We’re gone after this week, but Edmonton’s still hopping.

In Festivals…the Kaleido Family Arts Festival runs this weekend on 118 Avenue (part of Arts on the Ave)…down in Hawrelak Park there’s a peace concert this weekend, on September 11…Latitude 53′sVisualeyez is back next week…Community League Day is on Saturday, September 17…The Edmonton International Film Festival is back on September 23, and runs through October 1. That last day is Alberta Day, with plenty of homegrown films playing…For a little French flair, check out the Edmonton Chante music festival, September 23-October 1…Also beginning September 23 is the Edmonton Accordion Festival…the Edmonton Comedy Festival gives it a go, October 19-22…the same dates as Lit Fest…

The ESO, Alberta Ballet, Edmonton Opera, Citadel Theatre, and Roxy Theatre headline the arts season that runs through the spring of 2012.

In sports…The Capitals are hosting the North American Baseball League’s championship series right now…The Eskimos will wrap their season…FC Edmonton will conclude its inaugural season (and made the playoffs)….there’s Prairie Football at Clarke Park…and lots of roller derby, including a clash between Edmonton’s E-Ville and Oil City Derby Girls leagues on September 17…oh, and the Oilers begin their quest for a new winning team in October…

Share Edmonton and the EEDC’s Festival calendar are good places to keep updated on what’s up.

There’s gonna be a lot of great music around Edmonton. (Be sure to keep on top of that at YEGLive.ca.)

Friday, Lyra Brown and Brian McLeod join Rapid Fire Theatre in a night of Edmonton entertainment…The Consonance, Tiff Hall, and Kusch are at Haven Social Club…Wool on Wolves play two shows (!) at the Pawn Shop this weekend, on Friday with The Wheat Pool and Saturday with Scenic Route to Alaska…

The Provincial Archive play with Library Voices September 17…At Avenue Theatre on September 23 you’ve got Christian Hansen and the Autistics, with Doug Hoyer…100 Mile House and The AwesomeHots are playing with Jesse D and Jacquie B, September 25…September 30, at The ARTery, Weird Canada’s got a show with Jennifer Castle, Kris Ellestad, Mark Templeton, and Field+Stream…at the end of the month (and every month) the Sonic Band of the Month plays the Pawn Shop (it’s The Frolics in September)…October 1, The Deep Dark Woods are at the Royal Alberta Museum…On October 21 F&M play Yellowhead Brewery with Tyler Butler…and October 28, Ariane Mahryke Lemire plays the Haven Social Club…

We’ll let Landon A.R. Coleman play us out of this events post. (Landon is playing at Wunderbar on September 28th and the CD will be available at Blackbyrd as of September 17th.)

Edmonton is a busy place. So get out there and enjoy your city!

Go, go, go (and vote)!

This one falls under a total bias alert, but you like voting for stuff online so we’ll call it a draw.

A good friend of the website, Jason Bouwmeester, is trying to win his way to photography glory at the 2010 Olympics.

Jason has entered the Globe and Mail’s content to be a guest photographer at the Vancouver games. (There’s a also a contest running for a guest journalist.)

You may have seen Jason’s photo work here, or in other fine establishments. He’s no hack behind the lens and you should head over to the Globe’s contest page, sign up (to vote and to have a chance at your own prizes) and help an Edmonton boy get to the big show.

The contest runs until the 22nd, at which time the top 10 vote getters will be judged (by what I can only imagine is an esteemed panel) on merit and not just Internet popularity.

Oh, and if you spot any other Edmonton and Capital Region entries, let us know.

But wait, there’s more!

Extra prizes: Jason says if you want one of his photos for yourself, he’ll be drawing names over the next 3 Saturdays. Just e-mail him at jbouwmeester@gmail.com to be included in his daily vote reminders, and the draw. Now you know why we want you to help with his dream; he’s a nice guy.

Hey sports fans, the Edmonton Examiner has your Junior Football Preview.

The Wildcats kick their season off at Clarke Park, Saturday night at 7 p.m. against the Calgary Colts (full season schedule here), while the Huskies start off Sunday at 1 p.m. (full season schedule here).

Also, the Wildcats need somebody to man their merch booth at home games; it pays about 40$ per 3-hour game. If you’re interested, more details available here.

This park has an amazing glow. Photo: Janine Edwards

While visiting one of my fast-becoming-favourite Edmonton-based websites, I was surprised to find an editorial on closing the Edmonton City Centre Airport. I think everyone is missing the big picture here in all this debate.

A little south of the “Muni,” just behind the RCMP (K-division HQ), is a quaint little park. And do you at the edmontonian know which park this is? Airway Park. That’s right. AIRWAY. As in, a park near an Airport.

If we as a city close the Muni, we will have to re-name this little park. I know what you’re thinking now… you’re re-thinking your decision to close the airport. And I don’t blame you.

Re-name a whole park! That will cost us $100′s of dollars! They might even have to create a new tax.

Without Airway Park… where will our children play? Where will the Edmonton Rugby Union or Down Under Club meet?

And I don’t think you were aware of the ESSPA. The Edmonton Senior Slo-Pitch Association has a long history here in Edmonton (it dates back to 1983).

From their site: “The livelihood of our Association has been due to the commitment of our members who have had to make difficult decisions to ensure Senior Slo-Pitch thrives Edmonton. After long and arduous searching for a suitable sight a five year lease agreement was reached with the City early in 1990. This allowed ESSPA to use two diamonds (3 and 4) at Airway Park (113 St. and 113 Ave.) These two diamonds have since been developed to top grade diamonds complete with infield shale, safety fencing, dugouts and sprinkler system, mostly by volunteer help from our members and with the assistance of the City of Edmonton. Approximately $100,000 (material purchases, contract labor and labor in kind) has been spent developing these two diamonds. Although other groups use the diamonds, they are maintained by ESSPA.”

The very livelihood of ESSPA rests on Airway Park. And you want to shut it and make these poor seniors suffer? Or re-name it and confuse them?

Airway Park has softball history, and is used for multiple sports. Photo: Janine Edwards

And what of these two plaques? What would you do to them?

I haven’t even touched on the costs and time we’ll need to expend to update the above websites, Google, and the like. Who will pay?

I’m surprised at the edmontonian for not researching into the debate throughly enough.

Save the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Save Airway Park.

- Janine Edwards, Edmonton

Don’t like something we’re saying? Love something we’re doing? Always let us know in the comments, or you can write us an e-mail. For ongoing discussion we’re also on Twitter and we’ve got a Facebook group.