop dance party called Metropolis, at the Edmonton Event Centre…Sunday, Sonic Boom is back for another long weekend at Northlands.
In sports…the NSC Minnesota Stars are taking on FC Edmonton Saturday – FC Edmonton 2012 season tickets are already on sale…Sunday, the Edmonton Wildcats are home to Winnipeg Rifles in Prairie Football, at Clarke Stadium…
And on Saturday, International Bacon Day is celebrated at Lux, with a 3-course family-style meal featuring bacon.
Fringey Weekend
Not sure if you’ve heard anything about this Fringe festival we’ve got going on in Edmonton, but that comes to it’s spectacular conclusion this weekend.
We’ve been posting videos, mostly trailers, of some plays.
Oh, and while Fringeopolis will finish up this weekend, there are popular plays being held over.
The Fringe, however, is not Edmonton’s only festival this weekend.
We’ve got the Labatt Blues Festival down in Hawrelak Park…the Dragonboat Festival over in Louise McKinney Park…and East Meets West in Chinatown/Little Italy, with East Meets West: Tropicana Afrika on Sunday…
The Blues Festival has plenty of great artists, but that’s not the only live music worth checking out.
The Edmonton Show VI is on tonight at Avenue Theatre, with Scenic Route to Alaska among the arts and entertainment…there’s a Degrassi Junior High dance party at the Pawn Shop, with DJs Caitlin and Spike…Matt Landry and the Dryland Band are among the bands playing at Brixx tonight…My Sister Ocean headlines a show at Brixx on Saturday…Ricky’s in Mill Woods is starting up a series of Saturday night music nights (with a little help from our old friend Consilience) with Kaleb Kaiser, Mack Behm, and Nelson Lemay kicking things off…The Edmonton Show VI is back on Sautrday night (still at Avenue Theatre) with a killer lineup of Sugarglider, Mitchmatic, and A.O.K….and Chris Isaak is at the Tentue on Sunday night…
Movies on the Square is back in Churchill Square, with Rio and Hop on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. There’s a 1920s picnic at Tiptop Park on Saturday. And you can Yelp your way through East Whyte with a passport to deals and discounts.
In sports…the Edmonton Eskimos are home to the B.C. Lions tonight…the Edmonton Capitals are home to the Chico Outlaws all weekend…the 82nd running of the Canadian Derby is Saturday at Northlands Park…and FC Edmonton is home to the Atlanta Silverbacks on Sunday…
Fringe Events
Alright, so there’s no getting around the big event happening right now in Edmonton. The 30th Edmonton International Fringe Festival; Fringeopolis is on this weekend and until August 21. Almost all of the 180 plays will be happening in the Old Strathcona neighbourhood, but watch for venues in other parts of the city, like the Edmonton Public Library, downtown, and 118 Avenue.
We’re posting videos for Fringe plays, so keep your eyes on our “From the Web” category.
Now, that is not the only thing happening in Edmonton. A couple of smaller festival/street party items this weekend:
- Art in the Alley – art, music, an outdoor movie, and more, all happening in the Alley of Light. That’s the backlane that runs from Beaver Hills House Park, past the Sobeys, across 104 Street, over to the U of A’s downtown campus.
- Eastwoodfest – Back for another summer, this celebrates all things Eastwood (118 Avenue, betweem 85 and 87 Street)
- There’s a tea party at the U of A’s environmental students group naturalized site, which was top community garden in the Front Yards in Bloom contest.
