In some 60 days, the East Village Experience Centre opens in the heart of East Village on the corner of Confluence Way and 5th Ave. S.E., and sales will begin on the first two residential projects, FIRST, from FRAM+Slokker, and Evolution, by Embassy Bosa.
These mixed-use residential buildings will change the face of East Village, which has already seen new streets, street furniture and street lamps installed, along with, of course, two phases of RiverWalk and the 4th St. Underpass. – both of which reconnect East Village to Centre City.
The strikingly modern centre is a sales and information hub about all things East Village. You’ll be able to see the whole neighbourhood – at 1:300 scale! – on a big floor model designed by Calgary’s Replicate Designs, see an enormous Calder-esque mobile by local industrial designer Greg Ball and get a feel for the life, both man-made and natural, of the unique urban village that is East Village. Another good thing – the centre has been designed to be easily dismantled and the parts recycled into another use.
Come stroll RiverWalk and take a look at the construction on the growing Experience Centre; new signage is up, and most of the work has moved to the inside. And if you’re looking for other ways to enjoy East Village right now, check out 100 Days 100 Ways – every day between now and the day the Experience Centre opens, we offer ways to take in the variety of art, nature and culture offered by the neighbours of East Village.
It’s an exciting time. We love watching as the proud neighbourhood where Calgary was founded re-introduces itself to centre city, and a new generation of Calgarians joins the long-standing residents of East Village.
Fanzy Z’s image of a group of Tiny Villagers marvelling at a rainbow-coloured array of urban lights earned her a major prize – Z big trip to Montréal, including round-trip economy airfare from Calgary to Montréal, three (3) nights in the super cool Place d’Armes Hôtel & Suites in Old Montréal and $1,500 spending money.
The contest has been running since September to raise awareness of East Village and Fram+Slokker’s soon-to-be-released condominium offering there, named FIRST. The Tiny FIRST Villagers photo that got the most ‘likes’ on Facebook was the winner. Fanzy got an impressive 3,500 ‘likes’.
Contestants shot miniature models of East Village residents in situ, a feat second-prize winner Joke Zantua pulled off with panache, adding his own tiny trees, miniature pups and teeny bike. Joke was rewarded for his efforts – and his 3,400 ‘likes’ – with a snazzy Canon EOS 7D. [inline:JokeZantua_NewCalgaryWinner2.jpg]
Both Fanzy Z and Joke Zantua will be awarded their prizes at FRAM+Slokker's FIRST Villagers Photo Contest Awards event taking place Wednesday, February 1st at West Restaurant & Bar. In addition, top entrants can look forward to specially made prints of their contest entries. For more details, head to http://www.thenewcalgary.com/event/
When thousands of runners hit the streets Sunday, May 27 for the 2012 Scotiabank Calgary Marathon, each one will huff and puff their way through our neighbourhood – undoubtedly noticing all the improvements along the way. For the first time in more than three years, all the race routes – full and half marathon, 10 and 5 km – will pass through East Village. "We deliberately wanted to go through East Village because it's such an up and coming neighbourhood," states Lynn Cox, the marathon's marketing director.
The new route for the 48th annual Calgary marathon starts and finishes at Stampede Park, a quick sprint down the road through the new 4th Street Underpass. When all those road warriors sweep through our spacious streets, East Village will be there to cheer them on.
RiverWalk is the place to be on race day. That's where the East Village Spirit Hub – an official cheering section – will be offering a final push of encouragement to the many kinds of runners in this race. We’ll marvel at the elite athletes finishing up their 50th marathon; we'll celebrate the healthy commitment of families pushing strollers in their first 5K Walk and Run; we’ll cheer loud and long. With luck and healthy lungs, we’ll win ‘most dynamic hub’ in the Marathon Neighbourhood Spirit Challenge. With $2,000 in prize money to be donated to charity on behalf of the winning Spirit Hub, it's a feel-good challenge we can all cheer about.
We’ll be providing updates about how you can get involved in the Spirit Hub as the date gets closer. In the meantime, check out the new route...and start training.
http://www.calgarymarathon.com/race_info/scotiabank_marathon/marathon_gmap.html
The East Village Experience Centre is nearing completion and readying for an opening in less than 80 days. The one-stop sales and community information centre will be the hub for all things East Village and feature interactive tools and displays that illustrate the vision for the community and where you might live within it. Now we want to hear from you!
The East Village team is seeking urban explorers to fill ambassador positions working within the Experience Centre. So if you are a fan of East Village and excited about the future of the community this is your chance to join the team.
So, who is an 'Urban Explorer'? We believe it is a mindset, not an age group. It is a broad group of individuals who are interested in what an urban downtown can offer and advocates for creating lively communities that enrich cultural, entertainment and recreational experiences.
The East Village Ambassador positions will be a first point of contact in the Experience Centre and will represent the future of the community. It is a critical role suited to passionate and motivated communicators.
Sound like you? Read more about the Urban Explorer Ambassador Profile click on the link below.
[inline:Urban Explorer Ambassador Profile and Job Description.pdf]
We look forward to hearing from you!
When he bought Corner Drugstore in 1987, Abdul Kanji had no way of knowing that the cozy pharmacy at the corner of 5th Street SE and 8th Street SE would one day become a cornerstone of East Village. But when you’ve been filling prescriptions and dispensing health advice to your neighbours for 24 years, you’re not just keeping the neighbours healthy. You’re keeping the neighbourhood healthy. A place where people can count on a chat and a smile when they venture out is very good medicine.
