Last weekend I got rocked by Edmonton bands N.N. (pictured), The Mystery Ponies, and touchitandyouwillsayow. The first two are playing again this Sunday, at Brixx, with a couple of local rappers.

We hinted, in today’s symphony post, and movie previews, that summer is ending. So we might as well enjoy the unofficial end of summer with a long weekend full of good times.

It will be even better if the weather cooperates.

As mentioned, this weekend heralds new movies, and is the annual Symphony Under the Sky at Hawrelak Park.

There are more movies, on the square, with How to Train Your Dragon tonight and Toy Story 3 tomorrow night.

There’s more music festival, Saturday, with Sonic Boom back at Northlands.

Also at Northlands, all weekend, is the WPCA Dodge World Chuckwagon Championships.

One event I hadn’t heard of, before checking ShareEdmonton, is the Raas Garba Festival, which looks to be colourful, and features events with people from Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, and Vancouver. The festival is a celebration of the culture of people from the west Indian province of Gujurat.

Almost ABBA is at the Century Casino. Bobby Curtola is playing the Arden Theatre, in St. Alberta.

Alright, now back to young, hip kid stuff. (With some help from YEGLive.ca.)

Like Cam Penner, playing the Blue Chair Cafe tonight.

This weekend is also the Beaumont Blue Fest. That will see bands such as Jimmy and the Sleepers, Boogie Patrol, Gordie Johnson (from Big Sugar) and Amos Garrett bring down the party, rock things out, and and spill their souls, just southeast of Edmonton.

There’s even more great blues music all week at Blues on Whyte, with Winnipeg’s Big Dave McLean.

Bluebird North is showcasing songwriters this long weekend too.

You could always get lost.

Don’t forget:

The LRT will not be going beyond Churchill Station. That starts Friday night and continues through all of Monday.

You probably don’t have to work Monday.

We are so lucky.

I believe I may have hinted in the Headlines this morning that I will be watching the Lost series finale this Sunday. Hey, even if you haven’t been a Lostie, there’s still enough time to grab the DVDs and watch enough key episodes to get in on the fun. Otherwise, good luck avoiding everything about the show while you spend weeks trying to catch up after the show ends.

I wonder if its DVD sales will be awful for a few years, until it’s been wiped pretty clear of pop culture?

Anyway…

You have to ride the streetcar at least once each summer.

It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a great weekend, weather-wise, so maybe you’ll ust hit the movie theatre. It’s totally a good couch weekend too.

If you are looking for some of your first taste of BBQ, maybe hit school board candidate Michael Janz’s campaign kick-off party, Saturday afternoon. It’s right by the McKernan-Belgravia LRT station.

Henry Rollins is at the Winspear tonight. Let Sally know how that goes.

Fort Edmonton Park opens its 2010 season this long weekend. Too bad they didn’t have time to put in the log flumes and historically accurate laser tag.

I’ve learned, through the power of the Internet, that Saturday is the International Day of Biodiversity. So, head on over to the courtyard behind the Stanley A. Milner library and learn about plants, bugs and stuff.

Victoria Day weekend means the High Level Bridge streetcar starts running!

Public Enemy playing the Edmonton Event Centre Sunday night. We should have ordered an edmontonian clock for Flavor. It really is a weekend of hip hop, since you’ve also got Hip Hop in the Park (Louise McKinney, that is) Saturday afternoon. Hip Hop in the Dark goes tonight.

The Uncas rock the Pawn Shop Saturday.

And thanks to our good friends at ShareEdmonton I can remember to mention that the Edmonton Energy are home tonight for IBL action.

No matter what you’re getting up to, if you’re leaving the house remember that there are LRT closures this weekend. The train won’t be running between Churchill and Clareview stations.

Take that, tree!

There are few things as universally sweet as a long weekend.

Just about everybody can get on board, most people are quite happy, and we can all agree that sleeping in on what is normally a work day kicks ass.

Not that we don’t like our jobs, bosses. Or, uh, coming to work, I mean…

Oh, whatever. Long weekends rule.

This one really snuck up on me though. I think I mentioned that before. Probably due to our May taste of winter. It just doesn’t feel like we should be at Victoria Day weekend already.