In sports…the Edmonton Capitals are back home, hosting the Yuma Scorpions this weekend…FC Edmonton is home to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers…the Oil City Derby Girls’ rookies are taking on the Yukon Roller Girls…northwest of Edmonton, the St. Albert Heavenly Rollers take on the Cold Lake Lakeland Lady Killers (such a good name), on the 76th anniversary of roller derby…this weekend is also the kick off to the Prairie Football Conference season, with the Edmonton Wildcats home to the Calgary Colts, at Clarke Park (beside Commonwealth Stadium)…
In Friday music…it actually kicks serious butt…The Edmonton Show is back for a VIth run (that would be 6th), with Ann Vriend and Liam Trimble leading the way…Whiskeyface kicks off their tour at Brixx with The Sorels…Michael Rault and Sans AIDS are at The ARTery…Romi Mayes is releasing a CD tonight at the Haven Social Club…Carrie Day is at The Carrot (don’t forget about The Carrot!)…All Time Low is at the Edmonton Events Centre…
Saturday…The AwesomeHots get the day going with a Hair of the Dog afternoon show at the Black Dog…Paperplanes and Dragonboats release an EP, with The Paronomasiac, at The ARTery…
You'll be screaming with excitement over The Room.
All weekend…the Edmonton Rock Music Festival, a collaboration of The Rock and Roll Society of Edmonton and K-97, takes over Hawrelak Park. There will be plenty of, uh, rock.
You can always catch a movie in the cool confines of a theatre. And The Room is at Metro Cinema tonight at 11:20pm. If you haven’t seen The Room yet, YOU NEED TO SEE The Room. (Metro Cinema is now in the Garneau Theatre.)
You can hug your way to donated peanut butter, at West Edmonton Mall.
Oh, and if you’re using the LRT this weekend, remember that the train will not stop at Coliseum station because of work on the station platform.
Weekend Events
If you happen to look at Gallagher Park and wonder what the heck all those people are up to, it’s cool, it’s Folk Fest.
But that’s not the only festival in Edmonton this weekend. Heck no! It’s also Cariwest, so expect Jasper Avenue to be flooded with colour for the parade tomorrow, and then party all day at Churchill Square.
It also happens to be Animethon weekend.
And today is International Beer Day! So, drink some beer.
Now, outside of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival there’s still music to be had.
You can’t much more opposite folk than metal. The Starlite Room and Brixx are hosting Metal Fest 2011 tonight. Down at Hawrelak Park tonight you can help raise money for the Canadian Liver Foundation at a concert with Sister Gray and The Apresnos. Also tonight…The Secretaries, Hellfire Special, Throttle, and Nature are at the Pawn Shop…Over at Wunderbar, you can help Hang Loose raise money for a “Solidarity Rock” trip to Cuba. They’re playing with with Service:Fair and The Frolics.
Tomorrow night at Wunderbar it’s Field + Stream, Extra Happy Ghost, and Lab Coast…Dragonette is at the Edmonton Events Centre, with Dirty Radio…and The Weekend Kids, with Old Sins, Liv, and The National Security Council are all at Brixx.
This weekend also officially opens the Garneau Theatre as the new home of Metro Cinema. (For non-Metro movies, Gregg’s got some thoughts.)
FC Edmonton is home to the Puerto Rico Islands Saturday night, at Foote Field.
And a reminder: The LRT does not stop at Coliseum station this weekend, but still runs Clareview to Century Park.
Shut Your Mouth, It’s Art Crawl
While Whyte Avenue’s Art Walk has nothing to do with the TV comedy Bob’s Burgers, they do have streets of art in common.
Yes, today through Sunday you can find artist after artist all around Whyte Avenue and Old Strathcona. More than 200 artists will be selling their paintings, drawings, photos, sketches, and anything else they can fit onto the sidewalk. It’s always a busy weekend, and remember to bring cash.
It’s a Handmade Mafia weekend, so get yourself over to the Strathcona Baptist Church for plenty o’ fun. (It ties into the Art Walk too.)
If you’re into rabbits you’re going to want to check out the Year of the Rabbit and Hare Band Cabaret at the Catalyst Theatre. Even if you’re not a fan of rabbits, the stone and canvas art from Jason Carter and a play by Bridget Ryan may be just the ticket.
