Avenue Dec 2019

CITY| LIFE| STYLE| CALGARY

DECEMBER 2019 | $4.95 AVENUECALGARY.COM

15 Bakeries

to try now

THE OLDIES AND NEWBIES MAKING THE GOODIES YOU CRAVE.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Favourite finds from local shops for everyone on your list

HAVE DOG, WILL TRAVEL Where to take your best furry friend in the mountains

S H O P H O LT R E N F R E W.C O M

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Make winter look more like this.

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A project of

When you #BuyLocalYYC holiday gifts, your money stays in Calgary

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Happy Holidays From all of us at Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

Looking back at 2019 we remember with sincere gratitude our Alberta community of faithful clients, friends, and family.

May the beauty and hope of the season stay with you all throughout 2020!

Sincerely,

Managing Broker

Christopher Vincent

Aga Bara

Ron Dickson

Aldo Laratta

Jacqueline Thorogood Jennifer Everingham

Leslie Schroeder

Lelia Cheng

Steven Hill

Susan Hubele

Jeremy Amyotte

Colin Harms

Barb Richardson

Lisa Tomalin-Reeves Anne Clarke-Davidson Corinne Poffenroth

Anna Dakala

Calley Erickson

Chucks Okafor

Chynna Winter

Don Blocka

Dylan Cadman

Heather Waddell

Holly Janiten

Jimmy Halabi

Katherine Burns

Kim Stubbs

Kodette LaBarbera

Kyle Stone

Kym Barton

Laura Wright

Leanne McDonnell

Michelle Fournier

Miranda Pearson

Nancy Calvin

Renata Reid

Ryan DeCillia

Shannon Cadman

Thomas Yeung

Tony Laratta

Trina Barrett

Valerie Konechny

Vivienne Huisman

Wynn Alex Carr

Marianna Kindrachuk Melanie McCartney

Tanya Wold

CALGARY 403.254.5315

Norb Park

Taylor Godin

CANMORE 403.707.8048

EDMONTON 780.918.2635

LETHBRIDGE 403.308.3308

SOTHEBYSREALTY.CA

Canadian Owned and Operated. E.&O.E.: This information is from sources which we deem reliable, but must be verified by prospective Purchasers and may be subject to change or withdrawal.

F E AT U R E S

contents DECEMBER 2019

41

GIFT GUIDE 2019

28

The Seasonal Survival Guide This month marks the start of the holiday season as well as the official start of the winter season. Here are a few things you should know if you want to make it through both.

By Shelley Arnusch, Colin Gallant, Nathan Kunz, Käthe Lemon and Amber McLinden

50

The House That Art Built

Each year Avenue shops the city looking for great holiday gifts for everyone on your list. Here are this year’s fabulous finds for all the foodies, fashionistas and other folks you know and love.

A couple had an idea for a unique space where artists could come together weekly to create work and auction it off at the end of the night.

Almost 400 weeks and one wedding later, Rumble House abides.

By Jennifer Hamilton and Käthe Lemon

by Alana Willerton

60

Great Bake Shops Is there anything quite like the bready, heady smell of a good old-fashioned bakery? Follow your nose to classic bakeshops across the city and find out about the signature baked goodies that keep their clientele coming back.

ON T H E C OV ER

Christmas strawberry roll cake from Mari Bakeshop.

Page 60.

PHOTOGRAPH BY Jared Sych

DEPARTMENTS

By Gwendolyn Richards

16 EDITOR’S NOTE

18 CONTRIBUTORS

82 WORK OF ART

68

72

80

Nipika Mountain Resort is a dogowner’s paradise, where canine guests are welcomed with open arms and are free to join their human companions on the trails — no leashes required.

A downtown condo gets transformed into an ideal living space for a pair of empty nesters who were looking for all the comforts of home without the obligation of home maintenance.

Morgan Haight of the familyowned decor and jewellery boutique Rubaiyat tells us a few of her favourite things to do, see, buy and eat during the holiday season in Calgary.

21

Detours An art-meets-tech exhibition makes downtown Calgary come alive this month (catch it before it disappears). Plus, Theatre Calgary’s millennial take on a Victorian classic, a gaming store that has been rolling the dice for four decades, a live comedy talk show does an irreverent take on the traditional Christmas special, and a chat with Indigenous actor Tom Jackson, the heart and mind behind the long-running Huron Carole charity concert.

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Mountains

Decor

The List

AvenueCalgary.com

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avenue RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions 100, 1900 11 St. S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2G 3G2 Phone: 403-240-9055 Toll Free: 1-877-963-9333 x0 Fax: 403-240-9059 info@redpointmedia.ca AvenueCalgary.com Facebook: Avenue Magazine — Calgary Twitter: @AvenueMagazine Instagram: @AvenueMagazine

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Editor-in-Chief Käthe Lemon, klemon@redpointmedia.ca Executive Editor Jennifer Hamilton, jhamilton@redpointmedia.ca Senior Art Director Venessa Brewer, vbrewer@redpointmedia.ca Senior Editor Shelley Arnusch Associate Art Director Sarah Nealon Assistant Editors, Digital Content Alyssa Quirico, Alana Willerton Assistant Editor Colin Gallant Staff Photographer Jared Sych Production Designer Austin Jansen Contributing Editor Andrew Guilbert Top 40 Under 40 Intern Amber McLinden Editorial Interns Sam Gryba, Nathan Kunz Digital Interns Stephanie Joe, Mariah Wilson Fact Checker Jennifer Friesen Contributors Katharine Erwin, Tim Ford, Jennifer Friesen, Dan Page, Gwendolyn Richards, Katherine Ylitalo Land Acknowledgement Advisors Elder Edmee Comstock, Elder Reg Crowshoe, Elder Rose Crowshoe Print Advertising Coordinator Erin Starchuk, production@redpointmedia.ca Sales Assistant Robin Cook, rcook@redpointmedia.ca Director, National Sales Lindy Neustaedter Account Executives Liz Baynes, Janelle Brown (on leave), Melissa Brown, Michaela Brownlee, Jocelyn Erhardt, Deise MacDougall, Anita McGillis, Chelsey Swankhuizen Production Manager Mike Matovich Digital Advertising Specialist Katherine Jacob Pickering Digital Advertising Coordinator Silvana Franco Audience Development/Reader Services Manager Rob Kelly Printing Transcontinental LGM Distribution City Print Distribution Inc.

Avenue is a proud member of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and Magazines Canada, abiding by the standards of the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors.

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REDPOINT MEDIA GROUP INC. President & CEO Pete Graves, pgraves@redpointmedia.ca VP Sales & Marketing Andrew Persaud, apersaud@redpointmedia.ca Controller Kenneth Fong, kfong@redpointmedia.ca Director of HR & Operations Terilyn Lyons, tlyons@redpointmedia.ca Director of Digital Content & Strategy Jaelyn Molyneux, jmolyneux@redpointmedia.ca Business Development Strategist Anita McGillis, amcgillis@redpointmedia.ca Client Relations Manager Natalie Morrison, nmorrison@redpointmedia.ca Events & Marketing Coordinator Angela Chios, achios@redpointmedia.ca Office Manager Anna Russo, arusso@redpointmedia.ca

This Holiday Season!

NEXT ISSUE

January

2020

i.Z 8PSL .Z 1BTTJPO w .BOVFM (BMWF[

Lovenote

We created this special necklace for this special time! Multicoloured sapphire briolettes with 2.35 carats of diamonds more details and price on our website

WEDDINGS Get inspired with a peek inside local wedding celebrations and a view of new wedding venues and vendors.

R E S O LV E T O E AT O U T Don’t let your new year’s resolutions

TH E B EES KN EES FO R T I M ELES S G I FTS JEWELLERY • COLLECTABLES • BOOKS CLASSIC TOYS • FASHION • FINE FOODS

crimp your dining style. Whether you’re looking to eat less meat, move toward a zero-waste lifestyle, lower your carbon footprint or save money, we have great restaurant suggestions that will help you be your best you in 2020.

FIND YOUR F I T N E S S F A M I LY Gyms and fitness studios have their own unique vibe and finding out where you feel comfortable is key to a good workout. We’ve got the intel you need to figure out which fitness is the right fit.

PLAZA SHOPS OPEN DAILY 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM | NO GATE ADMISSION REQUIRED AvenueCalgary.com

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Keep Warm, It’s Cold Out There

G ET AVE N U E O N YO U R TA B L E T! To get the tablet edition, go to avenuecalgary.com/

A

s I write this, a snowstorm rages outside, but I’m cozy and warm with a cup of tea admiring the goodies we’ve selected from local shops for our holiday gift guide (page 28). Perhaps you’re in a similar position as you read this.

For many Calgarians, this is not only the literal winter, but the ongoing winter of our discontent.

Many of us continue to trudge through what we’re told is the “new normal” — the unceasing economic freeze-up. The sun not only sets earlier in the city these days. For some it has set on their businesses.

And yet, Calgarians are resilient and know the spring will come again at some point. The key now is to treat each other and ourselves warmly.

As a humorous take on this we present our Seasonal Survival Guide. With direction from the impish Elf on the Shelf, we look at how to make it through everything from snow-route parking bans and holiday health-care emergencies, to how you can tailor your giving choices to best benefit our local charities and how to survive your own family while your kids are on winter break.

People aren’t the only ones who get cabin-fever in the winter. If you have a furry friend at home in

Käthe Lemon Editor-in-Chief klemon@redpointmedia.ca

need of a vacation, look no further than our story about a Nordic-skiing resort in the mountains near Radium Hot Springs, where dogs are just as welcome as human guests.

If indoor adventures are more your speed in the winter, we’ve got you covered for that as well.

I love a good pastry anytime, but there is something about cold weather that seems to call out not only for a cookie with a cup of tea, but also a great crusty loaf of bread with a cup of soup.

Rooted in YYC 16

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In this issue, food writer Gwendolyn Richards does a deep dive into local bakeries, profiling some of the longtime baking businesses operating in the city and offering tips on where to find standout baked goods from croissants to cannolis.

