I’m still here, and my site is still alive, but how can that be with no posts for over two years? I’m still interested, I have more to share, but I have an ineffective work process. It’s not a relaunch, but I want to adapt to working on short impulsive posts. It’s a personal challenge to myself, with a refocus on experiences.
Tompkins Park
Sitting here on a summer’s day with the vibrancy of 17th all around is the best. It’s a small park with plaza space, I call ground-zero for 17th ave. The area comes alive with little events every Saturday throughout the summer. (or without COVID it did)
Thomson Family Park
It’s already been five years since this park underwent a complete teardown and rebuild. Inner city parks can get a bad reputation, but this one is always filled with local kids. Here we chat with our like minded neighbors while our kids play together. I wish there was never litter around, but it comes from the hundreds that use the park every day. The city is active with it’s maintenance and any wear is looked after weekly. In summers there’s fountains and outdoor ice in winter. In the planning phase there was talk about food trucks making it a stop, but that’s only happened twice in separate years.
East Village River Walk
In summer our city’s love of the river isn’t any more obvious than along the East Village’s River Walk. Morning brunch at Charbar with coffee in hand, blue sky overhead while looking out at the river is my happy place. Ending a river rafting trip at St Patrick’s island is the perfect occasion to walk back along the river pathway to Prince’s Island.
17th Avenue
I believe 17th Avenue is Calgary’s focal point for walkable urban living. I’m lucky that this last stretch before arriving home isn’t something I have to “get past” but a collection of our family’s favorite places to get out and experience festivals, dining, parks, walks, shopping and attractions. My expectation is that I can go for a walk, take in the sights, grab a coffee, pick up fresh bread, buy dishwasher pods, look at the latest tablets and pick up a birthday gift all without starting the car.
Have you been to the new Central Library? Will you be going? Do you think we needed a new library? Or do you think there was a road interchange somewhere that we could have spent the money on?
Main entrance approach from 3rd St SE
On November 1st the new Central Library opened. It was a four-year construction project totalling 245 million dollars, with unique location-based challenges (it was built over operating C-train tracks). Our new Central Library makes quite the impression, it’s welcoming with bright open spaces, an extensive use of wood, gentle curves and slopes everywhere. Of course, it’s not just the building, it’s the variety of its contents. Libraries have changed from endless aisles of books to collaboration spaces with classes and of course the books. Our new library is 240,000 sq ft, containing 450,000 titles, 30 free to use community meeting rooms, an audio and video studio and a 340 seat theatre.
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On Saturday November 3rd we joined thousands who flocked to see the city’s newest civic investment. To be honest with you when I originally heard about the new library being built in the East Village I didn’t think much of it. The location made sense but I thought little else. Now after following its construction for years, both physically by sight and online through sites and forums, I’m more than interested. I haven’t had a library card in years, saying I enjoy the atmosphere of bookstores to libraries. Well, thanks to the new Central Library I’m ready for that to change.
On the opening weekend there were performances going on all day. From the seats here you could enjoy singing, choirs, and musicians.
Here at the entrance are the new arrivals, holds and returns.
All the book shelves have integrated lighting making the book attractive. Also, the signage is clear and easy to locate.
We took the train from our end of downtown to the other, getting off at city hall. What an impression it makes, the Library is another landmark site in the East Village’s transformation of an end of downtown that was once far from desirable. The whole area is one of optimism and progress, however this is not luxury condos, high-end dining, or a boutique hotel. Because this is a place for everyone and anyone to enjoy. My wife and I remarked how the travel space from “downtown” to “the east village” is now gone. There is no space one has to “get through”. Once the tower at 5th & 3rd is complete with Loblaws City Market, then it won’t matter the direction you approach from either. Third street behind the municipal building is no longer a cold barren no man’s land. Instead it’s a welcome walk with both buildings’ staircases making the height of the buildings feel human and approachable.
The building is filled with captivating angles for sights and perspectives.