In other festival news…
The Freewill Shakespeare Festival continues in Hawrelak Park, with Othello and Twelfth Night. The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival is in Churchill Square, with some late night madness this weekend to close things out. The Edmonton and Northern Alberta Historical Festival wraps up this weekend too. That seems so timely with all the history and heritage in the news this week.
Race Week Edmonton officially begins on Monday, but the annual Soap Box Derby is Sunday on Victoria Park Hill. Also in racing this weekend, the Sourdough River Festival (and raft race), in Terwillegar Park.
In live music…
The Grapes of Wrath play two shows at the Haven Social Club tonight…Samantha Schultz will wow you with her guitar skills at the Blue Chair Cafe tomorrow evening…Ghost Cousin releases a new album Saturday night at Wunderbar…and our old pals Boy and Gurl come up from Calgary for a show at On The Rocks Sunday…
On Sunday, a new Fork Fest begins. Get your eat on!
The Eskimos, FC Edmonton, and Capitals are all home for games this weekend.
Food-Filled Events
It's gonna be like this, times 100.
Today you can eat some BBQ and chat with local producers and farmers at Wild Earth Foods’ Open Air Market, 2-8pm. You can also get some street food at What the Truck?!, 4-8pm. I hope to see you at one, or both, of these.
I am going to eat so much today…
Sticking with food…Saturday is market day! There’s the City Market (downtown), Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market (Whyte Avenue area), and St. Albert Farmers’ Market. On Sunday it’s the Callingwood Farmers’ Market (southwest Edmonton).
More food!!
To the festivals! Opera Nuova’s Vocal Arts Festival wraps up this weekend. Alberta Dance Alliance’s feats Festival of Dance has begun! The Works is on, in Churchill Square and around downtown Edmonton. The Edmonton International Jazz Festival is also on now. Improvaganza is still making with the funny. June isn’t done yet, so Bike Month continues too.
Holy cow we have a lot of festivals!
Fans of the TV show Firefly (and the movie Serenity, I presume) are fundraising at Can’t Stop the Serenity.
Perhaps a movie is in order this weekend? I hear there are plenty of great sci-fi options.
For the family…the John Janzen Nature Centre is open again. I guess this could also be for nature-lovers. Saturday, you can head on down to Rundle Park for Paddlefest.
It’s a great music weekend in Edmonton. The Works is packing Churchill Square with fantastic acts like Doug Hoyer, The Fight, and The Joe. The Edmonton Jazz Festival is, of course, all about music, from homegrown talent like Krystle Dos Santos to International artists like Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews). The Apresnos are at Haven Social Club tonight…
(Totally forgot to try and embed an Apresnos song, so check them out completely here.)
Saturday’s Hair of the Dog (at The Black Dog) features Jessica Jalbert. Get on board with Jessica Jalbert now, Edmonton. Edmonton music blogger New Music Michael is having a birthday party with with One Way State, kickupafuss, and Honheehonhee, at New City.
Sunday, The Sadies and The Sheepdogs play the Pawn Shop.
It’s a good sports weekend in Edmonton too. The Edmonton Eskimos are home to the Calgary Stampeders in pre-season action. FC Edmonton hosts the Montreal Impact. The Edmonton Capitals are home to the Yuma Scoropians. And the Edmonton Energy have the Albany Legends in town. That’s a lot of guys giving 110% and leaving it all out on the floor/field/diamond.
The Summer Party Begins
We are one week away from actual, proper summer, but the fun is in full swing this weekend. There is so much fun that I am going to break it down into sections.
Festivals
Edmonton’s Pride Festival kicks off with the Pride Awards, and parties tonight, and the parade through downtown Edmonton tomorrow. The Pride Parade ends up at Churchill Square for the rest of the afternoon.
Festivals for the old – Creative Age – and young – NextFest – continue this weekend. NextFest’s got, among so many things, a great show at the Avenue Theatre tonight.
Opera Nuova’s Vocal Arts Festival continues until Jun 26. Talking ’bout singin’.
