Tag: Churchill Square

The Olympic Torch Comes to Edmonton!

Now that I can feel all ten of my toes again, I can finally begin to recount the wonderful night that was the Olympic Torch relay stop in Edmonton.

Though there were activities all along the relay route, including stops in Old Strathcona and at the Legislature, I joined in on the festivities in progress at City Hall. I arrived just in time to see a short comedic piece about the origins of the torch by Teatro la Quindicina, and to listen to a spirited rendition of The Olympic Theme by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

City Room festivities

Athletes that had competed in the Olympics and Paralympics were recognized, and with that, the crowd dispersed into a rapidly filling Churchill Square.

May and me

The relay path to the stage

The crowd was treated to entertainment that included local group Asani, but for the most part, the stage presence came from seasoned relay stopover performers. The RBC MC earned my admiration as the most energetic of the bunch, and was able to elicit quite the noise from the crowd, while the Coke acrobats stole the show with their flexibility and fluid movements. While the “you’re the best crowd we’ve seen so far” statements rang hollow, I appreciated how well rehearsed and theatrical the entire show was.

The stage

As we danced in place in a futile effort to keep warm, I couldn’t help but marvel at how cool it was to be among the pulsing crowd, alongside hundreds of other Edmontonians about to witness our leg of the Olympic journey. The excitement was palpable.

The crowd

The moment we’d all been waiting for arrived in a flurry of camera flashes – I could barely see torch carrier Dorren Ryan as she made her way to the stage, and was thankful for the footlong flame to guide my eye and camera lens.

The torch arrives!

Up on stage, she lit the celebratory caldron, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Caldron lit!

Though I think more entertainment followed the climactic moment, we decided to book it in favour of heat. I’m really happy to have been a part of the evening though – bravo to the organizers, and to my fellow Edmontonians who came out for the event!

You can read Mack’s post (with video!) about the ceremony here. Bruce from Moments in Digital also had some nice photos to share.

Olde Time Fair on the Square

En route to Stanley Milner on Saturday, I passed through the Olde Time Fair that was taking place at Churchill Square.

Juggler

The family-friendly outdoor event was blessed with beautiful weather – such a difference from the winter chill felt just a week prior. There were “roving entertainers” (a stilt walker and juggler, among them), carnival games, face painting, pumpkin carving and hay rides.

Pumpkins!

Hay Rides

Carnival Games

Though the City Centre Market officially concluded for the year last week, there were a few vendors on hand (in walled tents to keep out the wind had their been any). There were no produce or meat vendors present (save Medicine Man Bison), but there were accessories, candied treats, baked goods, and pickled items available for sale.

Vendors

It was a lovely way to spend some time outside. I hope we get a few more weekends like that one!

Edmonton AIDS Walk for Life 2009

The 2009 AIDS Walk for Life took place this past Sunday. Mack and I participated for the second year in a row, and began raising money for it a few weeks ago. As some of you may have known, we were in a bit of a competition, and in spite of his “Twitter clout”, I won! Well, ultimately, HIV Edmonton is the winner, but thank you to all of my sponsors who helped me raise $260 (Mack raised $210). All of the money raised from the walk stays in the community to help with HIV Edmonton’s work with prevention, education and support for those living with HIV, among other activities.

With the water bottle and reusable bag I “earned” from raising over $250

It was a beautiful, albeit brisk, day for the 5km walk, and the weather was a blessing for the event, held in Churchill Square this year. The outdoor setting made everything seem more lively, and welcomed any and all who were in the area to enjoy the festivities. Besides music and entertainment, Planet Organic and Starbucks were on hand distributing refreshments, and walkers were treated to free pizza from Pizza 73.

Churchill Square

Burlesque performer Sophie Sticke

At the same time, there seemed to be more confusion that arose out of the open space, a natural result from a latent ability to exert control over a wide area. Last year, a button we received at the end of the walk entitled participants to complimentary pizza and popcorn, but this year, because of the nature of the space, tickets were required for food. It hadn’t been communicated to us that tickets could be used for a free hot dog from Fat Franks (we only stumbled upon this after deciding that we would buy food ourselves), and I’m sure many participants who hadn’t wanted to eat prior to the walk weren’t aware of this fact.

Nitpicks aside, it was still a great event. Nick Lees, the “Mile High Marshall” and Sophie led the way on a float of sorts down the walk route. There’s something about just being a part of a crowd, knowing you are a part of a movement larger than yourself that is wonderful to experience.

Nick Lees and Sophie

And we’re off!

Mack gets his walk on

Along the walk route

At the Legislature

Instead of stopping halfway through the walk at the Legislature for a photo, the organizers decided the group shot would be taken at the end back at Churchill Square. The stairs on the Centennial Plaza were the perfect place to do so.

