City launches See You on Stephen Avenue
The city launched a summer initiative for the historic main street, and three days of design start today.
The City of Calgary and community partners launched See You on Stephen Avenue on August 5. It is a summer push for the downtown strip. The goal is to bring Calgarians back to the street. The city also wants that spending to reach the businesses along it. The city says the effort bundles investments, partnerships and promotions. Its stated goals are to draw visitors and support local business. It also wants people to spend time on the avenue. In its notice, the city called Stephen Avenue a cornerstone of downtown. It called the street a key part of Calgary's identity. It said the avenue has served for generations as one of the city's most important gathering places. Calgarians are asked to rediscover the historic main street this summer. (City of Calgary)
Design Week Calgary starts today
Design Week Calgary opens today, August 6, and runs through August 8. This is the second annual run of the event, after its first last year. The week looks at Calgary's design and architecture scene. The program comes in four parts. There are exhibits, tours, interactive experiences and installations. All four sit inside the same three days. Contact the event organizer for tickets and details. (Avenue Calgary)
First block of Stephen Avenue rehab is done
Work on the first block of the Stephen Avenue rehabilitation project is done. The city wants people to come back to the strip now that the block is finished. Several partners joined the City of Calgary to announce See You on Stephen Avenue. The goal is to get more people into the area. Anyone who has been routing around the avenue during the work will find it open again. That applies to the first block only. (LiveWire Calgary)
City Hall vigil held for Parker Wells
Calgarians gathered at City Hall on Wednesday evening for a vigil for Parker Wells. He was 11. His death has been mourned across the city over the past week. "Love showed up. Hope showed up. Calgary showed up, and that is the Calgary that we know. That is the Calgary that we believe in," Mayor Jeromy Farkas said. Tributes to Parker have been showing up in neighbourhoods around Calgary and nearby. They began at the start of the month. The vigil brought that response into one place downtown. It was the most public of the memorials so far. (Calgary Herald)
MRU will walk in the Pride parade
Mount Royal University told students it will walk in the Pride parade. The word came in an August 4 email. The school will also partner with Calgary Pride. That is a step beyond simply taking a spot in the lineup. The email went out while the University of Calgary is barred from marching until next year. Mount Royal said it was thrilled to take part. That leaves the two schools in very different spots at this year's parade. One will work alongside the organizers. The other sits out until the bar lifts. (LiveWire Calgary)
Parker Wells tributes appear around Calgary
Tributes to Parker Wells have turned up around Calgary and nearby. Parker was 11. He was remembered this week at a City Hall vigil. His name is painted in blue on a retaining wall near Memorial Drive. It is large enough to be seen from Deerfoot Trail. The artist posts on Instagram as ItsCaseyJames. He shared the work with a caption reading "Parker til infinity." He wrote that his heart goes out to the family. He said that as a dad of two, the loss hit him hard. He made the piece to show Calgary's support. The wall is one of several tributes across the region. (Calgary Herald)
Design Week programming at Contemporary Calgary
Design Week Calgary has programming at Contemporary Calgary on Thursday, August 6. The venue address is 701 11 Street S.W. It is one stop inside the wider Design Week run. That run goes through August 8. Design Week is in its second annual run. The week runs on exhibits, tours, interactive experiences and installations. Contact the event organizer for tickets and details. (Explore Downtown YYC)
Stampeders meet the BC Lions on Aug. 13
The Calgary Stampeders take on the BC Lions on August 13. That is a Thursday, a week out from today. The Lions are the West Coast side in this fixture. The game is also being run as a Girls Night Out event. Global Calgary's Leslie Horton fronts it. That layers the promotion onto a regular season game. Fans coming for the football get the surrounding event either way. Contact the event organizer for tickets and details. (Global News)