Saturday and Sunday, there are 4 plays in the Sprouts 2011 New Play Festival for Kids, from Concrete Theatre, at the Stanley A. Milner Library.
Bike Month continues, uh, all month, with a bike repair-a-thon this weekend.
Saturday on 104 Street is more than the farmers’ market, with the Al Fresco block party. Take that, cars!
Music
Tonight…Sharks, Mockingbird Wish Me Luck, The Fight, and Owls By Nature are all at the Pawn Shop.
Saturday night, Gurf Morlix plays the Haven Social Club in a tribute to Blaze Foley.
Did I mention NextFest’s great lineup?
Arts
It’s a Handmade Mafia weekend!
DEDfest’s got a screening of Dead Alive at Metro Cinema this evening.
Sports
The Edmonton Energy are playing basketball, the Edmonton Capitals are out on Telus Field, and FC Edmonton is kicking around Foote Field.
Miscellaneous
Movies are always a good time. We are in for a sci-fi summer.
Saturday is river valley day! This is the 14th year celebrating the Edmonton region’s glorious river valley and its parks. Edmonton’s event is at Rundle Park. There are pancakes.
There’s a Pre-TEDx party tonight at Suede Lounge, with the (sold out) event happening tomorrow. (You can watch a live webcast of the event tomorrow at the TEDx Edmonton site.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery is throwing its gates wide open to everyone on Saturday. This is as much about Edmonton’s history and land use (with 2 new cemetery plans in the works) as it is morbid curiousity.
You can take your car to an Edmonton CARSTAR location Saturday and have it washed for a good cause, as part of the national “Soaps It Up” fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis.
Tuesday Night is a Busy Night
If you’re not already lined up to see the big U2 concert at Commonwealth, there are options for your Tuesday night in Edmonton.
Two of Edmonton’s sports teams are home tonight. The Edmonton Capitals play their home-opener at Telus Field, hosting the Calgary Vipers.
And FC Edmonton is home (at Foote Field) to play FC Tampa.
Comedian Shaun Majumder is at the Winspear Centre tonight. But I mostly wanted to mention that because I already miss Detroit 1-8-7. :(
And the International Children’s Festival, in St. Albert, picks up again in the morning.
Weekend Eventing
The good times continue! To get ready for this weekend you can ready all three previous installments of events today – Angela’s Events, Brazilian Money, Tim Gilbertson – and then jump in here. Needless to say, it’s gonna be a good weekend.
The Edmonton Poetry Festival is finishing with a flurry.
FC Edmonton plays its first official home game of the season (the game against Toronto FC wasn’t part of the NASL schedule).
boygroove finishes “playing” the Catalyst Theatre. It’s a play about a boy band. Speaking of plays…Chris Craddock’s new one-man show “Public Speaking,” is killing at the Roxy…Brad Fraser, a native Edmontonian now living across the pond, has his play “True Love Lies” on at the Citadel – though he won’t be here to see it.
Still on the stage…Riverdance is at the Jubilee Auditorium…and Into the Woods, from ELOPE Musical Theatre, is at the Timms Centre for the Arts…Little Women, the broadway musical, is at the Citadel’s MacLab Theatre.
Slow Food folks will be at Eat Alberta this weekend. I hope they can finish their meals by the time our show is on Sunday night.
I’m kidding, of course. Slow Food’s got lots to teach us about enjoying what we eat, knowing about where the food is coming from, and exploring the social aspects of eating. And the Eat Alberta conference is about our “local food heroes.”
There’s derby at the “Grindhouse” (14420 112 Street) with the Oil City Derby Girls’ Tank’Er Girls taking on BC’s Raggedy Rollers, at 7pm.
Outside of Tim Gilbertson there are plenty of other great shows this weekend. Hale Hale is at Brixx with an early show tonight…Sherry Lee Wisor is playing Hair of the Dog at the Black Dog Saturday afternoon…and The Pixies are in Edmonton, playing the Shaw Conference Centre on Sunday night.
