Author Archive

We know the ink isn’t dry yet, but the intense media speculation and Twitter reports indicate that our beloved captain is on the way out. [UPDATE: Flames have made official announcement.]

Sniff, sniff. Whaddya mean no more hanging at the Dome chillin’ with Jarome? #tear #flames #goflamesgo

— Calgary Is Awesome (@CIAwesome) March 28, 2013

Jarome Iginla has been the face of the Flames franchise for 16 years! He holds most of the team’s records, been our #1 all-star and a great community advocate. And who can say no to those dimples! Flames fans have loved his scoring touch, his aggressive play, and his ability to get down and dirty and face the NHL’s toughest enforcers tête-à-tête unlike any other captain in the league. When Iggy fought, you knew you were in for a great game where the captain was going to lead his team to victory. And many times he did.

We’ll all remember how he scored his very first goal in the playoffs as an 18-year-old. We’ll all remember how he made that infamous pass to Sidney Crosby at the 2010 Winter Olympics. We’ll definitely remember how much passion and heart he played with to take the Flames all the way to Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup final (and yes, Gelina’s goal did go in, goddamit!).

It’s too bad that Flames fans can’t give Iggy the send-off he deserves since he was made a healthy scratch amid the trade rumours. But I know the next game he plays in the Saddledome, (even though it will be in another team’s jersey) Calgarians will welcome him back with a hero’s return. He deserves it.

I’ll leave you guys with the Iggy Goal Dance. It will always bring a smile to my face. Farewell Iggy!

Cupcakes! Free cupcakes! Ok, this post isn’t about delicious baked goods but the awesome way in which you can get them: by donating blood. Intrigued? Good.

Canadian Blood Services (CBS) relies on thousands of people to regularly donate blood. In Southern Alberta, over 6,000 units of blood were collected in the month of February. That sounds like a lot but to keep up with regular demand, CBS needs 7,500 new donors from Southern Alberta this year alone. And with only three per cent of Calgarians donating blood, they’ll need more people to help reach that target.

I’ve asked a number of people to join me in donating blood but most get squeamish and are just plain scared of the whole idea. But I promise, donating blood is really easy and you get to save lives! How awesome is that?

Here’s my step-by-step guide on how to donate blood.

Read more

 
Kristi Graham, executive assistant, photographer, traveler, outdoors enthusiast, animal lover and gypsy.

  
 
Have an interesting or unique photo of Calgary? Share your photos on our Facebook page or Flickr account and you may see your photo In Focus.

Owners: Connor Gould (designer) & Leslie McNeilly
Label: Camp Brand Goods
Location: campbrandgoods.com, The Gallery | 1314 1 St SW, The UnCommons | 1325 9 Ave SE

I first fell in love with Camp Brand Goods when I saw their clothing at a local market – the fashion-meets-comfort vibe made me want to pick up every single version of their items and more. In Calgary’s often schizophrenic weather, their vintage-inspired looks are a real treat to stay warm and stylish. But what really struck me was that this great local label was getting it done right here in Calgary with just a team of two (and apparently, I’m not the only surprised one either). Meet the awesome duo behind Camp Brand Goods.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself:

Connor: Well, we are both born & raised Calgarians. I spent some time at the University of Calgary and ACAD.  I started a little clothing company with a friend when we were 18.  It was really fun and we had some success but overall it was a bit of a bust.  It lasted for a few years but never got legs.  I now work as a graphic designer at 54blue .  I have always been really passionate about art & design.  Camp started as a creative outlet for myself. Since then Camp has grown into an actual company run by my girlfriend, Leslie McNeilly, and myself.

Leslie: I also attended the University of Calgary, studying Primatology, though I quickly realized you can’t do anything with that degree so I put my love of the sandwich arts to use and am now the owner/operator of the Subway restaurant in Kensington.

Read more

“As a self declared “skyscraper geek,” The Bow building has been a personal favorite to watch rise into the skyline of Calgary. With the completion of Juan Plensa’s art piece “Wonderland” I had to go down with my family and check it out. I think it is a great contribution to the art in our downtown core, and the ability to walk inside of it gives it an interactivity that is usually lacking in our public art. The Bow and Wonderland: two new icons on the Calgary landscape.”

