240 will like this one...
Alberta Avenue comes alive
by Heather Andrews Miller
Around Town | Vol. 27 No. 37 | September 17, 2009
Great entertainment for all ages happens on Alberta Avenue next weekend. Come and celebrate the arts at the Kaleido Arts Festival. Photo supplied by Arts on the Avenue.
It may be fall in Festival City but that doesn’t mean the fun and frivolity that characterizes the capital region every summer is over. Next weekend, September 25th to 27th, Alberta Avenue will feature its fourth annual Kaleido Family Arts Festival. Professional and emerging musical acts, a pancake breakfast, art show, and theatrical offerings are just a few of the more than 200 events happening on 118th Avenue between 92nd and 94th Streets.
Alberta Avenue has been a vital part of Edmonton’s history for many years. Historically, it was the route between our city and the neighbouring village of Beverley and the central business district for the area. It enjoyed most of its development through World War I and today boasts such landmark buildings as Northlands Park and Rexall Place. Beverley amalgamated with Edmonton in 1961. A recent revitalization has seen the neighbourhood become an attractive residential destination for many of the city’s artists, most of whom are involved in Kaleido.
The Festival, and many other events that happen along Alberta Avenue throughout the year, are organized by the Arts of the Avenue Edmonton Society, which is a non-profit grassroots initiative engaged in developing 118th Avenue into a community arts district. It began in 2005 and was incorporated as a Society in 2007, and it’s estimated over 350 multi-disciplinary artists and now live in the area. In April 2008 Arts of the Ave was the proud recipient of the 21st Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts.
Christy Morin is festival producer and one of the founders of Arts of the Ave Society. “We actually cover the area between NAIT and Northlands,” she explains. “It’s a lovely historic neighbourhood that is getting back on its feet after a time of decline and visitors to the area will be impressed by the progress.”
One of the Avenue’s most endearing and influential establishments is the Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse, a volunteer-run gathering place which serves the needs of local residents and artists and is located at 118th Avenue and 94th Street. It hosts a visual art gallery, arts market, music and theatre stage, workshops and performance venues, espresso bar, and café and is also a tourism bureau for the area. The eatery is more than just a great place to eat, as a great variety of groups perform most weekends, bringing music, poetry, drama and comedy to the neighbourhood.
The Festival will kick off on Friday night at 6:00 pm with a no-tie Gala Art Show and Sale at the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, hosted by the Parker’s jazz quartet. And it’s also the grand opening for the Nina Haggerty Centre, newly located at 91st Street and 118th Avenue. The ribbon cutting will take place at 8:00 pm, with classical musicians providing entertainment for the wine and cheese reception. Paintings will be available for purchase at a reasonable cost, and for viewing. A bluegrass pancake breakfast at 92nd Street and 118th Avenue on Saturday, sponsored by Save-On Foods, will be provided, with Mayor Stephan Mandel and other government officials in attendance and music by Down to the Wood.
Use of unusual venues will also be a feature, with the rooftop of the former George’s Cycle being reinvented to a stage, and Romeo and Juliet will be performed at playground equipment. Theatre Alley will also provide a place for plays. “There’s even an act in a car, with the 25-minute show entitled Carjack! Theatre on Wheels which features a drive through the community,” she adds. She credits the Kaleido production team with coming up with the new and innovative ideas that will be a definite plus at this year’s Festival. The Avenue will be shut down and dedicated to experience the art of the area. “It’s very informal and small-town, and everyone who comes here feels at home right away,” she adds.
Acts include the much-loved Kokopelli Choir, Martin Kerr, Low Flying Planes, Souljah Fyah, and the well-known Captain Tractor. “Three of the members of this band live in the area,” she explains. “There will be an artisan village, with everything from jewellery to pottery. It’s a great place to get an early start on Christmas shopping.”
Métis Mutt will be showcased as well, a hilarious and heartbreaking one-man show written by and starring Sheldon Elter, revealing the coming of age of a young actor and comedian growing up between two cultures. For 12 hours on Saturday, an outdoor fairway space will feature yo-yo masters, magicians, clowns, stilt walkers, cartoonists, and face painters, a mini-carnival and street performers, reminiscent of Old Europe, and including several local restaurants with A Taste of the Avenue food booths. Another unique offering will be Nicole Tritter and Company as they dance on the walls of the Nina Haggerty Centre on Saturday. “Eat your heart out, Spiderman,” says the Society’s website at
http://artsontheave.org where more information can be found.
Northlands has been a great help with lending equipment and expertise for the Society’s events and she also credits the Avenue Initiative, which is part of the City of Edmonton, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Edmonton Arts Council, and Canadian Heritage for valued support hat makes the weekend possible. “We’ve been able to procure grant funding at all government levels, so we’re thankful for the support,” she says.
Kaleido is a Greek word meaning the bringing together of colour and form to create beauty. “And the free admission makes it possible for families, individuals, and visitors alike to get out and enjoy some first-class entertainment and exposure to the best of art that Edmonton has to offer,” she concludes. “The whole revitalization of the area has been prompted by the focus on the arts. We urge everyone to come on down and have a fun and entertaining weekend.
Know of a worthy organization or individual who we can salute? Comments and suggestions for this column are welcome. Please e-mail me at
[email protected].
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