And, as the poster in this post may have already informed you of, Wunderbar is celebrating one glorious year with owners Craig, Chris, and Levi. They have a whole Sunday of good music, starting at 2pm, with Edmonton bands and artists such as The Joe, Mitchmatic, Scenic Route to Alaska, Miek Headache, Caity Fisher, Fire Next Time, and more, more, more! I may have to stop by and toast a great year of fantastic beer and live music.
Wunderbar’s got great shows tonight and Saturday too, with Fist City, Krang, and The Group Sound tonight, The Dyeing Merchants, Doug Hoyer, Service: Fair, and Ghost Cousin Saturday.
Oh, and if you’re not doing anything Sunday night at 9pm (and again at 9:30) I hear a certain website is debuting a show called the edmontonian presents on ShawTV (channel 10 for you Shaw subscribers, but it will be online shortly after).
Back from Easter break Headlines
I always forget how much news there is to catch up on when I take a few days off. Let’s go!
Edmonton Public students may be looking at a shorter summer vacation to help create a November break. A lot of this “fall break” stuff going around. The public board is also joining the Catholic schools, and Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, in asking for slower speed limits around schools.
Both school boards are looking at tough decisions with budget shortfalls.
One Edmonton school is dealing with mental health issues right where students are.
Let the City of Edmonton know your thoughts on the downtown LRT connections, Thursday afternoon and evening, at an open house at City Hall.
NAIT students could be seeing their recreation and sports fees jump in the next school year.
It is dry out there. So be sure not to set anything on fire.
It’s Capital City Clean Up time. Are you going to take 15 to clean?
Edmontonian productions are leading the way in nominations for this year’s Alberta Film and Television awards – the Rosies.
We are just getting warmed up today… (more…)
Edmonton on April 12
Good morning, Edmonton. Another fine spring morning, eh?
Parking tickets will cost you an extra $15. Moving violations (speeding, no signal on turning, etc…) may also go up $15. This is all because of new provincial fees charged to municipalities and police for looking up license information.
I wonder if the Journal’s Gary Lamphier will get his interview with the Katz Group on his long list of questions, after publishing a column where he points out he’s been waiting more than a month for an interview. I’m still waiting to hear from the developers who want to build in the proposed arena’s entertainment district too. Some of those guys step up and I might start to feel good about all the tax money to go to the Oilers.
An Edmonton man who went after a police officer with a knife won’t be going to jail. Partly because he was shot a couple of times during the “acute psychotic episode.”
Edmonton Police are dealing with a lot more industrial thefts. I’m not sure what you do with all those stolen Bobcats and copper wire.
Let’s see what else we’ve got going on. Ooh, looks like quite a bit. (more…)
No Longer Steady Headlines
In weather times like these you need to be prepared for anything. (Not pictured: My shotgun for shooting zombies.)
Edmonton, if you had only one story to talk about today what would it be?
Uh huh.
Oh, good choice.
Right.
OK.
Got it.
Alright, alright!
Happy birthday, Wayne Gretzky.
I hope you spend it solving crimes with Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson. Jennifer Heil would be a good addition to the ProStars.
Oh, you meant the Premier retiring. Yeah, that’s huge. (more…)
Edmonton Events
Boring headline aside, this weekend has the potential to blow your mind.
Sometimes all you need is a good beer, a place to be, and a phone. The phone is in case you need to find a better party.
East meets West is this weekend, which is where you get the best of Edmonton’s Chinatown and Little Italy. And this year kicks off with Karibuni Afrikafest (happening now!). Three days, three cultures, three times the fun.
Good thing I check ShareEdmonton for events. I’d have never heard about the Outdoor Nite Market otherwise. That’s tonight (Friday), on 107 Avenue, and it’s got a little of everything. The best item it has is a reason for people to be out on the street at night, which encourages good things.