But I’ll take it. And enjoy it. Oh yes, I’ll enjoy it.

Because it means I can watch the end of Lost, scan the Internet for other people dissecting one of our generation’s great TV shows until the wee hours, and not worry about looking presentable Monday morning.

Now, power through today’s news and get yourself to the three-day weekend already.

from the Edmonton Journal:

Four Edmonton councillors decide what wards to run in (I really wanted to see them fight it out more.)

Alberta to hire as many nursing grads as possible: Zwosdesky (Check out all the Zwos in today’s news! He’s also in CHED, CBC and CTV stories, below.)

Edmonton arena talk is not only cheap, it’s plentiful

Rage against the machine finally gains some traction (I don’t feel so bad pointing out long-broken escalators when I think of all the ink Scott McKeen has dedicated to shutting up those stupid-loud motorcycles. It’s awful to be on a Whyte patio and not be able to hear anyone when those jerks ride by.)

New project looks at Edmonton’s environmental challenges

Alberta oilsands need to be cleaned up: Ignatieff (Not the kind of talk that will win you seat in this part of the country. It sakes sense but it just won’t fly.)

Edmonton’s $40M capital budget includes multicultural centre (Don’t postpone transit smart cards, I think they’re cool.)

Grant MacEwan University approves $218M budget

Tortoises seized at Edmonton airport

from the Edmonton Sun:

Too soon to worry about calls for arena cash: City councillor (Is it ever too soon to worry about funding?)

Downtown looking up

Checkstops going up around the province (Long weekend, drive safe, etc…)

Low gas prices set for the long weekend (That’s certainly different.)

Man files lawsuit alleging cop violence

Parkour lands in Edmonton (Parkour!)

from Metro Edmonton:

Boost for affordable housing (Edmonton’s got four projects getting cash.)

Singing the praises of city services

Aboriginal film fest, arts expo team up (The Dreamspeakers Film Festival, and Rubaboo Arts Festival, starts June 2.)

from 630CHED/iNews880:

Zwosdesky denies bed closures (He mentions four haven’t been used, but if they are no longer available they are technically being closed.)

Mosquitoes not as bad as Edmontonians might think (It was dry, so that kept mosquito numbers low. Now it’s wet and that could breed the bloodsuckers.)

Alberta ticks carrying Lyme disease (Did anybody ever see the movie Lymelife? I thought it looked alright.)

from CBC Edmonton:

Alberta aims to cut cataract wait-lists (My punny choice would have been “Alberta eyes cuts to cataract wait-lists.)

ATV likely started Alberta wildfire (Oops?)

Edmonton school honours family killed in Via crash

from CTV Edmonton:

Edmonton toddler to get life-changing surgery today (Meanwhile…the family asked Alberta Health Services to pay for the surgery, which is not available in Canada.)

Concern grows over the future of Rexall Place (Can we turn it into some kind of giant waterpark?)

See you after the Lost weekend.

Hey, let’s meet back here Tuesday and talk all about the show like the Lost nerds we are. Because the Internet doesn’t have enough forums for Lost fans.

Long weekend? Yes, please!

Long weekend!

Woooooooooo!

A note: The Great Divide Waterfall won’t be running this long weekend. We’ll get through this together. It’s unknown when it will be running again.

Alright, the big one this weekend is the Servus Heritage Festival. 34 years running and full of culture and tasty food, it’s all at Hawrelak Park. Here’s some transportation info.

Music-wise you’ve got The City Streets playing a “moving” show tonight at the Pawn Shop, and Blink 182 is tonight. The Moody Blues play Sunday, at the Winspear.

I’m going to try and rein in my excitement, but I do need to tell you about a show at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. It’s because Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks stars…Peter Scolari! Let me repeat. Peter. Scolari. You’re welcome.

Latitude 53 has “Draw,” a marathon of, well, drawing.

The Edmonton Capitals are home this weekend, and for $5 a throw you can help them fight breast cancer and try to set a World Record for pitches thrown.

We told you a little while ago about The Laugh Shop opening a new location on Whyte Avenue. It happens Saturday night.

Don’t forget about farmers’ markets, improv, live music in pretty much every bar, new movies in theatre…and so on.