As 2019 comes to a close, at Avenue we are celebrating 25 years of sharing Calgary’s amazing stories. We hope you also have a lot to celebrate this season and wish you the very best for a happy new year!

Photograph by Jared Sych; oversized abstract print top, $189, and teardrop tassel statement earrings, $15, both from Kate Hewko Concept Store

tabletedition

Make It A Wheat Christmas No matter how you bake it, wheat is a great source of fibre, which helps to lower cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar. It’s also loaded with essential vitamins and minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, thiamin, folate, potassium and Vitamin B6.

Get cooking at lifessimpleingredient.ca AvenueCalgary.com

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CONTRIBUTORS

KATHARINE ERWIN

DAN PAGE

SARAH NEALON

GWENDOLYN RICHARDS

Kate Erwin is a freelance writer, and

Dan Page is an award-winning il-

Sarah Nealon is a graphic designer

Calgary-based food writer and

content, marketing and PR strategist

lustrator whose work has appeared

and the associate art director at

author Gwendolyn Richards writes

based in Canmore. Her passion for

in The Wall Street Journal, The New

Avenue. Prior to joining the Avenue

for a number of publications about

communication and people moti-

York Times, Time, Newsweek and

team, Nealon worked for Chatelaine

travel, culinary trends, chefs and

vates her as well as her desire to be

other publications across the globe.

and Sportsnet Magazine. She re-

restaurants of all stripes. When not

surrounded by beautiful things, like

Working from his home studio near

cently designed and built the brand

dining out, Gwendolyn loves to cre-

the motifs of nature. She has always

Toronto, Page loves the dynamic

for Avenue’s first ever Made in Alberta

ate new recipes or cook up a dish

sought to find and tell the truth. When

process of crafting visual solutions

Awards, which launched this past

of comforting spaghetti carbonara.

she isn’t “working,” she can be found

and the vast diversity of subject

September. She is currently working

She is passionate about burgers and

exploring Western Canada with her

matter involved in illustration assign-

on her Etsy shop Red Bear Design

any bourbon-based cocktail. On a

two overgrown puppies.

ments. When he is not in his studio,

Studios, specializing in wedding

good night out, you’ll always see her

Page is usually enjoying time with his

stationery.

wearing her signature red lipstick and

wife, three daughters and two dogs.

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patent shoes.

Just what they wished for.

The WestJet gift card. westjet.com/giftcard

Exactement ce qu’ils souhaitaient.

La carte-cadeau WestJet. westjet.com/carte-cadeau

AvenueCalgary.com

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2019-10-30 9:43 AM

DETOURS

For the annual Northern Reflections Window Exhibition, artists create murals on display windows in downtown Calgary for the month of December. Using an app called Augle, the murals come to life when viewed through a smartphone camera.

Try out Augle on this artwork by Mateusz Napieralski, who did murals for the last two Northern Reflections and will also be part of the 2019 exhibition.

Walking in a Window Wonderland A collaboration between artists, animators and businesses, the annual Northern Reflections Window Exhibition transforms downtown display windows with dynamic artworks that celebrate winter.

S

ince 2017, the Calgary artist group Buds Collective has hosted the Northern Reflections Window Exhibition.

Combining window painting with app-based augmented reality (AR) technology that brings the work to life, this arts

festival offers an interactive celebration of the season.

“What’s always been part of the holiday season is that idea of magic and wonder — creating that feeling of awe,” says Buds Collective founder Kathryn Pearce, event director for Northern Reflections. “AR

technology is able to do that. It’s very much a magical experience.”

Buds Collective’s app, Augle, uses phone cameras to recognize the art pieces painted on public windows, triggering overlaid animations that bring the static art into motion on screen. “It’s a great opportunity to take your work to another level and let your audiences connect with it in a way that’s more personal,” says illustrator and animator Mateusz Napieralski, who has participated in Northern Reflections for the past two years. “Screens have a bit of a bad rap, but things like this actually encourage you to go out into the real world and interact with it in new ways.”

As in past years, Augle will track how many murals each user has viewed. Visiting a certain percentage of the art pieces unlocks voting privileges for the People’s Favourite Award.

Pearce says the sub-zero temperatures of Calgary winter are central to the event, which embraces the city’s chilly reputation in the themes of the murals. Last year,

Artist Mateusz Napieralski painting a window for Northern Reflections 2018.

Napieralski’s Snow Day winter landscape painted on the windows of the ATB Financial Branch for Arts & Culture on Stephen Avenue came to life with iceskating and other winter activities when viewed through the app.

Northern Reflections runs throughout December, after which the window murals are washed off. Napieralski says he finds the temporary nature of the exhibition fitting. “It kind of feels right — nothing is forever in life,” he says. “I’m just kind of happy to be part of it and create something for people to experience during that time.” —Nathan Kunz Northern Reflections Window Exhibition 2019 runs Dec. 1 to 31. For mural locations, visit budsofbuds.com.

AvenueCalgary.com

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DETOURS

W

hen Theatre Calgary’s artistic director Stafford Arima decided it was time for a new adaptation of the company’s seasonal staple production of A Christmas Carol, he had a novel idea for how to find its next playwright.

Though it’s common for the artistic director of a professional theatre company to pen an adaptation of such a revered show, Arima instead issued an open call and received more than 30 submissions from the local professional theatre community. Theatre Calgary staff (leadership and team members) reviewed them all with the writers’ names redacted to avoid bias, ultimately selecting the youngest playwright ever to adapt the show for the company. That playwright is Geoffrey Simon Brown, who turned 30 on the first day of A Christmas Carol’s rehearsals.

Brown is already a noted playwright and actor, best known for his play The Circle and as a co-founder of the youthoriented Major Matt Mason theatre collective. Until Carol, Brown’s work has been specifically created to speak to and about young people, a group historically less engaged with theatre than older adults.

With this project, he was tasked with interpreting a nearly 200-year-old work by one of the greatest authors in history.

“Anybody who is familiar with any of my other work knows that most of my dialogue is hyper-modern,” says Brown, “so that was a very interesting challenge.”

He needed to delicately update some antiquated language for clarity, as well as put his own stamp on the show, all while avoiding anachronisms with the help of dramaturg Jenna Turk. He knew he’d found the right voice once she started giving feedback that words actually written

by Dickens seemed “too modern.”

Arima says Brown’s work is both “fresh” and “timeless,” noting the way the characters relate to one another in conversation will feel realistic to a contemporary audience. Though Brown says the adaptation was no easy feat, he was guided by the belief that the tale is as applicable 22

avenueDECEMBER.19

Playwright Geoffrey Simon Brown.

today as ever. “[Dickens] was really talking about looking at the greater good instead of looking at the individual,” says Brown. “[A Christmas Carol] examines the measures of what we need to change as people; change our views and change our behaviours and change the way that we encounter the world.”

Audiences will also notice a change from the winter wonderland look of Theatre Calgary’s previous production, created by former artistic director Dennis Garnhum. Brown’s show is a grittier, more literal depiction of Dickens’ London. An entirely Calgary-based team dreamed up new costumes, sets, props, lighting, projections and some original music to give the show a completely new feel.

While refreshed thanks to these new elements, there is still plenty of classic Carol in this year’s production. One familiar face returning to the stage is Stephen Hair. Creating a refreshed role for longtime Scrooge (this marks Hair’s 28th year as Scrooge) also marks a new career step for Brown, who won the Stephen Hair Emerging Actor Award in 2010. —C.G. Theatre Calgary’s A Christmas Carol runs until Dec. 28 at Max Bell Theatre, Arts Commons

Gaming Inside the Box

T

o a certain subculture of Calgarians, there is a place that evokes an immediate nostalgia and shared experience unique to the city: The Sentry Box. The iconic gaming store celebrates its 40th anniversary on Jan. 2, 2020. According to owner Gordon Johansen, The Sentry Box is also one of the largest gaming stores in the world. “This is the fourth location we’re in now,” says Johansen. “I went from 450 square feet to 1,200, to 2,800, and then to 13,000. Moving the card store next door added another 6,000,” Johansen says.

The idea for starting the store emerged from a trip Johansen took in 1978 to the United States for a gaming convention. After an encounter with an American distributor, he started toying with the idea of selling gaming materials. “I opened the store about a year and a half later.

But honestly, the goal was to get cheap games for myself,” Johansen says with a laugh.

Since then, the Sentry Box has evolved with the gaming world, selling role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, and now European-style board games like Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan. For Johansen, one indicator that gaming is experiencing a modern renaissance is the store’s sales of dice. “For D&D alone, we sold about $2,000 a month in dice six years ago,” he says. “This past July, sales were $17,500.”

Johansen attributes the store’s success to a few things, starting with the weather: “we’re in Canada, so it’s colder, and you want to stay indoors,” he says. Owning the building they’re in and offering a diversity of products has also helped. “But also, the fact that we’ve been around so long has bred more gamers,” he says. “We’re on second- and third-generation customers. Parents used to bring them in when they were littler, and they’ve grown up with it.”

Six years ago, Johansen says he considered selling the store and retiring, but after seeing how the Sentry Box has become ingrained in gamer culture in Calgary, he remains committed to it. “I can’t in good conscience do that to loyal customers and just walk away and close the doors,” he says. “They’re why we’ve been around so long, and it keeps growing and growing.” —Tim Ford The Sentry Box.

Geoffrey Simon Brown photograph courtesy of Theatre Calgary; The Sentry Box photograph supplied by The Sentry Box

Playwright of Christmas Future

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DETOURS

Four Things to Know About Late Night at The Plaza

W

hile a Jimmy Kimmel Live! binge marathon might only inspire you to reach for a snack, for one group of Calgarians, it inspired the creation of a talk show of their own.

Since 2014, Late Night at the Plaza has presented a live talk show at the historic Plaza Theatre in Kensington, showcasing the city’s arts scene through live performances, comedy shorts, skits and film. The often-absurd show has survived thanks to a dedicated team consisting of showrunner Karlee McTavish, host Logan Cameron, co-host Kyle Lovstrom, sports host Mike Johnson and actor and writer Jade Benoit, as well as a long list of supporters and contributors.