This weekend, Hawrelak Park has the first-ever Open Sky Music Festival. It’s all about surf rock, island rock and reggae. The weather may not say summer, but that music sure does. (If the festival’s website isn’t working for you, there are details at ShareEdmonton’s event page.)
Telus Field will be hosting a music event Saturday too. Rock The River hits our city.
Saturday night I’ll likely be checking out Bohemia for the first time. N.N., Touch it and you will say ow, and The Mystery Ponies are playing.
Eamon McGrath is at New City. That’s Saturday too.
Lady Gaga is still here. If she’s still in Edmonton this weekend I’m going to start getting worried we won’t be able to get rid of her. And I’m going to borrow her wardrobe.
Since it looks like we might have already tapped out the good weather you can always head inside to see a movie.
FC Edmonton gets its final kicks at its warm-up season Saturday. The team is hosting Miami FC. I wonder if they’re playing for the right to have FC in their name? There can be only one!
The Eskimos are home to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Shouldn’t we be going to the games this season, so as to not appear as bandwagon jumpers if they get good again?
Over at the River Cree Casino there’s also the All-In for Diabetes Poker Tournament. Buy-in is $250 and you can claim $100 for knocking out bounties, such as CTV’s Daryl McIntyre. If you bring a bag of clothing as a donation you can get extra chips too.
The Fringiest Events
Of course it’s the Fringe!
The 29th annual Edmonton International Fringe Festival is all the arts pages will be talking about for the next week. There’s also lots of stuff happening around Old Strathcona that doesn’t take place in a theatre or on a stage. This is the big one, Edmonton.
Morgan had a good point, don’t just try to see the 5-star shows. Ask people what’s good, what’s interesting, what they think you might like. You can always poke around Twitter, and try #yegfringe, for just such questions and inquiries.
Hawrelak Park is busy again this weekend, with the Celtic Festival. BluesFest is next weekend (in Hawrelak Park)…so get warmed up at Rusty Reed’s with Dave Babcock and the Night Keepers
EastwoodFest is Saturday, in the Eastwood neighbourhood. (118 Avenue, 85-87 Streets.)
Churchill Square, which the City has been trying to fill with more events and happenings, in between festivals, has the Latin Festival this weekend. Cha-cha-cha.
There’s Tomoto Fare too. That’s about tomatoes.
West of the city, it’s the Stony Plain Cowboy Gathering Society get-together. You can expect cowboy art, culture, poetry, and music.
Lots of new movies are out this weekend, like Eat, Pray, Love and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Gregg’s got your lowdown.
In music…N.N. plays an EP release show at the Starlite Room tonight, with Van Gohost and I.E.D. Sunday night at the Starlite Room it’s Fran Healy from Travis.
Falklands are at Wunderbar Friday night.
The Black Dog has some Hair of the Dog Saturday afternoon.
Over at Lyve on Whyte, Friday is Soul Train (with Crowded City Skyline and Hot Hand Phenomenon), Saturday it’s Rocky Mountain Rebel Music (with Brash Tax and The Party Martyrs).
Eddie Shorts has The Frolics Friday and Gaye Delorme Saturday.
Cirque du Soleil is in Edmonton, with Alegria.
In sports…The Prairie Football Conference (PFC) kicks off this weekend. 
Edmonton’s got two teams in that league. The Edmonton Wildcats are coming off a season in which they were western champs, and fell in the Canadian junior football championship. The Edmonton Huskies stunk it up last year, winning no games, and are looking for redemption in 2010. Those games are Saturday and Sunday, at Clarke Park.
From ShareEdmonton: FC Edmonton is hosting the Spokane Spiders (that means we could see Edmonton on all the Spokane affiliates! I hope Ana Cabrera talks about Edmonton.)
Whew!
Get your kicks
In all of today’s excitement over the Netherlands-Uruguay semi-final at the World Cup, let’s talk local soccer.
