get lost in... edmonton! in the summer! (part one.)

summer evening bliss: wandering the train tracks after swing dance class and talking with a friend...

i have always, always, loved summer in edmonton. aptly dubbed 'festival city', there is no shortage of exciting things to see and places to go. absolutely nothing beats the heat of sun and prairie dust on your back, while eating something new, listening to something beautiful, or watching something inspiring.

aside from the fact that i am a wedding dj and it is august, i have been quiet on the blog front because a computer screen comes second to real-life adventures and face-to-face and heart-to-heart, and all the joys that e-town has to offer. here are a few of the highlights of summer so far... and reasons that you should totally come to edmonton, like, now.


epl's outdoor screening of the princess bride

churchill square festivities while waiting for the sun to go down... 

as if i needed any more reasons to love the library, the edmonton public library hosted a open-air screening of the princess bride, complete with props, prompts for audience participation, and encouraged costumery. i didn't have anything on hand that would add up to a princess buttercup costume, so i donned my most childhood-nostalgia-esque clothing item, and joined my friend, who made a smashing man in black.

churchill square was absolutely packed with families and stilt-walkers and knights and princesses, and it's safe to say that the movie was enjoyed by all. it was awesome to be in the heart of the city, embracing a bit of sentimental film appreciation with the masses.

so, i accidentally called one of these knights a pirate. he threatened to kill me. then we made up. 

listening party with lanny

my friend lanny has a shiny black el camino. there is nothing quite like cruising down whyte ave on a friday night with a good friend, but what's even better is that this friend in particular is one of the kindest souls i've met, and has stellar taste in music. 

it didn't take long for our conversation to turn to music, and since i hadn't seen him in ages, i had a handful of songs i'd been saving up to share with him. we ended up playing a one-for-one music sharing game, where i would play one song, which we had to listen to in its entirety, and then lanny would pick a song, and so on. the unofficial goal was to play something that the other hadn't heard before and would fall in love with. let me tell you, it is a fantastic way to spend a friday night. and lanny showed me some gems, who i am now head-over-heels smitten with. try it sometime with a friend who knows you and your musical soft spots well - i guarantee a good time.

the next day we collected ryan and went for brunch, a cruise and an early afternoon beer in the sun. not working on saturday mornings is GLORIOUS.

heritage festival 

a tiny corner of the vast cultural congregation that is heritage festival...

one of my favourite memories with my friend jenn is the time we went to heritage festival and were so engrossed in conversation that we wandered through the entire park, past thousands of people and hundreds of tents filled with delicious food, completely oblivious to it all, for each other's company outshone it all. now, that is really saying something about our friendship, because this festival is a barrage on all of the senses.

heritage festival has become one of my favourite weekends in edmonton. all the colors and flavours of edmonton are collected into one place, and there is no mistaking the excitement of expats who have come together to show off all that they love about their home country. the festival consists of tents hosted by each country that has patriots in edmonton. some simply offer food, others also sell cultural artwork, and others even provide history, information or a mock tour of what their nation has to offer. it's a riot of color and celebration, and absolutely not to be missed.

just a little barbeque happening outside the sudanese tent... 

fabulous folk-dancing kiddies from the polish contingent. source

a picnic in the park
last but not least, amanda and i - who may be roommates, but cross paths so rarely you'd hardly guess it- enjoyed a picnic in the park across from our house with a good friend who was in from out of town. in all the crazy busy-ness, it was awesome to just sit down and enjoy the sun, our neighborhood, and the company of a couple sweet friends.

if it isn't apparent already, i'm kinda digging this city... come to edmonton! there's still a bit of summer left...