Here are four things you should know about Late Night at the Plaza ahead of its annual Christmas special:

IT’S NOT YOUR TYPICAL C H R I S T M A S S H O W. Past themes for the Late Night at the Plaza Christmas show include the Quentin Tarantino Christmas Special and a Puppet Christmas Show, so this year’s satirical “Communism Christmas” is right in their wheelhouse.

I T M AY B E T H E W E I R D E S T W E D N E S D AY N I G H T O F YOUR LIFE. Late Night at the Plaza is exactly what you need to spice up your watercooler banter. “My goal is for [the audience] to essentially go to work the next day and be like, ‘I saw the weirdest thing last night,’” says McTavish. “Maybe they’re not laughing at that moment, but when they get home, they’re like, ‘What did I just watch?’” —N.K. Late Night at the Plaza’s Communism Christmas is on Dec. 18 at the Plaza Theatre. Tickets are available at latenightyyc. com and at the door.

Late Night at the Plaza.

PREPARE TO LOSE YOUR INHIBITIONS, AND A HINT OF MYSTERY AS THE CLOCK STRIKES 12 TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

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avenueDECEMBER.19

If it starts to look like Late Night at the Plaza is teetering on the edge of completely falling apart, that’s because it probably is. Five years in, the evolution of the show maintains the excitement of organized chaos. “A Late Night staple is that we mess up on stage. People expect it now,” says Cameron. “If a show went perfect, no one would enjoy it,” adds Johnson. “They like watching us fail.”

Y O U M AY D I S C O V E R Y O U R N E W F A V O U R I T E B A N D, C O M E D I A N O R M A G I C I A N. Late Night at the Plaza showcases the city’s arts scene, with regular performances from bands and dancers of all stripes. “Calgary as a whole has a lot of talent in the arts that goes unnoticed forefront,” says Lovstrom. The stage isn’t restricted to mainstream arts — past performances include magicians, slam poets, drag performers and a theremin player.

Northern Reflections photograph by Katy Whitt; Late Night at The Plaza photography by Jill Wise

IT’S NOT GOING TO BE P E R F E C T, A N D T H AT ’ S W H AT Y O U ’ L L L O V E A B O U T I T.

CELEBRATING EST.

60

1959

YEARS SERVING ALBERTANS

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Repeat.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro at holiday entertaining or hosting your first festive gathering, we have a bounty of fresh and imported ingredients and recipes to inspire. Pressed for time? Bring your own board and our deli team can put together the perfect cheese or charcuterie platter..

Grocery. Bakery. Deli. Café.

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DETOURS

A

ctor, musician, producer and activist Tom Jackson’s career spans more than 40 years and includes well-known roles on shows like North of 60 and Shining Time Station. Now in his 70s, Jackson considers himself “kind of ” retired, but you wouldn’t know it from all the projects he’s working on. “Now that I’m retired, I’ve got to do things!” he says.

One of Jackson’s most well-known and longlived endeavours is the Huron Carole, an annual holiday concert series that tours the country raising funds for local food banks and family service agencies. Jackson started the Huron Carole in 1987, when he learned that the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, an organization he was volunteering with at the time, was worried it wouldn’t have enough food for its Christmas food bank distribution. That year Jackson and a number of his friends put on a concert to raise funds for Council Fire. The ensuing media attention created a significant increase in donations, and since then, with only one break over the production’s entire history, the Huron Carole has been a mainstay of the Canadian holiday season, raising funds for those in need.

This year, the majority of the artists in the performances will be new, evidence of Jackson’s desire to keep the Carole fresh and ever-changing, though the biggest change is still in the works. “The Huron Carole needs to go beyond Tom Jackson,” he says. “If I get hit by a bus, it has to carry on. That model, that spirit, has to be so strong and ingrained in the project itself, that it will have its own life.”

Now based in Calgary, Jackson’s other projects include working as part of the Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership (DOAP) team, an Alpha House initiative that connects people in need with resources to help them.

(The DOAP team will be the beneficiary of funds raised by this year’s Carole concert.) He’s also working on an app with a similar purpose, as well as writing a treatment for a TV series involving elements of Haida Gwaii lore and real incidents involving vulnerable populations.

The common thread between his projects is saving lives. “I find when you do things for someone else it’s a reward,” says Jackson. “It’s as strong a medicine as any I’ve ever known to make you feel better.”—Andrew Guilbert The Huron Carole is in Calgary Dec. 1 and 3.

For tickets, visit huroncarole.ca.

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do to

this month

Openings ANNABELLE’S KITCHEN Are you a fan of Bar Annabelle and Blink Restaurant & Bar? Then be sure to check out Annabelle’s Kitchen, their new sister restaurant serving up Italian fare in Anew Table’s former space in Marda Loop.

3574 Garrison Gate S.W., annabelleskitchen.ca Social Beer Haus.

DRINKS CHAMPAGNE FESTIVAL

Social Beer Haus photograph courtesy of Social Beer Haus

The Concert that Cares

DEC. 6 Winning at New Year’s Eve means knowing your bubbly. Join Willow Park Wines & Spirits for an allyou-can-taste celebration of fine sparkling wines and discover a showstopping bottle to serve on the last night of the year.

Willow Park Wines & Spirits, 10801 Bonaventure Dr. S.E., 403-296-1640, willowpark.net

MU S I C PAUL BRANDT’S COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

SOCIAL BEER HAUS

DEC. 10, 11 AND 12

This new beerhall/smokehouse on Stephen Avenue

It’s jingle all the way when the

has seating for around 300 people. Enjoy a platter of

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and

Texas-style barbecue with a glass of craft beer and

hometown hero Paul Brandt team up

keep your eye out for a bowling alley and arcade

for three evenings of standards and

coming soon to its upper floor.

originals in symphonic style.

220 8 Ave. S.W., socialbeerhaus.com

Various locations, 403-571-0849, calgaryphil.com

WITHOUT CO. Reduce your impact on the environment by picking

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up bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo bars, beeswax

DEC. 13 AND 14

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wraps, refillable soaps and more from this new lowwaste lifestyle shop on 4th Street S.W.

If you’re reading this, it’s not too late.

Market season will largely be over by

YUM BAKERY/YUM BISTRO

this point in the month so run, don’t

This Calgary Farmers’ Market staple has opened

walk, to this 70-plus vendor market

another location on 17th Avenue S.W. There’s a

of artisan and handmade goods.

licensed restaurant on one side of the space serving

Bowness Community Association,

dishes like cinnamon-bun French toast, while the

7904 43 Ave. N.W.,

other side is a bakery selling freshly baked goods.

bycurated.com/markets

1006 17 Ave. S.W., yum-bakery.com

the most delicious destination in the Canadian Rockies

Reservation: 1.800.661.1586 www.posthotel.com

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GIFT GUIDE 2019

BY Käthe Lemon AND Jennifer Hamilton PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jared Sych

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Crissman Overshirt by Dehen1920 in safety orange (also available in gold), made from deadstock 24-ounce Melton wool. $450, at NAQP. 1207 10 Ave. S.E., 403-910-9913, shopnorthamerican.com Manitobah Mukluks is 100-per cent Indigenous-owned.

With its Storyboot line of moccasins, mitts and earrings it helps teach Indigenous communities lost artforms. Each pair comes with a story about the artist. The pair shown here was made by Anne Bell of Dene and Slavey descent who lives in Fort Nelson, B.C. $350.

Pop-up Shops at CF Chinook, CF Market Mall, The Core and CrossIron Mills, manitobah.ca Pink tourmaline and diamond ring in 18-karat yellow gold, $4,417, at J. Vair Anderson Jewellers.

409 3 St. S.W., 403-2661669, jvairanderson.com Because of the new CETA trade agreement with the EU, duties are lower on European-made items. Local boutique La Chic passes on those savings to customers on items like this necklace by Peserico, $355, at La Chic.

Bankers Hall, 403-2694775, lachiccalgary.com Jewellery organizer for travel by My Tagalongs, $26, at Liz & Lottie.

537 Riverfront Ave. S.E., 403-263-0800, lizandlottie.ca Gold and crystal drop earrings, $130, by Hillberg & Berk, a Canadian company headquartered in Regina.

CF Market Mall, 403-202-6277; Southcenter, 403-454-0942, hillbergandberk.com Plainsbreaker socks; now made in Calgary! $10 each, or $20 for three pairs.

The Core, 403-261-1624, plainsbreaker.com

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Edmonton-based Canadian brand Poppy Barley’s bestselling backpack in cowhide leather and nubuck, $425.

CF Market Mall, 587-351-7171, poppybarley.com Flex’it stackable bracelets by FOPE in rose gold, $8,150, yellow gold, $6,630, and white gold, $4,330, from Brinkhaus.

823 6 Ave. S.W., 403-269-4800, brinkhaus.com Fat Frames, designed by local architect Walker McKinley, now come in sunglasses, with four lens colours and frame colours to choose from. $195, available through fatframes.ca; orders can be shipped and picked up at McKinley Burkart Studio.

550, 110 9 Ave. S.W., 403-229-2037, fatframes.ca Cashmere fingerless gloves in a variety of colours, perfect for cold-weather texting. $18, at Kate Hewko Concept Store.

112, 908 17 Ave. S.W., 587-356-1229, katehewko.com Finally, shirts for men that are designed to look fitted and tidy while untucked.

In regular, relaxed or slim fit with regular or tall options. $132 at Untuckit.

CF Market Mall, 403202-6654, untuckit.ca Whitney large zebra-sequinned convertible shoulder bag, $448, at Michael Kors.

Southcentre, 403-225, 1943, plus two other locations, michaelkors.ca Foreo Luna 3 smart cleansing and firming massage brush, for combination, normal and sensitive skin. $259, at Holt Renfrew.

(Use the complementary valet parking!)

The Core, 403-269-7341, holtrenfrew.com

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Give the gift of cheese with Bridgeland Market’s Cheese of the Month Club, which includes three unique, carefully selected cheeses, plus gourmet accoutrements. Pick up at the market on the first Thursday of each month, $60 for a single box, $50 if you commit to 12 months.