Approach we did with twenty thousand of our neighbours to see this grand place. On the west side of the building opposite city hall is a 2000 sq ft cafe called LUKES. This is a collaboration between Gareth Lukes, the third generation owner of Lukes Drug Mart in Bridgeland, and Eric Hendry, former chef of Model Milk and now Bar Von Der Fels. (LUKES is accessed from the outside on the west side of the building) We did not get a chance to check out LUKES on this visit but I’m sure we will soon. After all, there’s little our family loves more than coffee shops.
In the kids area the shelves are sized appropriately and interestingly for them.
Following stairs or a ramp leads from the street level plaza up and under the structure’s overhanging entrance. This can then be used as a passageway coming down the other side to the East Village. The entrance ceiling of the overhang is built with curved wood planks, like floorboards, a theme that is used throughout. Coming in the main entrance you first find new works of fiction. I liked that everything about the library is spacious, but space wasn’t wasted with some kind of grand lobby, no the books start right away.
Some of the many self serve checkouts.
Part of the move away from a lobby and checkout desk is that there are self-serve checkout desks all over the place. I’d read about this before our visit, it’s a move away from library staff “hidden” behind desks, and instead adds to the open and interactive nature of the library with staff moving throughout the building helping visitors.
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I imagine regularly the library will be simple to get around, but on that day, everything took a while, as we all herded around.
All the floors of the building can be accessed from the grand central staircases with natural wood throughout and lit by the skylight up top. In addition the first two floors can be gradually traversed by a walkway that slowly ramps along the perimeter of the whole structure.
Even on that busy day, you could get around quickly by moving along the perimeter.
Roughly halfway up the first floor is the site’s second restaurant, also called Lukes. This smaller site serves coffee and sweets. You can even enjoy the same soft serve that Lukes Drug Mart is famous for, the plan is for the flavours to change monthly. When you visit, give yourself some time to spend here, just to take a seat and enjoy the great view of all the developments in the East Village.
Normally I’d wait in line for a coffee
Then find a place to sit, relax and take it all in.
But on that day it felt like waiting around at an airport.
Our daughter liked the place, the whole experience. (Actually, she wanted a balloon animal and I dragged her away from the line to keep looking and take more pictures, she’s sitting here in defiant anger.)
Moving past and around the corner is the kid’s library, this I also read about in advance. Rather than a kids section in the back or the basement as you would have found years ago, this is centrally located and as grand as anything else. Kids books are arranged by age group and later by genre. The area is visually filled with colours and areas to read, but also with a play structure.
The kid’s library starts with books for the littlest first.
I’ve heard that some feel a play area for kids has no place in a library. Well as a parent I welcome it. I look forward to years of coming to the library as a family, it’s filled with something for everyone and we’ll easily spend hours there. However, when kids are just little they get restless with sitting, or “looking around”. A play area is perfect it allows them to reset or balance out and then be ready and patient for a change of pace again. At least this is what I can see my kids doing.
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The second floor continues with the extensive fiction collection as well as special collections for the visually or hearing impaired.
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This is an Electronic magnifier and a text to speech reader
The darkened rooms here are some of the free to use bookable meetings spaces
Peeking into one of those meeting rooms
The third floor has a digital focus, here is where the audio and video studios are. If you have a project you need to work on but lack the equipment it’s all here for your use. You can borrow Chromebooks and take them to a cubicle or meeting room. The floor also contains the teen lounge, here there are board games and video games. Teens can find novels and book series focused on them while they can also learn about robots and programming, use an old typewriter or learn to sew. There are also music and movie collections that can be taken out just the same. It’s a true space for teenagers.
Board Games
Larger meeting/collaberation space
Magazine area
Movies
More Board Games
Space to lounge and read
Video game station
Space to lounge and read
Learn to Sewing
Foreign films collection
The fourth floor contains reference volumes with a huge section on local history and interest. Lastly is the great reading room. This reminds me a little of an old world library space, yet modern and very calm a perfect retreat.
This has everything you could ever want to know about our great city, from early settlers to early oil days
Entrance to the “TD Great Reading Room”
Inside the Great Reading Room
The Great Reading Room from afar
On that opening weekend it was insanely busy, imagine Chinook Mall two days before Christmas, and you’d be right. There were lines to get everywhere, lines to look at everything, and strollers parked everywhere. Yet mixed in with the crowds just coming to look around like ourselves, there were already people reading and studying.
