Watch Out For That Parade
This photos is two years old but still relevant.
Capital Ex begins this weekend. But, dating back to days of yore when it was known as Klondike Days, it always begins with a parade.
That parade happens this morning. Downtown. At 10am.
You can consider yourself warned and/or delighted.
For those of you on the delight side, there are more than 100 floats, bands, entertainers and more fun that will march around 10am-12:30pm. The parade route takes them up and down 102 and 103 Avenues, between Churchill Square and 108 Street.
For those of you on the warned side, traffic delays begin at 6:30am in the east Jasper area, and extend to the parade route by 8:30. Things will be slow in the downtown until about 1pm when the route is opened up to traffic again.
Plan your morning schedules accordingly (especially if you really want to see the parade in person).
We love a parade
Yes, it’s Capital Ex time again, Edmonton.
And our stomachs are already begging us not to order this 1kg hamburger:
But, before all the excitement at Northlands really gets going, it begins with a parade.
Now, just like last year, we’re going to put out the call to you, the good readers of the edmontonian, to provide us with a photo (or video, we’re not picky) of some sweet, parade action.
We do this for two reasons: you do good work and Sally is banned from the parade due to that one year she wore a costume of fresh mini donuts, only to have the hot oil sear her skin, forcing her to run screaming, and fairly nude, frightening children and adults alike.
If, like last year, we don’t end up having any Capital Ex parade pictures to post, we can always depend on our buddy Ryan giving us a play-by-play of Shaw TV’s play-by-play.
Don’t forget, the parade is going to cause downtown traffic mayhem, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, and Thursday afternoon.
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And, if you don’t want to work your way through all those links (but they’re worth it…) you can read Ryan’s 2009 parade review at his blog.
All too common
You already have that feeling of dread, don't you?
By Gregg Beever
South Edmonton Common is not a place I visit often. At least not anymore.
Six years ago I would travel to the “retail power centre” daily, working for Best Buy. It was my first intimate exposure to the modern retail mentality; a big box culture where everything centered around the bottom line.
Morning meetings discussing the previous day’s sales numbers were followed by an emphatic cheer session. Best Buy’s stock numbers hung up-to-date in the break room while managers on the sales floor hovered over their charges reminding them ad nauseam to sell each and every customer on a Product Service Plan.
The flat linoleum wasteland was packed with patrons desperately seeking a poorly paid staff member, who barely knew a Firewire cable from their shoelace, for electronics advice.
When I quit to move on to my current job the general manager tried selling me on staying, like he was selling me a car stereo.
“Don’t you like opportunity?” he asked. A question I assumed was meant to be rhetorical.
Working only 37.5 hours a week to ensure I wasn’t legally full-time, and therefore did not qualify for benefits, was all I needed to know about the “opportunity” at Best Buy and how much the retail giant cared about the needs of its employees.
I packed up, left for greener pastures, and have scarcely been back to South Common since.
This weekend, however, I returned to Edmonton’s southern beacon of commercial progress in search of some hockey gear. (more…)
Get your Olympic spirit on
View Edmonton Olympic Torch Route in a larger map
As promised, here’s a look at where the torch will be running today in Edmonton.
Of course, the torch doesn’t do any of the actual running. There are a bunch of cool people that carry it around.
If you’re heading out to see the torch relay, remember that there’s lots of fun stuff sprinkled along the way, including bands, singers, dancers, and various other performers and entertainment. Then the big finish is at 7pm in Churchill Square.
Whether or not you’re in the Olympic spirit this is going to mean delays for your trip home. Check here for street closures and look here for ETS route changes.
Art Walk/Whyte Ave Street Sale
Guess what I learned about Art Walk.
Anybody can be in it.
Did we know this? Was this a thing we knew?
I spoke to the folks at the Paint Spot this morning (it’s sort of like Art Walk Ground Zero over there), and they told me that the only real stipulation to showing your work in ArtWalk is that you practice a traditional form of fine art – like drawing, painting or sculpting. Basically, they can’t take crafters or jewellers or anything like that. But otherwise, hobbyists and professionals alike can get involved.
I didn’t know that! I just assumed it would be a juried selection process. Not so! All you have to do is show them what type of art you do, and pay the registration fee (it varies in cost, with the spots at the core of the walk being the most expensive, those on the edges of walk being cheaper) – this year it ran from about $40 to about $100.
So if you’d like to take a stab at it next year, keep your eyes on the Art Walk website; registrations will begin in early March. (more…)