FC Edmonton is back on the pitch tonight, taking on one of Canada’s stronger teams, the Ottawa Fury.
FC is in the midst of exhibition games and friendlies, while the Fury is trying to lock-up the Northeast Division of the United Soccer League’s (USL) Premier Development League for the second year in a row.
Here’s hoping some of this World Cup excitement spills over to Foote Field tonight (7:35), and for the rest of this summer’s practice season. That way the team is all confident for the real season in 2011 and gives us a show.
Weekend 2.0
Welcome to weekend 2.0 Edmonton.
I really don’t know what that means, but everybody slaps 2.0 into their stuff and it just sounds so cool.
Sally mentioned The Joe’s big show, this Saturday at The Hydeaway, in her new feature “Welcome to the Beat Laboratory.” So, to reiterate, The Joe is playing a big show Saturday at The Hydeaway. With lots of other great rappers. At The Hydeaway. Saturday.
I hope they have bike-powered smoothies again.
Hey, this Saturday is Bikeology, and we’ve never missed a Bikeology festival yet, here at the edmontonian. Alright, we’ve only had one to cover. But I plan on being there tomorrow, so that will make us 2/2.
It’s happening in tandem with the City’s Park(ed) event on 102 Avenue. So, park the car, hop on the bicycle and take in our city at a slower, more enjoyable, pace. There’s also a rock show over at Churchill Square.
And they say our downtown is dead…
One event that Sally will be going on and on about is the release of Toy Story 3. Check with our resident sass-machine for other movies coming out.
Rent begins a run at La Cite, a theatre in Edmonton’s French district.
Improvaganza is still providing laughs. That’s two major festivals already mentioned today.
FC Edmonton is playing. While I initially thought it was something to do with a Coca-Cola sponsorship, it turns out they will be taking on one of Chile’s best soccer teams, Colo-Colo. This could be the cure for your World Cup fever.
Also in sporting news…the Edmonton Prospects are home (home being John Fry Park) to Swift Current and Okotoks this weekend.
The WhitSundays are playing the Pawn Shop tonight.
(I think this is the least amount of music I’ve ever mentioned for a weekend.)
National Aboriginal Day is Monday, but the events begin before that.
Our good friends at ShareEdmonton (and their friends at YegLive.ca) have some ideas of their own about this weekend. That makes it sound nefarious, but they’re actually just good ideas.
You know, it’s almost summer. The real summer. Which makes Summer Solstice sound like just the right kind of event.
At ShareEdmonton they always know when the Edmonton Energy are playing. The Energy are on the hardcourt this weekend, against the Yamhill Flyers. I did not make that up.
Luke and Tess Pretty are releasing a CD. If you don’t know who Luke and Tess Pretty are you haven’t spent a lot of time on Whyte Avenue in the summer.
Maybe you just want to watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog again? There’s an event for that.
Tim Allen is at the tent at River Cree.
Sunday is Father’s Day. Fort Edmonton Park has “Dad vs. Wild,” which disappoints me only because it’s nothing like Survivorman.
Tonight is pretty busy
I had a little note here to mention that Improvaganza started tonight.
Then I found out our new soccer team, FC Edmonton, has its first exhibition game over at Foote Field.
The Edmonton Capitals are playing too.
So, tonight is the opening gala of the tenth (10!) year of our improv festival. That’s a pretty unique festival. I dig that.
I do know enough soccer to know that FC usually means "Football Club."
That new soccer team, FC Edmonton, hits the field (Foote Field that is) to take on the Montreal Impact. This summer’s series of games are all exhibition, friendlies and practice for the team. It’s first season in the North American Soccer League (NASL) is next year. But, if you’re like me, you have World Cup fever right now and a little footie is just what you need.
They call it footie, right?
And the Capitals play Victoria at 7pm at Telus Field.
Homerun Headlines
It was indeed a great day for a ball game.