Public Computers
Great spaces for everyone
Cubicles for working
Despite the huge open welcoming areas, there are still sit down spaces for small groups and individuals everywhere. There are rows of computers and printers for everyone to use and great meeting rooms for groups. There are classes going on where you can learn new skills, take a history lesson, or hear a local author speak, all for free.
More computer spaces
But don’t think that a visit to simply pick up a book will occupy more time than you have, because right off the entrance are the holds for pickup, and returns. Ensuring you don’t need to take the time to explore, except when you have it.
Our daughter saw me working on this post and asked when we are going back to the library. I hope her enjoyment and appreciation of public spaces never ends
This new library is a beautiful addition to our city, to the downtown and the East Village. I don’t believe for a second that the money should have been spent elsewhere, there will always be other demands on our tax paying dollars. But to live in a city with no community, no great spaces of expression, no unique and local spaces is not a city I want to live in. This library is free to all, for every income level, for our oldest citizens and our youngest, for those newest to our country and those who’ve never left our city.
Visitor guides containing this map are located everywhere
I’ve heard criticisms about its location, being realistic it is down the street from the drop in centre and shares a sidewalk with the salvation army. But it’s also across the street from Bow Valley College, sharing 3rd street with the future City Market, and a close neighbour to Studio Bell. It is near everything, in a neighbourhood where everything is changing.
Looking east down the steps into the East Village
I’m sure that a trip to the Library via the C-Train would bring my family into contact with more of our city’s homeless than a car trip to Chinook Mall. Does that mean I will want to keep my children away from its location? Not at all. First off people everywhere are different, and different isn’t to be feared. I want my children to experience life, not to be held up in some sheltered environment. If that means that we see someone less fortunate at the Library trying to change their circumstances, then that’s the way the real world is. If that means we see someone sleeping on the steps of that nice new plaza, well that’s a little uncomfortable. That would create some questions, which I would try to explain, and to teach them how to handle such situations. Yes I want to protect my children from things in life that would make them uncomfortable, but really I want to teach them to see and understand situations. If that means seeing a mixture of things in our day to day experience, well that’s living where everything isn’t always the best, but it isn’t a reason to stay away from things and places where things happen.
I love the River Walk
I’ve had some of my best times in our city in the East Village. In the summer I call sitting along the River Walk my happy place. This area is more than up and coming it is filled with growth and positivity. I like visiting the area because that energy is infectious. It is the perfect location for the new Central Library and many family outings to come.
I wish this was everyday
I wanted to share more pictures of some of the other rooms and features that I couldn’t fit into the article.
I can’t talk about Charbar without talking about the East Village. I’ll keep my distraction short and return to it another time. The East Village is a 15 block area on the east side of downtown, behind City Hall, Bow Valley College and the Harry Hays Building extending to the Elbow River and Inglewood. When I moved here nearly twenty years ago calling the area a run down lost cause was being polite. Let’s just say a change has come, following a 300 million dollar investment from the city to upgrade the infrastructure of the area private investment has followed. Mixed in with the previous rundown structures and crackling empty lots were several historical structures with great character. These buildings have all been saved, refurbished, modernized and become cornerstones of the area. One such building was the Simmons Mattress warehouse. To say it’s the crown jewel of the area, might be an overstatement after all this area is flourishing with unique and special gems.
Looking west at the Simmons building, June 2015.
A building like this took special vision to revitalize and bring it to where it is today. This came from three local business that came together to bring back this building. They each focus on old world quality, being fresh and sustainable while supporting local suppliers and communities. They are Phil & Sebastian, Charbar, and Sidewalk Citizen.
The Phil & Sebastian coffee bar at the south entrance, with Charbar’s cocktail bar in the foreground.
Phil & Sebastian is one of Calgary’s boutique coffee roasters and true coffee houses. They began at the Calgary Farmers’ Market and now have five locations. I’d like to say that the East Village is their flagship location however the Stephen Ave location is also beautiful. www.philsebastian.com
Sidewalk Citizen’s inside sign, seen when approaching from the north side.