Group photo op

Thanks again to everyone who supported us!

Lunch at Taste of Edmonton 2009

I was reluctant to go to Taste of Edmonton this year because not only is the value for dollar not there, but I’ve been shown the light for tasting events (in the forms of Taste of Summer and Indulgence). That said, it’s undeniable that the festival is ingrained in the city’s culture (it celebrates it’s 25th anniversary this year), and sampling small plates outdoors on Churchill Square can be the cure for the common lunch. So when a few coworkers asked if I wanted to join them, I gave in.

I decided to buy just 10 tickets ($1 per ticket), and planned my meal accordingly. While I admit it isn’t the best way to go about the event, I was looking for a full stomach as opposed to the full experience.

I decided on the sweet potato fries from Zen and the cheese empanada from Roma Bistro, both only 3 tickets each. The sweet potato fries were good, particularly with the accompanying dip. I couldn’t complain about the portion size either.

Sweet Potato Fries from Zen

I actually remembered to pull out my reusable container for my second course, and was pleasantly surprised when the attendant at the Roma Bistro booth took the time to cut the empanada so it would fit into my container. The deep-fried pastry didn’t lack cheese, but it wasn’t anything special either.

Cheese Empanada from Roma Bistro

With 4 tickets left, I could have gone for something slightly more substantial (the dry spicy chicken from The Lingnan was tempting), but I ended up with a dessert. On the Rocks’ apple crumble with Jack Daniels caramel sauce won my vote because of the ice cream. It melted much too fast for me to enjoy it, but some fruit was a nice way to end an otherwise deep fryer-heavy meal.

Apple Crumble from On the Rocks

Have you made it to Taste of Edmonton? What were your favourites?

Taste of Edmonton runs until July 25.

Holiday Light-up in Downtown Edmonton

My posts are acquiring a bit of a scattered chronological order lately, but as some of my intended subjects have passed the window of timeliness, I thought I’d just continue back and forth as appropriate.

On Saturday, Sir Winston Churchill Square played host to Downtown Edmonton’s annual Holiday Light-up celebration, as well as Christmas on the Square.

Free sleigh rides for children

I had intended on visiting the square for the event last year, but didn’t make it. For whatever reason, I expected a larger tent to house the vendors, instead of what I found – tables scattered between three smaller tents. While it may have made the spaces easier to heat, there was not much room to move, and I’m certain more than a few breakable items fell prey to the congested movement of the crowd.

Tents

Cute Lola Canola honey bears

After 5pm, Mayor Mandel and Santa came out on stage to flick the switch on the 83 foot Christmas tree, in addition to the Bright Nights fixtures on the east part of the Square. Most impressive, however, were the fireworks – set in tune to music (something the New Year’s committee has claimed to have been doing, but hasn’t actually put this into practice), I was amazed they could have set off the pyrotechnics with such little space between the stage the the Winspear to play with.

Tree

Bright Nights display

Fireworks

Churchill Square

Mack took some videos of the fireworks with his handy Flip, in case you missed the event, and has uploaded all of his pictures onto Flickr.

Also, Bright Nights at Hawrelak Park begins on Friday, while the light-up celebration at the Legislature takes place on December 4. Incredible how quickly the holiday season is approaching, isn’t it?

Movies on the Square: “High School Musical”

When the City of Edmonton started offering free screenings of movies in Churchill Square, I knew this would be the closest I would get to a drive-in for a while. I was waiting for a for a film I either actually wanted to see, or one I deemed was worth watching again. When High School Musical was announced for the August 2 show, I knew this was it.

I’ve seen the film several times since being dazzled by it last year, but the idea of watching it on the big screen, under the stars and in the shadow of buildings in the downtown core, was irresistible.

The set-up

Armed with camping chairs, a blanket, a bag of goodies and mugs of tea, we joined a modest crowd of fifty people already huddled around the front of the screen. It had drizzled a bit as we were heading to the Square, but thankfully we had no use for the umbrellas we had brought along just in case. While most of the audience was comprised of families, there were a few pairs of adults and couples our age.

Mack

Me

A Fat Franks food cart was on site, which may not have been a bad thing on that chilly evening. I was glad I had brought along a mug of tea and a blanket; without them, I would have froze in the windy conditions. The people in front of us who wore winter jackets definitely had foresight.

In all, it was a pretty cool experience, even if the audience didn’t get up to dance in tune with the movie (like that scene in The Wedding Planner). If you missed it, you have three more opportunities this summer, with screenings being held on August 29-31, movie titles TBA.