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Calgary Eats by Gail Norton and Karen Ralph features signature recipes from 40 of Calgary’s best restaurants and bars. $39 at The Cookbook Co. Cooks.

722 11 Ave. S.W., 403-2656066, cookbookcooks.com

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Coop’s salted caramel sauce is so good it’s hard to give away. $18 at Piece on Peace.

5 Spruce Ctr. S.W., 403-663-9433, pieceonpeace.com

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Saigon Vietnamese dipping sauce, perfect for salads, marinades and salad rolls, by Lethbridgebased Umami Shop. $8.49 at Bite Grocer & Eatery.

1023 9 Ave. S.E., 403-2633966, biteyyc.com

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The Danish dough whisk, also called brodpisker, makes any batter better. Its misshapen design helps prevent over-mixing.

Plus, it looks really cool. The 11inch size is $12 at Lee Valley.

7261 11 St. S.E., 403-253-2066, leevalley.com

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by Your Green Kitchen come in multiple sizes. $10 to $24 at Reworks.

1325 1 St. S.E., 403-263-4366, shopreworks.ca

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by Stasher are suitable for sandwiches, snacks and even sous vide, since they can withstand heat. $12 to $30, at Savour Fine Foods.

1331 9 Ave. S.E., 403-5328222, savourfinefoods.com

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Crave cupcake mix, $10, and buttercream icing, $10. One mix package makes 12 cupcakes (available in red-velvet and chocolate).

Four locations in Calgary, cravecupcakes.

For the cooking nerd in your life, there’s the Le Creuset limited-edition Star Wars collection. Darth Vader

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round French oven, $500, at Le Creuset stores.

CF Chinook Centre, 403262-1128, lecreuset.ca Smoke meats, vegetables and even sauces and cocktails all without having to labour outdoors for hours with the Breville Smoking Gun. $145 (extra wood chips $40) at Williams-Sonoma.

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CF Chinook Centre, 403-4109191, williams-sonoma.ca Crema al Pistacchio by Scyavuru is like an upscale Nutella. $15 at Peasant Cheese Shop. (Go hungry and treat yourself to one of Peasant’s gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches while you’re shopping.)

1249 Kensington Rd. N.W., 587353-3599, peasantcheese.com

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Cirque Flip Fabrique: BLIZZARD

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Riedel, maker of premium wine glasses, now has cocktail-specific drinkware. Sold in pairs, there are six styles including “Fizz,” “Sour,” and “Nick & Nora” (shown here), $30, at Willow Park Wines & Spirits.

10801 Bonaventure Dr. S.E., 403-296-1640, willowpark.net Antonio Querin, bartender at One18Empire, is famous for his masterfully smoked cocktails. Now fans can make them at home with his home cocktail smoking kit by Spirits With Smoke. Each kit contains five aromatic wood discs, plus bitters, maple syrup and other bar essentials like ice-ball moulds and a muddler. $167, at Vine Arts.

101, 932 17 Ave. S.W., 403-454-1106; and 1310 1 St. S.W., 403-2900700; vinearts.ca Frank & Sense holiday beer by Innis & Gunn is an English pale ale that contains some of Christmas’ most famous gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. $7.99, available where fine beers are sold.

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Monogram coffee’s holiday roast comes with an original song, “Next to the Fire,” written

by Calgary jazz musician Ellen Doty and sung by local singer Kate Stevens.

Each $20 bag includes a code for a free download of the song and $5 from every sale goes to The Mustard Seed.

4814 16 St. S.W., 587-893-0444, plus two other locations, monogramcoffee.com The Asobu 17-ounce insulated drink bottle has a Bluetooth speaker built into the lid. $35 at Stuff.

102, 709 11 Ave. S.W., 403-209-2606, stuff4him.ca

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JANUARY 21, 2020

Journey into a snowy world of effortless acrobatics inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall where Cirque Flip Fabrique’s breath-taking physical feats will feed your imagination and capture your heart. Formed by a group of friends in Quebec at the peak of their circus prowess, this tight-knit group combines drama, daring, and a sprinkling of humour to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Exper always iences ma BEST G ke the IFTS!

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! 587-355-2829 OR artscommons.ca/blizzard Title Sponsor

Media Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

Public Sector Support

TD Arts Access Pass Title Sponsor

Official Suppliers

Artist, date, and program subject to change

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Made by Reid’s Woodworks in Strathmore, this one-of-a-kind cutting board features cherry, maple, walnut and purple heart woods. $90, at Ninth and Brick.

1312B 9 Ave. S.E., ninthandbrick.com Textured pottery mugs

by Connie Cooper, $34 each, at Alberta Craft Gallery Calgary. cSpace King Edward, 1721 29 Ave. S.W., 587-3910129, albertacraft.ab.ca The Trullo conical-lid table container by Kartell is inspired by the distinctive houses found in Alberobello in the south of Italy. $215, at Robert Sweep.

808 16 Ave. S.W., 403-262-8525, robertsweep.com Forget Calgon, let DubTub take you away! This bath board is made in Calgary from reclaimed wood and will hold a tablet, two tea lights and a wine glass. Plus, the company plants a tree for every DubTub sold. $75 at The Raven’s Room.

108, 908 17 Ave. S.W., 403-455-7283, theravensroom.ca Stone diffuser made

by Vancouver company Vitruvi, $119, and peppermint essential oil, $15, both at Fieldstudy.

102, 1812 4 St. S.W., 587-356-2134, fieldstudyshop.com With three cheese forks stored underneath the marble top, this 10-inch cheeseboard is the perfect hostess gift. $47 at Nordstrom.

CF Chinook Centre, 587-291-2000, nordstrom.com Plant Pal Shelf Sitter, also available in Zen pose, $69 at Metro Element (plants sold separately).

1221 Kensington Rd. N.W., 403-257-7588, metroelement.com

classic french modern made

Macarons & Tea

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Holiday Sweets

Macaron 101 Classes Gift Certificates

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Locally owned & proud supporters of our community.

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810C 16th Ave SW byollia.com / @byollia

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Brushed-finish polished brass vase designed by Kaschkasch, $166, at Dwell Modern.

701 11 Ave. S.W., 403508-9980, dwellmodern.ca The Exto electric cord by Conway Electric is as stylish as it is functional, with dualpower and dual-USB ports. $160, at Recess.

1323 9 Ave. S.E., 587433-4226, recessshop.ca Literally hours of fun watching magnetic filings make stalagmite formations with the Kikkerland Magnetic Hourglass. $22, at Indigo.

Multiple locations, chapters.indigo.ca For the designminded tidy person, a dustpan and hand brush, Germanmade by Bürstenhaus Redecker. $26 and $38, respectively, at Guildhall.

1222 9 Ave. S.E., 403-454-4399, guildhallhome.com

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The Munchy Munchy Cookbook for Kids by local chef and artist Pierre Lamielle is a great way to educate, entertain and nourish your budding young chefs at home. $29.

Available through amazon.ca UCO wants you to play with your food with its Softshell Ice Cream Ball. Add the ingredients, shake and roll the ball for 20 minutes and voila, you have a pint of ice cream! $39 at MEC. 830 10 Ave. S.W., 403-269-2420; and 710, 19587 Seton Cres. S.E., 403-523-7258; mec.ca

The Play & Go playmat has a drawstring that turns the mat into a storage bag — a gift for kids that’s a gift for their parents, too. $55 at Simons.

The Core, 403-697-1840, simons.ca Each tube of Plus Plus interlocking shapes contains instructions for one form, but the only real limit on what you can make is your own imagination and patience. $10, at Discovery Hut. CF Chinook Centre, 403-301-4180, thediscoveryhut.com The Calgary Alberta Music Box has a tiny transit bus that moves around the edge and plays “O’Canada.” $82, at Papyrus.

Multiple locations, papyrusonline.com Baby Color crayons are just the right size and shape for tiny hands. $25 for 12 (also in packages of six for $15), at Nanao Kimono.

Crossroads Market, 1235 26 Ave. S.E.; and Kensington Artisan Market, 225 10 St. N.W.; nanaokimono.com

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Made locally by store co-owner Corey White, these doggie bandanas are soft, durable and have a convenient snap closure. $24 to $34 at Doodle Dogs.

3b Parkdale Cres. N.W., 587-349-3647; and 841 1 Ave. N.E., 403-452-2134; doodledogsyyc.com

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The perfect gift for a stylish furry friend (or their human companion), these Collar Flowers are made in Canada. $18, at The New Forest.

1120 Kensington Rd. N.W., 825-205-8008, thenewforest.ca

SUN VALLEY BRONZE Fine Solid Bronze Architectural Hardware www.sunvalleybronze.com

1301 10 ave SW Calgary, AB 403.244.0038 www.banburylane.com

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Peppermint shave bar, $6, from Rocky Mountain Soap Co. You can also take the workshop tour at the production facility in Canmore; the $25 admission includes a $20 gift certificate.

Multiple Calgary locations, rockymountainsoap.com The Sweater Stone quickly removes pesky sweater pills. $12, at Simons.

The Core, 403-697-1840, simons.ca For the languagechallenged world traveller, Just Point is a visual dictionary so you can explain your needs with pictures. $18, at Shelf Life Books.

100, 1302 4 St. S.W., 403-265-1033, shelflifebooks.ca The Capper lets you take beer caps off, but also put them back on again! $18, at Meraki Supply Co. 103, 305 10 St. N.W., merakisupplyco.com Brix smooth chocolate is 54-per cent cacao, perfect for pairing with Champagne or vintage Port. $14 at the Italian Centre Shop.

9919 Fairmount Dr. S.E., 403-238-4869, italiancentre.ca

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Sweetsmith Candy Co. brittles are made in Strathmore. $4.99 each, at Marda Loop Mercantile.

101, 3411 20 St. S.W., 587-352-3311 The everyday shampoo bar by Calgary company Lavami is free from synthetic preservatives, fragrances and colourants and contains all-natural ingredients and pure essential oils. $13, at Oak + tonic.