Sidewalk Citizen is an artisan bakery based in Kensington, with the Simmons’ building location being their second. They specialize in traditional baking methods and have delicious baked goods. www.sidewalkcitizenbakery.com
Charbar’sinside signage seen over the host counter. Showing curing meat.
This brings us to Charbar, the second venture from the team behind downtown’s acclaimed Charcut. While Charcut is meat first, with in-house butchery featuring charbroiled and rotisserie meats. Charbar has a range of dishes emphasizing vegetables and seafood, but don’t worry the signature meats cooked with an Argentinian wood-fired tradition blending Spanish and Italian influences is still present.
The Simmons building, visible atop is Charbar’s rooftop patio.
Charbar opened in the summer of 2015 with much anticipation showcasing what is evolving in the East Village. We made our inaugural visit for brunch on the last Sunday that June. We’ve been five or six times now and like a few other spots, it’s simply a crime that we haven’t been for dinner. However as parents who want our daughter to experience and try more at every opportunity, mornings are better for an East Village adventure.
The East Village’s RiverWalk water front.
To hurry our arrival to the East Village we took the C-Train to the other end of downtown, walked to the river, and to the Simmons’ building. At that time I gasped at the progress that had been happening since my last stroll along the river and through the area. A few years before when RiverWalk had reimagined the waterfront we walked along and it was a beautiful concept, but felt almost out of place because there was little else over there. Now with landscaping complete, construction and optimism all around, in the center is a brick structure brought forth from the past.
Ceiling details inside the Simmons building.
Walking inside we were in love, original natural wood timbers, raw steel trusses, and natural light was everywhere. The place felt like a turn of the century warehouse loft, exactly what it was. The center opened up to a glass elevator creating a focal point and primary access to the levels including the rooftop patio. I’d heard about the three separate business using the space and had seen a concept floor plan, but I had to look around and see it.
Looking west to the downtown through the windows of the Simmons building.
This place is a passion project for these businesses, what a phenomenal collaboration to create together. From day one it brings an identity to the East Village.
Sidewalk Citizen’s counter at the south entrance. Always a line of people picking up breads and sweets.
Looking around, Phil & Sebastian is on the south side of the building. While Sidewalk Citizen is on the north side, with a river facing patio next to Charbar’s own. Doors on both sides of the building access these spaces and come together in the middle at Charbar’s cocktail bar and host counter.
Upstairs in the Simmons Building, the glass elevator is just visible to the right.
At that first visit, we were seated in the spacious upstairs with only a few other tables occupied. Despite the large size, I’ve noticed in subsequent visits that the place doesn’t become noisy with conversation white noise like some large or even smaller places. I tribute that to all the aged wood surfaces.
Upstairs in the Simmons Building, stairs visible beside the elevator.
Charbar calls their menu “eclectic and innovative” I can’t argue with that, for brunch you can order bacon and eggs, but you can be having a chicken chimichurri or empanadas. How about a brunch appetizer, as I like to call the deep-fried french toast bites?
Deep-fried french toast bites dulce de leche dipping sauce ($12)
They have a few breakfast salads, one with cabbage, avocado and seeds, the other with kale, gouda and chiles. How about their brunch burger? It’s a “Double stacked gaucho burger, dry-aged provoleta cheese, crush avocado”. Is a western steak and eggs more you style? They have you taken care of with an asadora steak, fried eggs, and fried yucca. Are you asking what’s yucca? I was. It’s a South American root vegetable like a sweet potato, and you need to try it!
Phil & Sebastian Coffee ($4)
To say the food met our expectations is underselling it. I feel that everything we’ve ever eaten there is, intentional. What’s that mean? Is it crisp, hot, dry, saucy, sweet, savory? You are experiencing it exactly as the chef has intended.
Chicken chimichurri sandwich melted mozzarella on fresh baked bread ($17)
On that first visit, I had the chicken chimichurri sandwich. Delicious and I want one now. I’ve had it one other time and it was just as memorable.