Aaron Stayner, urbanist and skyscraper geek

Have an interesting or unique photo of Calgary? Share your photos on our Facebook page or Flickr account and you may see your photo In Focus.

Who doesn’t love to dress up every now and again? I sure do and was stoked to attend the Glenbow Museum’s 2^nd annual fundraiser, SCHMANCY. Touted as a “raucous evening of arts and culture,” it did not disappoint with a feature presentation with George Stroumboulopoulos and Calgary’s very own Rebecca Northan (of Kung Fu Panties fame – go check it out!). The pair played off each other in a fun and humorous “dinner date” that discussed arts, culture and other mischievous tidbits. Strombo made a number of arguments about the state of arts and culture, but his best point was: “Everyone is entitled to an equal opportunity, but not an equal outcome.” What he meant by this statement is that it is up to an audience to meet halfway. Without an engaged group that will support the arts through participation, attendance, and yes, donations, places like the Glenbow Museum, would cease to exist. It was a very fitting claim for an event like SCHMANCY that is all about the community coming together to celebrate the creative industries.

Photo courtesy of Glenbow Museum

And let’s not forget the fashion! In a town that is known for jeans and a blazer as “formalwear”, it was a pleasure to see Calgarians hit the town in full glitz and glamour.  Surrounded by some great art at the Glenbow, the partygoers made sure their outfits were artistic pieces of their own. Check out the pics after the jump!

Read more

Photo credit: Salathe

As a kid I would always save all my pennies and other change. Pennies made a difference and I knew better than to just to discard them. When I hit twenty dollars, I felt absolutely rich! One can only imagine how many jars and hours it took to save up 2,000 pennies. Well, those days of decadence are long gone, but I still remember that every penny counts. With the demise of the penny this past week, it is time to give your pennies a fond farewell by dropping them off at one (or more!) of these local charities.

Read more

“This was taken two weeks ago from the footbridge on Prince’s Island Park on my walk downtown to my office in Art Central. I like to take photos on my way to work in the morning; it is a reason to slow down and enjoy the morning rather than rushing into work mode so quickly.”

Janine Vangool is publisher/editor/designer of UPPERCASE, a quarterly magazine for the creative and curious.

Have an interesting or unique photo of Calgary? Share your photos on our Facebook page or Flickr account and you may see your photo In Focus.

Cancer is an ugly word. Almost everyone has been affected by it in some way. But even with such a sickly disease there are ways to shine a positive light on it. That’s what Brendan Klem wants to do by putting family first. He is offering photography sessions to families affected by cancer and helping to preserve their memories with their loved one. The sessions are done at no cost and the black-and-white images are given to the family to keep. “I want to show their love for one another despite the hard times that they are going through,” Brendan explains.

Brendan is no stranger to hard times having seen firsthand how cancer can affect family. His own father was diagnosed with acute leukemia back in 2007. What was initially a grim prognosis turned into a five-year ordeal that was a draining process for his family. “I don’t really remember much of the recent past where [my dad] was not sick, let alone frail. It wasn’t until the last two years that I came to see it all: so many hours spent in the car, planning days when we could go to the hospital or figuring out dinners to bring with us. I honestly don’t know how my mom did it day in, day out for years.”

By trade, Brendan is a photographer, but he quickly found that photography became a low priority when dealing with a sick parent. During his dad’s illness, he was able to capture some of his father’s final moments like in the image below. This is one of the last photos Brendan took of his dad; here his father is battling the effects of chemo by trying to stay warm with blankets over a heating vent. “The picture that I have of my father is one that I am thankful of taking. There are others that are amazing even though the times might not have been so good,” Brendan says.

After his father passed away in 2011, Brendan began searching for a way to give back to other families that are affected by cancer. Thus, the “family first” photos idea was born, especially as he realized the photos that he didn’t take with his own dad. “I feel I took the right amount of photos of [my father]. I just wish there were ones of the whole family together during this time too,” Brendan says. While the topic of cancer can be depressing, this project is ultimately about family and the love within. “I really have no idea how people will react to the photographs. My intention is in no way to reflect death. There is so much life and love that shine through; it washes away that view anyway. That light and love is what I try to capture, and I have been so thankful to see so much of it already with the families I have photographed.”

If you know a family battling cancer that could benefit from Brendan’s awesome work, check out his blog for more info or send him an email at hello@klemandco.com.