I was happy to have been one of the three-to-four thousand people to take in the home opener of your Edmonton Capitals last night, at Telus Field.
It did get a little chilly by the end of the game, but it ended with edge of your seat stuff so it doesn’t matter.
Edmonton actually kind of, sort of, does like baseball.
Telus Field is a nice ballpark to take in a game of minor league baseball. And the neat thing about a league like the Golden Baseball League (of which the Capitals find themself in the North division) is that you never know when you’ll spot a former major leaguer. Like Caps starting pitcher Lou Pote.
Now, old Lou may lost a little since his days with the World Series champion Anaheim Angels (2002) but he started the game strong enough. He did give up three runs in the fourth to give Maui the lead. But the bullpen finished out the game with a “W.”
Homeruns are always a great part of seeing basbeball live. And the Capitals didn’t disappoint in their first appearance in Edmonton this season. Matt Rogelstad blasted a two-run shot to close the gap to 3-2 in that same fourth inning.
Maui put up another run in the fifth and things quietly coasted, with Edmonton catching up with a run in the sixth (another dinger! from Matt Collaro), then tying it in the seventh.
The sun had gone down, the park lights were shining brightly, that chill was in the air, but the Capitals started putting players on the bases in the bottom of the ninth.
Even with two-outs, you get excited about the potential for an end of the game victory.
Third baseman Cliff Brumbaugh didn’t let us down. The crowd’s energy picked up and Brumbaugh smacked the ball far enough to get him to first and Steve Brown to come sliding into home. The ball had also made its way home but Brown was just a little faster. The crowd cheered, the Capitals players ran onto the field and the first game of the 2010 home season was a win!
Now, if they can keep winning and make this 4-10 start to the season a distant memory… They’ve got more chances this week against Maui, and the Capitals continue their homestand through the first half of June.
And I’d be a poor friend to you if I didn’t mention that Thursday night’s game against Maui is Bryan Hall Luau night. If you wear a Hawaiian shirt you have a chance at winning tickets to see Edmonton take on Maui in Hawaii. Or Bryan Hall roasts you a pig, or something.
While we’re talking sports (of the non-Eskimos, non-Oilers nature) FC Edmonton announced some of the teams it will be taking on in its exhibition season. That’s right, we’ve got a soccer team too.
from the Edmonton Journal:
Election of Alberta school boards challenged (Perhaps they won’t be run by elected trustees in the near future.)
Province’s controls on teen access to tobacco ‘second class’
Edmonton housing market ‘relaxed’ (Look, it’s just put its feet up for a while. It can’t work all of the time, get off it’s back.)
Sticking with places to live: Affordable housing for whom? and Gas leak forces out families
Downtown library needs a new jacket
Sense of pride, stricter enforcement behind city initiative to clean up yards
Alberta maintains triple-A rating (This is about borrowing power of the provincial government, not baseball.)
PBS fans protest as Shaw cable pulls Detroit off analogue
Massive new Hole’s garden complex not for green thumbs only
from the Edmonton Sun:
Bar fined for fire-code infractions
from 630CHED/iNews880:
Expressions of hunger at City Hall
Rally supports Gaza Freedom Flotilla
from CBC Edmonton:
Armed sheriffs guard Alberta upgrader hearing (Because you know who the most dangerous people are? People who are engaged in regulatory debates.)
Alberta gets keys to 18 new schools
Police officer suspended for 2005 fight
Victory in Leduc, Alta. elevator saga (If you run a building, make sure the elevators work.)
from CTV Edmonton:
Province looks to reduce the use of plastic bags
Cyclists, skateboarders ticketed in sidewalk campaign (The sidewalks on Whyte and Jasper Avenues are for feet only. Meanwhile…police are also trying to encourage us to be safer on our feet.)
Locals believe they have a plan to clean up the oil spill
from Global Edmonton:
Grey Cup tickets (Both of these items are hot tickets.)