High recommended by Choosing Urban
You’ve got chicken with melted mozzarella topped with an egg on freshly baked bread. That bread is toasted crispy and compliments the egg and cheese perfectly. The chicken, well flavourful in every way. Looking back now, I should have asked for yucca on the side, they’re just that good.
Crushed whole avocado on toasted sourdough with fried eggs ($14)
That first time and several times since my wife has had the avocado toast with two eggs on top. She has raved about it and on our second trip when we sat outside I think it made her day.
On that first visit, my daughter had simple toast, it was two huge slices of amazing bread. Since then she gets the kids breakfast. While she doesn’t rave about it, there’s no stealing any bacon from her.
I wish I knew what these were.
On our first visit, they had a feature cocktail I wish I could tell you anything about it because it was so amazing and refreshing, but it’s been too long.
Fried eggs and empanadas chimichurri, hot sauce butter ($18)
On another trip, I had the fried eggs with empanadas. The eggs are served with a pesto sauce and there is a hot sauce butter for dipping the empanadas in. Excellent, unique flavors, I really enjoyed it.
EV eggs benedict Spanish ham, savory scone, charred lemon and brown butter hollandaise, fried yucca ($17)
On our most recent trip I had the eggs benedict. Our server warned me that in their traditional style the eggs are runny. I guess they were, not sure, I was too busy enjoying everything to notice. I suppose it’s to be expected considering Charbar’s heritage, but the ham on the benedict is what other ham should aspire to be.
Downstairs dinning area, with seafood counter at the bar.
How is Charbar for kids? They have a kid’s breakfast menu item, and many other sides could be ordered for them. As well they have highchairs, the men’s bathroom had a spacious enough counter for managing a change but no dedicated spot. While I’ve seen a lot of kids there at brunch, their lunch and dinner menu’s don’t have kids sections. Still, I’m sure my daughter and I could share an order of fried squid, and a chorizo pizza, but your mileage may vary.
Finishing details made to the inside of the Simmons building.
Lastly, value. Is it cheap? No. It is at the upper end of the culinary experience and so is their pricing. Regarding my individual experiences, all have been filling and satisfying. However, one more empanada with the brunch serving would help the value.
Charbar’s rooftop patio, the place to enjoy summer.
I certainly do recommend Charbar, but its price makes it more of an outing or an experience rather than soothing routine or regular. The good news is, so does their food.
Looking north from the rooftop patio to the Bow River.
Phil & Sebastian serving coffee from their patio on a summer’s day.
First of all, I don’t why I haven’t gone to this before. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait till our daughter is a little older and she can enjoy more aspects of it.
Most of Beakerhead’s exhibits had signage close by. However at some I couldn’t find it.
First of all my daughter and I did go out on opening night so to speak, Wednesday the 13th. We took the car down to Eau Claire and parked underground, cheap and lots of spaces available. CBC was broadcasting the Homestretch from there to promote the first day of Beakerhead.
“The Claw” was 25.5 ‘ hight
I would have liked to know how long it took to build The Claw. Not just to assemble it here on site, but the first time.
At Eau Claire was “The Claw”, a giant version of the “arcade game”. Like the regular version, you use a controller to pick up objects and drop them in another area. But that’s where the similarities ended, it was three shipping containers tall and took three players working in unison to control the claw. One person pushes a giant joystick forward and back to move it side to side. Another person pushed giant directional buttons side to side to move it forward and back. The last person had a button to lower the claw, and everyone had a giant button they had to step on all at once to open the claw.
The controllers were styled after the original Nintendo’s controller.
I was surprised that at three and a half my daughter immediately understood what it was, and declared “I wanna do that!”. We partnered up with another father-daughter team and worked to get only one of the giant bags to the finish area. I say only one because the group before us had got five in one scoop. Still, my daughter was no less excited than she had been for the previous people. Everyone who plays gets a prize, and the other little girl let my daughter claim the prize for us. My daughter received a fiber optic light up glow wand that changes colors, which she loves.