Southcentre, 403-2369509, oakandtonic.ca

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Sushi washi tapes add a deliciously cute graphic element to giftwrap. $18 for a set of four, at Crate and Barrel.

Southcentre, 403-2787020, crateandbarrel.ca Folding wooden cribbage board, $10, at Livingstone & Cavell Extraordinary Toys.

24 Kensington Rd. N.W., 403-270-4165, extraordinarytoys.com This trio of sustainable gifts from low-waste lifestyle market Without Co. includes facial polish by Elou, allnatural soap by Lore and an extra-large cloth produce bag handmade by store owner Michelle Fentiman and her mom. $54 for the trio, (items also sold separately).

103, 2115 4 St. S.W., withoutco.com

Have a seat at our table, where food and drink become an experience.

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A vibrant new event space and restaurant only 20 minutes from downtown Calgary.

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events@floresandpine.com • floresandpine.com AvenueCalgary.com

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ADVERTISEMENT

Top 5 Waste Savvy Businesses 88 per cent of the waste that businesses in Calgary produce is recyclable and compostable material that is easily divertible from the landfill. Here are a few Calgary businesses that are leading the way 

“We’re the proudest of the compost.

We reduced so much food waste it’s easy to combine it with our household green bin because we produce so little.”

Working with The City waste education team, a few simple changes at OSP Microcheck created major improvements to their recycling and composting diversion.

Moira Nicholle did a waste audit to understand the type of waste the office generated. As a result, the kitchen was outfitted with reusables. Before doing this, everything was disposable – forks, knives, cups, plates, and napkins.

“It was costing us $75-$100 per month. Now there is no cost!

This has been a cost saver and great for the environment.”

Expect more from your waste programs

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Fuze Salon owner Renae Franche thought she could do more with the waste generated at her salon - hair clippings, used foil and tubes, cotton balls, and even chemical residue used to all go to the landfill. Partnering with Green Circle Salons, a company that helps hair salons and spas collect, recycle, and repurpose waste diverting it from landfills, Renae has made a huge impact on her total waste.

“The program continues to make recycling a mandatory process within our business. It helps ensure we recycle everything we can.”

Corporate social responsibility is the overarching principle for waste programs at Dillon Consulting. Jack Wallace found that a waste audit helped them understand what was going in their garbage. It helped them to price out different waste options and choose a program that suited their needs and budget.

“If you can include a green bin that’s an easy way to reduce your garbage. It might cost more up front to get a green bin, but you can reduce your garbage significantly. Once people are used to a program, it works really well.”

Black Sheep Mattress Company is at the forefront of sustainability in mattress manufacturing. Owner, Christian Schmidt thinks most companies should be considering a full lifecycle analysis and in most cases for most things they don’t have to go into the landfill.

“We try to get the most life out of our products and order the right size and right amount of materials. The small amount of extra wool or cotton we generate, we turn into small pieces of furniture stuffing, or dryer balls, so we reduce waste wherever possible. Once you start thinking like this, it becomes second nature.”

As we spend a good portion of our time in the workplace, our efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle (compost too) should not stop once we leave home. What can you do to help out?

• Pack zero waste lunches – use a reusable container, water bottle, utensils, and bag.

• Start a green team at your office.

• If your workplace doesn’t have a program, get one started or call 311 for assistance.

Whether it’s for cost savings, creating efficiencies or doing the right thing, more companies are taking steps to invest in recycling and compost programs.

Whether you’re just setting up a new program, or you’re looking for ways to improve, we have resources that can help. The City can loan out a waste audit kit and provide advice on how to make the most out of your program. For a waste audit kit or for tips, printable posters, on-site visits and additional support visit calgary.ca/businesswaste or contact 311.

Brought to you by

19-0000512

Committed to local, organic food, strong environmental stewardship and community initiatives, it’s no surprise Avatara Pizza embraces zero waste. Owner Chris Iturbe assessed his waste needs and thought about ways to reduce his waste and bring costs down – everything from eliminating and reusing food packaging and food servings to how recyclable products are disposed of was all considered.

TO ELF, OR NOT TO ELF?

CALGARY WINTER COAT CLOSET

THE DON’T PANIC GUIDE TO HOLIDAY HEALTH CARE

THE ULTIMATE SNOW ROUTE DECODER

SURVIVE YOUR OWN CHILDREN DURING THE HOLIDAY BREAK >> SURVIVE HOLIDAY GIFTING IF YOU’VE RESOLVED TO REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC WASTE >> GIVE BETTER >> PHONE IN THE HOLIDAYS >> DO RIGHT BY YOUR CAR

BY Shelley Arnusch, Colin Gallant, Nathan Kunz, Käthe Lemon AND Amber McLinden ILLUSTRATIONS BY Dan Page PHOTOGRAPH BY Jared Sych

THE SEASONAL SURVIVAL GUIDE December marks the start of the holiday season, but it’s also the month when Calgary’s longest and darkest season really hits its stride. With that in mind, here are some tips, tricks, hints, hacks and time-tested advice for surviving both the festive season and the not-so-festive weather ahead.

41 AvenueCalgary.com

To Elf, or Not to Elf?

Having an elf doll surveilling your kids’ behaviour in the weeks leading up to Christmas is becoming ubiquitous. But while some parent welcome the Elf into their home, others are shelving the idea.

T

he Elf on the Shelf phenomenon is based around the concept of having one of Santa’s elves keeping an eye on your kids in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day to make sure they’re on their best behaviour. Each night, once the kids are in bed, the elf doll is, ahem, magically transported to a new location and, upon awakening, the kids have to find it.

Produced by Creatively Classic Activities and Books, LLC, the official book-and-elf-doll set is available for around $40 at big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Indigo. The company also offers a “Claus Couture Collection” of elf-sized clothing, pets for the elves and other add-ons. Jewish households can get a similar experience from the unaffiliated, Hanukkah-centric Mensch on a Bench. (Calgary writer and Avenue contributor Julia Williams told her sons that she would not purchase the elf, but would create a bootleg version called “Creepy Doll on a Wall” for them if they wanted it. They did not.)

In this age of Pinterest, elaborate elf staging and social-media blasts have become part of the experience. That said, some families choose to keep it pretty simple. “If my husband wasn't a morning person, I think it would be quite a chore.

But I think families personalize it based on the dynamics of the home and based on the personalities of the kids,” says Lucia Loffreda, a jewellery sales professional and mother of two. “I love it because it puts a smile on my kids’ faces. It gets them out of bed in the morning and it gives us a reason to get together in the morning, even if it’s for three minutes.”

But not everyone sees the elf in such a rosy light. Elf has drawn criticism for putting a cutesy face on what are essentially police-state surveillance practices, normalizing for kids the idea of having a presence in the home that can report errant behaviours to a central bureau and affect your future happiness if you don’t fall in line.

There’s that, of course, but also the pressure for already overtaxed parents to conform to yet another holiday tradition that is leading many to opt out of elfing. “I’m so fed up with adding more stuff to what is basically going to end up

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being Mom’s tasks, and making [moms] feel even remotely bad about not living up to whatever the corporate standard is about the holiday season,” says Shelley Alexander, a graduate student and mother of two boys (including a toddler in his Elf-finding prime). “I just think that the holidays are already too commercialized,”“so adding one

more thing — one thing that is creepy — I just don’t think is very useful. It doesn’t contribute.”

Indeed, the Elf on the Shelf craze is both hyper-commercialized and an occasion for intimate family moments, a source of stress for some and joy for others. In this way, it fits right in with every other Christmas tradition. —C.G.

THE CALGARY WINTER COAT CLOSET Six coats you need to get through the average Calgary winter.

Super Warm Coat photograph courtesy of Sporting Life; Fancy Coat photograph courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue; Work Coat photograph courtesy of A.P.C.; Fun Coat photograph courtesy of H&M; Sporty Jacket photograph courtesy of Michael Kors; Leather Jacket photograph courtesy of Holt Renfrew

Super Warm Coat

For extreme cold snaps and small-town hockey rinks.

Parajumpers reversible sleeping bag coat, $1,160, from Sporting Life, CF Market Mall and Southcentre, sportinglife.ca

Work Coat

Not too fancy, not too casual; not too heavy, not too light. A.P.C. wool-cashmere blend coat, $770, from gravitypope, 1126 17 Ave. S.W., gravitypope.com

Fancy Coat

Because sometimes Super Warm Coat isn’t socially acceptable.

Cinzia Rocca mink collar wool coat, $2,800, from Saks Fifth Avenue, CF Chinook Centre, saksfifthavenue.com

Fun Coat

When Work Coat is too conservative and Fancy Coat is too dressy.

Leopard faux-fur jacket, $129, from H&M, four Calgary locations, hm.com

THE DON’T PANIC GUIDE TO HOLIDAY HEALTH CARE

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o it’s three o’clock in the afternoon on Dec. 24 and you’re sure your toddler is coming down with an earache. Short of going to the closest (and likely packed) emergency room, what can you do?

First, call Health Link (dial 811). This 24-hour-seven-days-a-week information service will connect you with a registered nurse, who can help you decide if it’s necessary to go see a doctor, or if you should just give them children’s Tylenol and wait it out. Health Link is also online at myhealth.alberta.ca. This is a waaay better option than Googling the symptoms, which is a gateway to all manner of unsubstantiated information. Leave the diagnosing to professionals!

If it turns out you do need to see a doctor, don’t panic. Even on the twilight of Christmas Eve, there are still options that will allow you to avoid the hospital. The key is Calgary’s Primary Care networks (Foothills, Mosaic, West Central and South Calgary). With the exception of South Calgary, all the Primary Care Networks have clinics that are open post-regular business hours and on statuatory holidays.

If it turns out you do need to go to a hospital emergency room, or you don’t have a family doctor that’s part of a Primary Care Network, visit albertahealthservices.ca/waittimes to see which hospital has the shortest wait time. —A.M.

