As the editor of Avenue, I get to go to quite a few fundraisers and/or social occasions. But, for me, the Storybook Ball is special because it’s a night that I don’t need to call the sitter — because it’s meant to be shared with the entire family. The second annual Storybook Ball was held at the Shaw Conference Centre Saturday, March 2. More than 350 attendees helped raise more than $45,000 for Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home-away-from-home...
Four more Edmonton restaurants will be featured in the new season of the Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here! Host John Catucci and the camera crew recently visited the kitchens at the Highlevel Diner, Louisiana Purchase, Sofra and The Dish Bistro. The second...
More than 100 chains of light and several dozen sculptural glass vessels hang from the northwest corner of Simons in West Edmonton Mall, undulating with the flow of people. According to artist and architect, Philip Beesley, whose work has appeared internationally, the art installation, Simons Aurora, is an interactive environment. It looks like a combination of ice crystals and a coral reef — it even acts like the latter — the crystalline tentacles are fitted with hundreds of sensors, which...
Every February, hopeless romantics embrace red roses and gourmet chocolates, while cynics grumble about Valentine’s Day not being a “real” holiday. Only one thing is certain: Edmontonians have strong opinions about the day, whether they celebrate it or not. Respondents to Avenue Edmonton’s online survey were divided on almost every issue relating to Valentine’s Day – for some it’s a holiday not to be missed, while others see it as just another day. Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? 63%...
It's the biggest night of the year for Hollywood, and another big opportunity for a Sylvan Lake entrepreneur. Jodee Prouse is one of a select group invited to the Academy Awards Feb. 24th to meet celebrities and make her products available to them. She’s done the same thing at the Emmy Awards, Miss Teen USA and the Canadian Country Music Awards. She’s also participated in the Kardashian Birthday Gift Bags. “It shows you how far outside the box I am from everyone else,” says Prouse, who plans to take...
A piece of history was unveiled today at West Edmonton Mall. The late Princess Diana’s wedding dress was carefully unpacked so it could be put on display as part of Diana: A Celebration, an award-winning exhibit recognizing Princess Diana’s life and work. The dress, known as “the dress of the century,” is one of the focal points of the exhibit and the first piece to be revealed to the press....
The programmers of this year’s Global Visions Film Festival made some educated guesses — and their picks came up golden. Included in the documentary film festival’s picks for 2013 are The Gatekeepers and How to Survive a Plague — which have both been nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar. The festival runs from Feb. 27 to March 3, and its brass unveiled the film lineup to the media on Friday, Feb. 1. Of course, festivals have to make their picks long in advance of announcing...
Edmonton is the first market outside of three northern Colombian states to get Cafvino on its liquor-store shelves. But what is it? Is it a dinner wine? A dessert wine? A liqueur? With its distinctive light brown colour, it doesn’t look like wine. To the nose, it feels like a Tokaji, sweet and musky. But when you take a sip, it’s not overpoweringly sweet. And, there is no sour or vinegar finish like you get from a lot of wines. That’s because the mellow coffee flavour takes over....
Over the last century, the sandstone walls of Government House have contained rooms used for many different purposes. The house has been home to past lieutenant-governors of Alberta; it’s been a home to American engineers during the Second World War; it’s been a hospital for veterans; it’s been a derelict building. And, as of Wednesday, it’s a national historic site. The highlight of a 100th-birthday event — attended by Lietutenant-Governor...
Last winter, we conducted our first-ever Best Neighbourhoods survey, in conjunction with Banister Research and Consulting Ltd. The response was tremendous. And after months of number crunching, the survey provided the data we needed for our first-ever Best Neighbourhoods issue, which came out in August, 2012. We were confident in our methodology — and our math. And the clear winner for Edmonton’s top neighbourhood was...