The Claw in action
Unfortunately, we didn’t stay long as it was cold and windy out. We did a lap of Eau Claire market, but everything was closed so we returned to the car. I drove us over to the East Village to see what else we could see. There was a lot of setup work being done at Fort Calgary, but I saw the giant Teeter-Tooters. I parked the car and said we would check it out. However, when I opened the door, even more wind hit me that at Eau Claire. I told my daughter it was super windy and asked if she still wanted to check it out. Which she did, so off we went in the wind and cold.
“Impulse” in the East Village plaza was the giant Teeter-Tooters
In our night photos you can see Impulse lit up
They were indeed giant, going about 4ft in the air, made sounds and lit up. However, because of our significant difference in weight, I only pushed down on one side instead of riding on it. My daughter wasn’t pleased with my half-hearted “riding”, but she still giggled while going up and down. We braved the winds a little longer to look around the area and then bumped into some friends also checking things out in the cold. Then with our little adventure over, we headed back home.
My daughter thought it was fun, she wanted to ride it longer but it was tough to push here up there.
I hope people were able to get out and enjoy the exhibits of Beakerhead on Thursday and Friday because we just found it too cold out.
However Saturday night we made it out, and it wasn’t as cool in the afternoon/evening. Not much wind but it did get chilly as the night went on.
The James Joyce on Stephen Avenue was enjoying a busy evening. Of note, they don’t allow kids.
I wish we had been able to make it down on Friday or Maybe earlier on Saturday. We were on Stephen Avenue at 4, and there was nothing going on. There were more people out than I would expect and we walked around Olympic Plaza before heading to dinner at Milestones.
Olympic Plaza decked out in it’s Canada 150 decals. I’ve heard talk about an Olympic Plaza redesign being planned, anyone know anything? Contact garygeyer@choosingurban.com
I have no photos from Milestones and I’m not going to go into, but it didn’t reach past experiences and expectations for Milestones or this location.
5,000 white balloons spill out of the #1 Canadian Legion building. The exhibit called “Nucleation” depicts a experiment gone wrong inside.
Large soap bubbles came out of windows in the upper floors, which my daughter chased around. (Maybe next time not right next to C-Train tracks)
I liked the many sizes of ballons used
My plan for after dinner was to walk up to the river where we could let our daughter walk around without her needing to be anchored to handholding. We’d see what was on the way to the East Village and make it to Fort Calgary in time for the Serpent Mother’s eight o’clock show.
Here at Bowwave an organized tour group was travelling to the exhibits.
These are the buttons to activate the various parts of the music playing at Bowwave
On the east side of the center street bridge we found “Bowwave”. Bowwave was a series of hand sized buttons you could push that would make sounds, and then on the other side of the river, make lights illuminate. At the time we were there it wasn’t that dark and it was hard to see the lights on the other side. Only some of the buttons did anything and it wasn’t holding our attention.
Light show on the north bank of the Bow for Bowwave
At night more aspects of Bowwave’s illumination could be seen
With more signage, I would have understood what I was seeing and appreciated it more. However is/was Bowwave more of an interactive art installation, than a science experiment? I think so. In that case, it needs to be taken in, thought about as a piece of expression, without immediate definition. I saw people reacting like me, they walked along, saw it, stopped for a few seconds, pushed the buttons and kept going. The format of being on an outside walk leads to this sort of interaction, versus being indoors in a slow paced setting. There the intention of finding your impression of a work of art is more understood. Here there is an element of figuring it out, what is it, what does it do, or maybe more important, how do you feel about what you’re seeing, because it is art.
I had this perspective because a guy who was part of the installation came over and spoke to us about it for a few moments. First, it was rather low tech or done with repurposed tech. The large stacked blocks with buttons were touch sensitive and left over from the old science center. They were connected to small modular computers (Raspberry Pi units) which then communicated wirelessly to the lights on the other side of the river. The shoreline where the lights were set up was “new” having been formed by rocks pushed down during the 2013 flood. The sounds being played were in fact music, and each button didn’t make sounds, but unmuted an instrument that made up the song. If enough people pushed and held all the button you would hear the complete song, and see the complete light show.