MEDICAL CARE OPTIONS O N S TAT U AT O R Y H O L I D AY S Health Link

Open: 24/7 Phone: 811 Web: myhealth.alberta.ca

Access 365 Clinic

Open: 24/7 for those with family doctors in Foothills Primary Care Network (PCN).

Location: 1701 Centre St. N.W.

Access & Continuity of Care Extended Services clinic

Open: Monday to Friday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends and statuatory holidays, for those with family doctors in the Mosaic PCN. Location: 2681 36 St. N.E.

Primary Care Centre

Sporty Jacket

With inner straps so you can wear it like a backpack if a Chinook blows in. Ciré quilted puffer, $395, from Michael Kors, three Calgary locations, michaelkors.ca

Leather Jacket

Classic cool with a quilted lining so it’s a little warmer. Victoria Beckham shearling collar biker jacket, $1,545, from Holt Renfrew, The Core, holtrenfrew.com

Open: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. weekends and holidays for those with family doctors in the West Central PCN. Location: 5966 Centre St. S. AvenueCalgary.com

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HOW TO:

SURVIVE YOUR OWN CHILDREN DURING THE HOLIDAY BREAK

Christmas morning aside, your kids are going to need something to do over the holidays.

Here are a few options to prevent them from coming down with a serious case of cabin fever.

SKI OR SNOWBOARD LESSONS You don’t have to drive all the way out to the mountains to learn to ski or snowboard. Like generations of Calgary kids, yours can learn to turn on the slopes at WinSport Canada Olympic Park.

WinSport offers 90-minute group lessons for all ages and abilities between Dec. 27 and 30. You can rent all the necessary gear on site, including alpine sport helmets. winsport.ca

GYMNASTICS CAMP The Calgary Gymnastics Centre (CGC) is offering a variety of morning, afternoon and full-day camps over the holiday break. In addition to practicing gymnastics skills under the direction of CGC coaches, campers will make crafts and enjoy snack time. calgarygymcentre.com

CITY OF CALGARY R E C R E AT I O N C A M P S Games, sports, arts, crafts, outdoor time, swimming: City of Calgary Recreation is offering Rec Adventures day camps for kids from the ages of five to 12 during the break. Two- and three-day camps are running between Dec. 23 and 31 at either Southland Leisure Centre or Village Square Leisure Centre. calgary.ca/csps/recreation

P O O L D AY And not just any pool: the colossal Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton is open for most of the break, including on Dec. 26, Dec. 31 and, most importantly, Jan. 1, 2020. —S.A. ymcacalgary.org 44

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HOW TO:

Survive Holiday Gifting if You’ve Resolved to Reduce Your Plastic Waste

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aybe it was one of those videos of the turtle with the straw stuck up its nose. Or maybe it was the news coverage of how all the plastic that Canadians thought was being dutifully recycled out of their blue bins is actually ending up in southeast Asian landfills. Somewhere along the way, you decided to reduce the amount of plastic waste your household generates. It’s a drop in the proverbial ocean, sure, but taking this step brings you peace of mind.

But now here come the holidays stampeding into your reduce-reuse world. A candyfilled mug wrapped in a giant sheet of cellophane here, a teasampler pack wherein each type of tea is wrapped in plastic within a larger plastic container that is itself wrapped in plastic,

there. A towering pile of toys encased in impenetrable plastic bubbles. Now your home is its own garbage island and rather than aglow with the spirit of the season, you find yourself drowning in environmental angst.

But these things being foisted on you are actually being foisted with good intentions. The question then, is how to maintain your zero-waste ideals without losing friends and alienating people? Can you stick to your guns without sticking it to your relatives?

Briana Loughlin, co-founder and director of inspiration and change of Plastic-Free YYC, feels your pain. Loughlin started Plastic-Free YYC as a blog in 2017 and has since seen it grow into an organization of 21 volunteer advocates for the zero-waste (or at least lower-

waste) lifestyle. “We’ve had these conversations, my team and I, and we all struggle with gifting time,” Loughlin says.

Purchasing second-hand toys for the kids in your life, wrapping your own gifts in reusable cloth bags or recyclable materials such as newspaper, deciding amongst a group of close friends to forego individual gifting and all go out for dinner instead — it’s not hard to live according to your ideals when you’re in the driver’s seat.

What’s harder is when your zero-waste intentions collide with the good (but plasticwrapped) intentions of others.

While the conversation may be awkward, communication is key if you want people to know where you stand. In the sense that you wouldn’t expect a teetotaler to graciously accept a bottle of wine, or a vegan to graciously accept a fur coat, a person who has resolved to live a low-waste lifestyle should feel justified in expressing that they don’t wish to receive items that come with excessive plastic packaging. “If you really want to move forward in your journey of reducing your waste these conversations will have to take place at some point,” Loughlin says. “It’s a personal-growth moment; it’s not really about the waste anymore. It’s about that relationship, managing expectations.”

Of course there will always be gift-bearers who willfully disregard your wishes and bring over-packaged items into your home, perhaps even in spite of what you say. Should this happen, nothing says “thanks, but no thanks” like having them take the plastic waste with them when they leave. —S.A.

Turkey dinner from Sunterra.

H OW T O:

PHONE IN THE HOLIDAYS

Phoning it in doesn’t have to be a negative thing. Make Christmas merrier by picking up the phone and outsourcing the hard work.

Phone in Your Christmas Shopping.

HOW TO:

Give Better

If you intend to donate to charity this holiday season, here are the things the charities are hoping to get.

Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, it likely includes the tradition of gift giving.

For many, that extends to charitable giving as well. Most charities and non-profits will gladly accept cash, but beyond that they also have specific holiday requests. Here’s how you can make a contribution that truly counts. —A.M.

Photograph courtesy of Sunterra Market

PROJECT WARMTH S O C I E T Y O F A L B E R TA

CALGARY FOOD BANK The Calgary Food Bank puts together a holiday wish list every year. At the top of that list this year is pull-tab soup, peanut butter, baby food, pasta and evaporated milk. The Food Bank also needs canned carrots, green beans, soup, peas, mixed vegetables, brown beans and meats. Celiacs use the food bank, too, so gluten-free pancake mix, biscuit mix, bread mix and pasta is on the list as well. You can drop off non-perishable items in donation bins at any major grocery store or drop off both perishable and non-perishable items directly to the food bank warehouse. Visit calgaryfoodbank.com/ wishlist to see requests for each month and information on what you can and can’t donate.

Project Warmth has a mission to keep underprivileged and homeless people warm and dry in our cold and snowy city. The organization accepts donations of any size of parkas, coats, gloves, scarves and other warm clothing items. Project Warmth will accept used clothing. You can also donate blankets and sleeping bags. Drop donations off at your nearest City of Calgary fire station.

CALGARY WOMEN’S EMERGENCY S H E LT E R

T H E M U S TA R D S E E D

CALGARY DROP-IN & REHAB CENTRE

The Mustard Seed has some creative ways you can give back during the holidays. Its 2019 Christmas Wish List includes options to build a backpack or fill a hamper for guests. When building a backpack, fill it with stuff like underwear, toques, a flashlight, gift cards for coffee, first aid kits and more. The “fill a hamper” option is more about food, with items like canned vegetables, potatoes, a ham, turkey or chicken, cranberry sauce and other holiday staples. For information, visit theseed.ca.

CWES always needs winter clothing in all sizes for families, specifically coats, jackets and hoodies. For sanitary reasons they only accept donations of new clothing (with tags on). Packs of adult and youth transit tickets are also appreciated. Call 403-539-5130 or email info@cwes.ca to schedule a drop-off.

The DI seeks holiday donations of underwear (new, of course), new or used coats, gloves and toques, winter boots of any size, backpacks and luggage.

Additionally, The DI wants household items like new or used cookware and hygiene items like razors and deodorant. Treat DI clients to a coffee with $5 or $10 gift cards to Tim Hortons, or if you want to make a larger donation, you can sponsor a meal during the holiday season, either with or without a volunteering shift. For more information visit calgarydropin.ca.

Nordstrom at CF Chinook Centre offers curbside pick-up. Just call or text the service experience team at 403-921-5706, let them know what you want to buy and confirm which door you’ll be at.

They will then walk your purchases out to your car.

Phone in Christmas Dinner.

For the full-meal deal that you just reheat, pre-order a prepared Christmas dinner with all the fixings from Sunterra. They’ll even deliver it! If you have a crowd they also do full catered meal packages. If you want the taste of turkey dinner, but even less hassle, order the turkey dinner pie and a pumpkin pie for dessert from Pie Junkie.

Phone in Your Holiday Party.

Calgary has many party-planning and rental services that will bring the party to you, but if you want even less work, reserve a room or a table at a Calgary restaurant for your celebration. Most corporate parties are wrapped up by the middle of the month, leaving you time to make a reservation for you and your nearest and dearest. Go as lavish as you want — book the whole place and offer an open bar or keep it simple and have it be pay as you go (just make it clear to your guests from the outset which it is). The point is simply to get together and ring in the season. —K.L. AvenueCalgary.com

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THE ULTIMATE SNOW ROUTE DECODER Everything you need to know to make it through a snow-route parking ban unscathed and ticket-free.

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HOW TO:

Do Right

By Your Car

Calgary winter is not kind to vehicles. Here’s how to get through the next months without being driven mad.

GET CLEAN Several parkades throughout the downtown core feature on-site car washes (Centennial Parkade, Bankers Hall, Devon Tower, Eighth Avenue Place, Jamieson Place, Suncor Energy Centre, Centennial Place, Bow Valley Square and Livingston Place). Dropping your car off to be washed or detailed at one of these spots while you go shopping or have lunch is the equivalent of sending your car for a day at the spa.

DROP AND SHOP During the holidays, book an appointment at the Bubbles Car Wash & Detail Centre across from CF Chinook Centre, then head to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. The limited parking at Bubbles means you can’t leave your car there for a full day, but a mid-level service such as an interior shampoo will give you an hour or two of shopping time, while the full-detail package provides a shopping window of three-to-four hours. Plus, you get to skip the part where you meander around Chinook’s parkade looking for an elusive green light.