Abdul Kanji is optimistic that Corner Drugstore will always play a role in a rejuvenated new East Village. "I mostly provide services to seniors now," he says, "so my product mix may change as more people start moving in." Even before the ground is broken for new homes in which future East Villagers will live, Abdul has seen infrastructure improvements make life easier for his long-time, mostly elderly, clients. “The lighting is much better,” he nods approvingly. And the new wider sidewalks make getting around with a walker so much easier.
This is what planners really mean when they say, ‘Well-being.’
It's a bustle of activity behind the raised pharmaceutical counter at the back of the drugstore, and Abdul is in constant motion. He and pharmacist technician, Netty Girard, are in continual demand, filling prescriptions, fielding telephone inquiries, and assisting the many seniors who rely on the neighbourhood store.
Abdul always takes time to chat, though. If you ask him about the family photo gracing the wall next to his framed degree, he is happy to tell you about the trip that the entire family took to Mexico recently, for his daughter's wedding. She's the stunning young woman seated at the front of the group.
The urban planners and architects who’ve spent the last decade planning a livable East Village, a place where the essentials are close at hand, know what good neighbour we’ve already got in Abdul Kanji and Corner Drugstore. They instantly make us feel at home.
The massive wood beams and exposed brick inside the Simmons Building took on a festive glow December 17 as its big back room filled with artisans, their piled-high wares, and friends and neighbours searching for something special to put under the tree. The Cantos House Band serenaded with funky soul standards and upbeat Christmas tunes; outside, along RiverWalk, families revelled in the sunshine and sampled festive offerings from the YYC Food Trucks.
Shoppers browsed tables piled high with objects of desire all day: the hedonists amongst us luxuriated in fragrant spa lotions and sighed wistfully over mittens made from the softest alpaca wool, while epicureans (and the epicurious) stocked up on cheese-making kits. Everyone was drawn to the elegant display of Cruff’s famous cream puffs. “These are just the minis!” the smiling elf behind the table reassured those who hesitated over succumbing to the decadence. So it was okay to have two.
At the ProtoSpace display, a fully automated eggbot drew throngs of techno-curious. As the mini-robot etched Christmas messages on eggs with a Sharpie, the market morphed into a Jetsons' Christmas special. Across the room, Retro House Party offered a fantasy cocktail party from the golden age of Hollywood, with all the glamour of mid-century cocktail glasses and a funky gold lamé seltzer bottle. [inline:market3.jpg]
“I bought so many things for me,” one pleased shopper chided herself. “Shame on me!” But with treasures varying from Bee Kingdom's gleaming hand-blown glass to Thrifty Cowgirl's cheeky sock monkeys, from vintage apparel to hand-drawn cards, who could blame her? With the food bank benefitting from EV's first ever Elves in the Village Christmas Market, it was retail therapy that everyone could feel good about.
The private after-hours shopping benefit hosted by the CORE on November 30 was the best possible kind of retail therapy: the United Way's Because initiative and our very own National Music Centre were the joint benefactors of $40,000 raised from ticket sales.
At the National Music Centre chill lounge – just past the spectacular 45 foot Christmas tree – a big Hammond B3 organ sent out soulful holiday vibes while the fashion-forward crowd shopped for exclusive Long Live the King t-shirts and voted on their favourite edible King Eddy on display. The architectural marvels of gingerbread and buttercream were a sweet reminder that we all want a new King Eddy for Christmas. T'was the Night was a very stylish way to make that wish an East Village reality.
Fashionistas got exclusive one-night-only offers, a paper couture fashion show, and loads of prizes. Holt Renfrew gave away a $1,000 shopping spree and $2,500 in Armani. Foodies dove delicately into stuffed turkey roulade, single-malt scotches and divine desserts almost too gorgeous to eat. Almost, but not quite.
Music lovers scored especially big. A headline performance by Juno winner Chantal Kreviazuk, stylish chamber music by the Bel Canto String Trio, cool jazz by the Simon Frisk Trio, and some rousing Christmas music by the Calgary Girls' Choir kept spirits bright. There were even live jazz and house band performances at HMV, Harry Rosen and Urban. All that fun, and a new King Eddy and NMC is one step closer. ‘Twas, after all, a night to remember.
Perhaps it was pixie dust, or maybe just good old East Village structural ingenuity, but the 30-foot evergreen gracing the entrance to RiverWalk by the Simmons Building was left unscathed by the hurricane-force winds last Sunday. (That’s the kind of magic that’s possible when your tree is donated by the engineers at Stantec). By nightfall on Monday, East Village's own Rockefeller Christmas tree was sparkling with enough strands of multicoloured lights to rival the brightly lit RiverWalk pathway and Langevin Bridge.
Look for the big bright tree to guide your sleigh to all the EV Christmas celebrations. Come down December 17 from 11-5pm to shop for unique gifts at the first ever Elves in the Village Christmas Market in the Simmons Building (check back soon for details). Come see the progress on the Experience Centre, which is looking grander by the day. Or bring your Tiny Villagers down for some last minute photo ops. Everybody looks their best in twinkle lights.
To help prepare for Christmas, our friends at Blue Grass Nursery have generously donated a certificate for a free 6' Premieum Balsam Fir, to enter to win sign up at www.evexperience.com/register. The winner will be drawn on December 5th!