The “Bowwave” exhibit seen on the east side of the center street bridge
Perhaps signage asking, “Do you hear it all? Do you see?”. Something to drive more experimentation among the people passing by, to lead away from being dismissive. Then again, you find what you see, you can’t make someone see something in art. We returned later on the way home, hence the night photos.
“Hack the Flyer” Check out the team’s who’ve Frankensteined a Radio Flyer for an obstacle course
We continued our walk to Fort Calgary and came to “Hack the Flyer” going on outside the Simmons building. This reminded me of high school, teams were riding in a Radio Flyer red wagon through an obstacle course. The teams had outfitted the wagons whatever way they could to make it through the course. Was it race against the clock? Did the teams have a time limit to create their wagons? I can’t answer these, A) because we arrived late just walking by, B) because the program guide doesn’t have such detail about any exhibits.
Is this the Cat in the Hat?
We stayed for about ten minutes and saw two of the teams go through the course. My daughter watched the first race with me, it was fun and funny. (Don’t judge my camera work. I was watching the event in person rather than through my screen.)
Next stop was the Fort Calgary grounds. There were thousands of people everywhere with more coming. There were stages, dance floors, exhibits, and a dozen food trucks.
There were lots of kids, my daughter wasn’t the youngest we saw, but among the younger side of the kids there. Most were families with ten to fourteen year olds. There wasn’t the dominant presence of older teenagers and young twenty somethings you would see at something like the Stampede. If my daughter was ten I could see us coming with some other families and letting the kids check things out on their own.
Walking from East Village Plaza to Fort Calgary
Beakernight at Fort Calgary
It looked like anyone could have a ride in this!
Search Google for photos taken from this 200ft crane!
It was a busy environment but not chaotic in the least. I saw a few police officers around but nothing overwhelming. There wasn’t the same quantity of garbage and recycling bins we’d been seeing at other events this summer. I hope the aftermath to Fort Calgary wasn’t too rough.
Visible from far away we made our way to the Serpent Mother. Serpent Mother is a 168-foot metal sculpture with a moving head and extensive flame effects. She starts wrapped around her egg and then is sprawled out along the 168-foot distance. Sadly I did not see the egg open, at which time 40’ plumes of colors flames shoot into the sky. Created by Flaming Lotus Girls an artist group from San Francisco they specialize in pyrotechnic art installations. Their exhibits travel around to events like Beakerhead.
Check out their site for more information flaminglotusgirls.com (Coincidentally their site used the same design platform as Choosing urban) Also, read their blog for tales of their time in Calgary and all about setting up the Serpent Mother.
My daughter loved the fire show and showed no fear at all. I thought she would call it a dragon because she presently has a fascination with them, however she understood it was a snake and wanted to see it again!
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Flaming Lotus Girl’s “Serpent Mother”
Walking around there were tents with science presentations going on, games, activities and entertainment everywhere. We left a little after nine, walking back home, it was a late night for our daughter, but she loved it and talked about it extensively the next day. We are absolutely coming back next year, with a better plan. I would recommend anyone with kids to come see it.
Looking from Fort Calgary towards St Patrick’s island
Beakerhead is an outdoor exhibit of art, science and engineering, it takes place over five days and several sites. It is a great chance to see the city come together to experience something unique. From what I understand Beakerhead doesn’t travel, it is a Calgary event. Some of the exhibits do travel to other events. I have to confess, in all my years I’ve only been to one exhibit and that was two years ago. This year our family’s taking in the sights and sounds of Beakerhead. We’ll check out one or two of the exhibits outside the east village area during the week. Then Stephen Ave on Friday night, and the big site’s on Saturday. I want to see my little girl see the “Serpent Mother”, I’m sure she’ll call it a dragon.
Nearly all the exhibits are free and sound awesome to check out. Will there be food trucks in the area? I don’t know, but seems likely. Will it be cancelled it it rains? They say no way, it will happen rain or shine. I think it’s going to be a great spectacle and I hope to get some awesome pictures.
Come down, check it out, share your stories.
To see information about all the exhibits including times and locations with pictures follow this: https://beakerhead.com/events