M E LT A W AY If a detail car wash is outside your budget, you can always just park it for a couple hours in a heated parkade so you can melt the blocks of snow and ice on your wheel wells. All of the Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) downtown parkades are heated with the exception of parkade-lot 25.

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USE PUBLIC PA R K I N G P E R K S The CPA also offers complimentary tire-inflation services and vacuums at most of the downtown parkades. And for those days when it seems the universe is really out to get you, they offer battery-boosting and tire-assistance services 24/7 in all ParkPlus Zones (on-street, parkades and surface lots).

GARAGE BOND Calgary winters are a lot easier to weather if you have a multi-vehicle heated garage. While they’re often decried as the enemy of good urban design, mega-garage homes are popular around these parts for a reason. Buddy up to someone with an extra space, make plans to visit them (coincidentally) on nights when the forecast is set to drop and spare yourself the cruel sound of your car struggling to jump to life. —N.K.

hen a perfect storm of heavy snow and freezing weather hits the city, a snow route parking ban is inevitable. While not an exact science, the city looks for a few indicators before and during snow events when considering a ban, including whether a “significant” amount of snow has fallen and/or built up. Ultimately, the City’s traffic engineer has the final say.

Marked by blue signs bearing a white snowflake, snow routes include major roadways, collector roads and most bus routes. A road gets designated a snow route to facilitate efficient clearing following major snow buildups. Bans are usually called one to two days ahead of time and stay in place for up to 72 hours after being declared, or until the City calls them off.

When parking bans are on, the onus lands on vehicle owners. If you live or work on a snow route, you’d best be proactive. Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) suggests tracking down a garage, parkade, surface lot or a secondary side street not designated as a snow route as an alternate parking spot. Just because the plow has gone by, don’t assume you’re in the clear — vehicles need to stay off the route until the ban has officially ended in the event of a double clearing pass.

If you’re migrating to avoid winter weather and think a ban may be in the forecast while you’re away, err on the side of caution and move your vehicle off the snow route ahead of time. Or arrange with a neighbourly parking pal to move your car if unexpected flurries hit and a ban is called. On the flipside, if you spot a neighbour’s car on the route during a ban, knocking on their door to give a heads up could save them a ticket. Disregarding the ban comes with a $120 fine (you’ll only be charged $90 if you pay within 30 days or $80 within 10 days). Towing isn’t CPA’s street-clearing method of choice, but it will haul your car to an impound lot if it’s continuously left on the streets or if CPA deems it a safety risk.

There are a handful of snow route exceptions: on-street accessible parking zones are excluded at all times. Snow routes in Business Improvement Areas (BIA) and throughout downtown limit parking bans to overnight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. During those hours, CPA opens all parkades and surface lots for complimentary parking.

Parking in alleys during a snow route is another option (provided they’re outside of the central traffic zone) but take into account that the alley needs to be wider than 6.1 metres, with at least 1.5 m between your vehicle and any driveway or garage, and not across from either. You’ll also need to be at least one metre away from collection carts and there has to be at least three metres of clearance on either side of the vehicle to allow others to pass through unobstructed.

If an alley is your back-up plan, keep a metre stick alongside the windshield scraper in your back seat this winter just to be safe.

Stay up to date on snow route bans through local news and radio channels, by calling 311 (the City’s general info line), following the City on Twitter at @yyctransport, or by checking calgary.ca/ snow, where you can sign up for text notifications and email alerts.

You can also download CPA’s MyParking app to receive notifications to your smartphone when a ban is declared. —N.K.

Holiday Gift Guide

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Holiday Gift Guide

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PROFILE

BY Alana Willerton PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jared Sych AND Alana Willerton

Ready to Rumble

The “wheel of doom” is used to select books to inspire the art rumble participants.

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n a warm Wednesday evening in August, for the 325th week over the previous several years, Rumble House is full of people ready to make art.

More than 30 people have arrived for the night’s “art rumble” and auction, a weekly event at the non-profit art studio and gallery in Calgary’s Downtown West End. Rumble House co-founder Jess Szabo stands in the mid-dle of the room beside the “wheel of doom” (a tonguein-cheek nickname for a painted lazy Susan surrounded by books), while her partner and co-founder Rich Théroux livestreams the proceedings on his phone.

“I’m so glad everyone came. Welcome to the 325th time we’ve done this. Big round of applause for you for coming because we would not be here if you guys didn’t come,” Szabo says.

After going over the house rules and a few announcements, Szabo spins the wheel to choose three books to help spark the artists’ inspiration.

She reads excerpts from How to See

by David Salle, Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois by Amy Novesky and Lunatic’s Guide to Art by Morgan M. Paul.

With these themes in mind, the attendees disperse to different tables, rooms and even outside to create art, setting themselves up with pencils, paint, spray cans and other supplies. Some just sit and write, others chat and draw, all while the music of John Coltrane, The Doors and The Beach Boys plays in the background on a record player. Szabo works on a piece of embroidery, taking breaks to greet newcomers, regulars and passersby who wander in to see what’s going on.

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Théroux is painting the New York skyline this evening with a Statue of Liberty that looks like Szabo. He hasn’t missed a Wednesday-night art rumble since he and Szabo first launched the art studio and gallery in July, 2012. Back then, it was known as Gorilla House and was located a few blocks from where they are now. At the time, they didn’t imagine they’d still be doing this seven years later.

“I had no intention of going longer than three months,” Théroux says. “It was going to be an art gallery for two months and then [we’d] spend September kind of quietly clearing out.”

Six weeks of art rumbles later, they were hitting capacity most nights and media outlets were picking up on the events.

So, they kept going. Théroux renewed the lease for another year, which turned into a year and a half. They planned on staying even longer but had to move out of the original space when the building was sold. A year later in December, 2014, Théroux and Szabo (who are both teachers) launched Rumble House as a non-profit in its current Downtown West End space.

Rumble House still holds its weekly art rumbles and auctions every Wednesday night (although Théroux noted that sometimes during the holidays — like this month, when Christmas falls on a Wednesday — they just have a get-together and hang out, but don’t do the full auction). Rumble House also hosts figure-drawing sessions (with a non-mandatory $10 fee) on Thursday nights, summer art classes for kids from the neighbouring daycare and group street clean-ups.

The art rumbles and auctions are still the heart of Rumble House, though. Every Wednesday night, people of all ages, artistic abilities and walks of life are welcomed in to create for two hours and then auction off the work at 9 p.m. Half the money goes to the artists, the other half goes toward Rumble House’s monthly rent.

“We wrote an Inclusionist Manifesto — it’s really important that all kinds of work are valued, so everyone is welcome to

Main photograph by Jared Sych; inset photographs by Alana Willerton

A non-profit art studio and gallery space in the Downtown West End has created a spirit of community through its weekly events that bring people together to create artworks and then put them up for auction.

Rumble House co-founders Rich and Jess Théroux (née Szabo) inside their non-profit art studio and gallery space.

AvenueCalgary.com

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PROFILE Rumble House interior.

“THE AMOUNT WE PAID IN RENT IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS IS EXACTLY HOW MUCH WE PUT INTO ARTISTS’ HANDS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS WORTHWHILE.” —Rich Théroux

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bring their own art,” Szabo says. “Some people bring pieces that are done at home and share how they work with us. Some people bring photographs. Some people bring jewellery that they’ve made.

“People that might never see pieces being made or be able to talk to the artist, they get that chance here.”

In the past, pieces have sold for anywhere between $5 and $1,400 at Rumble House. Splitting the profits supports both the artists and the space where they can create and/or sell work. Szabo and Théroux have never taken a profit, even putting all the money from their own auctioned artwork back into the building. If they don’t quite make rent one month, Théroux will paint and sell a studio piece on his own to make up the difference.

“Essentially, the amount we paid in rent in the last seven years is exactly how much we put into artists’ hands in the community. And that’s what makes this worthwhile,” Théroux says.

“If I know the artists are taking home enough to keep this place open, then we really feel like we’re doing a good thing.

Sometimes somebody goes home with enough to buy a coffee or bus fare. And sometimes somebody goes home with enough that they can buy a bus pass for the month.”

Hundreds of artists have passed through Rumble House’s doors over the years. Along the way, a special community has formed. Friends greet each other by name, bring newcomers in to create and bid, and support each other’s art in whatever way they can. Talking to those in the room, it’s the friendly, non-judgmental environment and community of creative people that is the common thread of why they return week after week.

Local artist Matias Martinez has been coming to Rumble House for almost two years now and says it’s the people that keep him coming back. “I feel like this place forces me to create — not like a rough force, but like a lovely, gentle push,” Martinez says. “You’re surrounded by people who are creating, it’s just like you’re in the mindset 100 per cent.

“I consider [Rich] a mentor,” he adds. “I’ve had personal talks with him and he’s just really a sincere, humble person that wants to help.”

This August night is particularly special for Martinez: Rumble House is hosting his first solo art show in Calgary, displaying his work over almost an entire wall. “Rich hugged me because he saw me have a moment [when I saw it],”

Martinez says. Throughout the night, Martinez works on a large Rumble House-inspired collage piece that he says is “a little thank you to Rumble,” which he’ll sell at the auction later, forfeiting his artist’s cut and donating back the full amount as a show of gratitude.

Regardless of what a piece goes for at the auction, Théroux and Szabo are clear that it’s the interaction between the artist and audience that is most important at Rumble House. “You need to build relationships with people, and then that relationship that’s built is where the sale comes from. The sale is secondary — the sale doesn’t matter — it’s the relationship you build with the people in the room, the conversations you have,” Szabo says. “[When] you see the look in that person’s eyes and you feel them feeling your work, that is worth so much more.”

Truly, it is an inspiring thing, seeing a piece of art transform in front of your eyes. By the time the auction comes around at 9 p.m., pieces that were blank canvases two hours before are now adorned with colourful abstract designs, playful pencil sketches, graffiti and more. The auction lasts around two hours. Four mini-paintings by a little boy go for a total of $38, while a painted ceramic heart finds a new home for $20. A large mural of Calgary’s skyline filled with aliens, pandas and people goes for $100, while Martinez’s Rumble House-inspired collage sells for $50. Théroux’s painting earns the highest bid of the night, going for $125.

By the end of the night, more than 50 pieces of art have sold for more than $1,000.

The following week, the 326th art rumble and auction is set to take place as scheduled on another warm Wednesday evening. But this time, in a move that seems so perfectly them, Théroux and Szabo will get married on top of the Rumble House building — the same spot where Szabo proposed to Théroux two years earlier.

As Szabo and Théroux say their vows, a crowd of more than 100 family members, friends and Rumble House attendees watch from the ground, spilling off the sidewalk and into the street. At one point, the couple plays the song “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees, dancing on the roof while the crowd smiles and sways below.

After the ceremony, the art-making begins as guests enjoy slices of wedding cake. Théroux, not one to ever miss a week, paints in his three-piece suit, creating two paintings that come together to show him and Szabo (who has since taken the name Théroux) The Rumble House coholding hands. founders at their rooftop At one point in wedding last summer. the night, a young girl walks past me.

“This might be the best wedding I’ve ever been to!” she exclaims to her dad.

I have to agree.

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Glamorgan Bakery owners Don and Jannette Nauta.

Great Bakeshops

BY Gwendolyn Richards PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jared Sych ILLUSTRATIONS BY Alanna Cavanagh

Feast your eyes on some of the sweetest treats and savoury delights the city has to offer, and meet the people behind the pastries, pies and pitas — whether traditional, trend-forward or niche — who are feeding your most decadent cravings.

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Glamorgan's cheese buns.

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hat scent is unmistakable, the quintessential combination of yeasty breads and caramelized sugar that evokes nostalgia, comfort and temptation. Whether it’s a crusty sourdough loaf, a jam-dolloped Danish, or a box of freshly glazed doughnuts, walking through the door of a bakery inevitably means leaving with something delicious.

There’s good reason bread stands in as a symbol for life —every culture has their own version of this staple. In Canada, historically, bread was made in the home, but the growth of communities across the country in the post-Second World War era led to the rise of the neighbourhood bakery. By the 1960s, most housewives bought their bread instead of making it.

Urbanization and the convenience of in-store bakeries at grocery supermarkets would shift consumers’ habits again. Since the 1980s, Calgary’s population has more than doubled in size and new suburbs have expanded the city in every direction. With most new communities built adjacent to retail clusters anchored by major grocery chains, one-stop shopping has become the norm, and that has forced more than one neighbourhood bakery to evaluate its future.

At the same time, especially in the last decade, niche bakeries have taken hold, with cupcake crazes and macaron mania laying the foundation for product-specific patisseries. In response, some traditional bakeries in Calgary have doubled down on their desire to continue producing time-honoured treats made with real butter and cream, while others have recognized the need to offer options that satisfy consumers’ health concerns and dietary restrictions, baking gluten-free breads or vegan desserts. There is only one constant: no matter the craving, bakeries are there to please. And if you've had more cravings than we've been able to fill here, look to AvenueCalgary.com for even more great bakeries.

THE CLASSICS

THROUGH BOOMS AND BUSTS, TRENDS AND TASTES, THESE OLD-SCHOOL OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN BAKING FOR DECADES.

Glamorgan Bakery On a midweek morning at Glamorgan Bakery there’s a steady line of customers picking up cakes, strudels, sausage rolls, swirly meringues or bags of cheese buns (arguably, the bakery’s most beloved baked good). Three young children are pressed up against the display case, trying to choose a treat from the tidy rows of cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal, and ones studded

with toffee bits or brightly iced shapes. The scene is timeless, which is exactly what owner Jannette Nauta wants. For more than 40 years, the only thing that has changed at Glamorgan is the amount of space it takes up in the strip mall at the corner of Richmond Road and 37th Street S.W. Through economic booms and busts, the rise of specialty diets and the fervour to find AvenueCalgary.com

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the next Instagram-famous baked good, many things have changed since Don Nauta and his then-business partner Rudy Bootsma opened Glamorgan’s doors in 1977. But the Nauta family, which continues to run the bakery, isn’t as interested in what has changed, as what hasn’t. “What hasn’t changed is people still appreciate baked from scratch,” says Jannette.

As lead baker, Don is still committed to real ingredients and zero shortcuts. Those cheese buns? They remain as addictive today as ever because of the real aged cheddar and butter. “Butter is butter, that’s the key,” says Jannette with a laugh. (Glamorgan, on average, makes about 1,200 dozen cheese buns per week.)

“WHAT HASN’T CHANGED IS PEOPLE STILL APPRECIATE BAKED FROM SCRATCH.”

Lakeview Bakery owner Daren Hinton checking some freshly baked goodies.

Lakeview Bakery

19, 3919 Richmond Rd. S.W.,

Lakeview Bakery has taken the opposite approach of Glamorgan, looking to nutrition and diet trends and reworking recipes for customers seeking gluten-free baked goods or those without eggs, soy or dairy. “Things are shifting toward plant-based now,” says owner Daren Hinton, whose parents opened the bakery in 1990, followed by a second, strictly gluten-free location in 2010.

There is a grocery store across the parking lot from the original Lakeview Bakery so to keep people coming in, there must be something to set the family bakery apart, Hinton says. “We are constantly looking at what is next and adapting to what customers are looking for.” Lakeview began introducing gluten-free options in the '90s, and has continued to adjust recipes to meet the needs of those allergic to soy, eggs or wheat, as well as those who have made choices not to consume any animal products, substituting plant-based oils for baking-staple butter.

Even with specialty baked goods on offer, the original Lakeview location still fills its cases with cookies and other tempting treats, including traditional British favourites like Eccles cakes and almond tarts, the recipes for which Hinton’s father brought with him from England when the family moved to Calgary. “We are straddling both worlds; we’re still a community bakery,” says Hinton. “We don’t sell many traditional breads, but we do well with pastries.”

These days, half the business is wholesale: Lakeview has built strong relationships with Calgary Co-op and Community Natural Foods, selling its gluten-free and vegan goods through those stores.

If there is one innovation that has had the greatest impact on Lakeview Bakery over the last 30 years, it’s the rise of social media and the expectation that businesses are available at all hours for queries. But Hinton notes that social media also served as a boost when Lakeview pulled out of a controversial health expo at the last minute — a few retweets and the bakery had one of its busiest weekends to date.

403-242-2800,

6449 Crowchild Tr. S.W., 403-246-6127; 2515 90 Ave. S.W., 403-457-3555;

glamorganbakery.com

lakeviewbakerycalgary.com

—Jannette Nauta, Glamorgan Bakery

Customer service remains personal — the ringing phone is answered by a real person.

And you won’t see any food delivery services offering Glamorgan baked goods. The Nautas refuse to participate out of concern that a customer will order something they’re already out of for the day.

As other bakeries have honed focus, expanded their locations (only to then scale back and close them) or moved to wholesale, Glamorgan has stood its ground. “We chose the niche of a traditional bakery,” Jannette says, a decision she believes underpins Glamorgan’s continued success.

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Oguraya Bakery red bean buns.

Foster’s Bakery & Oguraya Bakery Kaori Shimobayashi certainly wants to capitalize on socialmedia buzz as she moves ahead with a plan to breathe new life into Foster’s Bakery.

Once a thriving storefront in North Hill mall with shelves full of European pastries and hearty breads, a shift in the mall’s direction put Foster’s on a new path. Now located in the southwest community of Spruce Cliff, Foster’s maintains a thriving wholesale business supplying baked goods mainly across Western Canada.

The twist is that European pastries are no longer on offer. Instead, owner George Shimobayashi, his wife Yayoi, daughter Kaori and their staff focus on traditional Japanese

desserts, such as buns stuffed with red bean paste, that they make from scratch daily.

It’s something George did on the side in one of his early baking jobs in Calgary.

After his shift, his boss let him make red-bean buns to sell to local Asian markets. The buns are now a signature item for Oguraya Bakery (a division of the Foster’s brand that literally translates to “red bean shop”).

Oguraya has earned a reputation for its quality, handmade buns and pastries made with red beans grown in southern Alberta near Lethbridge.

Still, few Calgarians know much about the nearly 40-year-old bakery. According to Kaori, with the shift toward

one-stop grocery shopping, it grew harder to make a go of a traditional bakery in a small, out-of-the-way storefront, leading George to shut that part of the bakery down and focus on wholesale.

But, while her father may be content to run a wholesale bakery, Kaori wants to revive the storefront component, selling not just red-bean delicacies but also mochi (ice-creamfilled dough balls) cream puffs (a Japanese favourite) and melonpan, a popular snack of enriched dough with a cookie crust that, when baked, looks like a cantaloupe. “I want to take what he does really well and then add a bit of jazz to it,” Kaori says.

Currently, Oguraya’s offerings are available frozen at some spots in Calgary, including Nanao Kimono, as well as at the Spruce Cliff location. Because of the internet, though, more people are discovering the shop, which is tucked into the back of a strip mall. New people have begun dropping in, Kaori says, and that has bolstered her plan. “My dad gets gung-ho when people come in. I can see he’s excited,” she says. But she recognizes change could be slow. “It took me five years to get him to make ice cream mochi. Now I catch him eating it.”

532 Poplar Rd. S.W., 403-249-3312, fostersbakery.ca AvenueCalgary.com

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Assorted sweet treats from Amandine Bakery.

WHERE TO GET THE GOODS Baguette

Alforno Bakery & Café 222 7 St. S.W., 403-454-0308, alforno.ca Belgian Pastries

Manuel Latruwe 1333 1 St. S.E., 403-261-1092, manuellatruwe.com Bread

Mari Bakeshop 529 Riverfront Ave. S.E., 587-356-4461, maribakeshop.ca Cookies

Glamorgan Bakery 19, 3919 Richmond Rd. S.W., 403-242-2800, glamorganbakery.com

Amandine Bakery

Cream Puffs and Roll Cake

Mari Bakeshop

Shimobayashi family friend and fellow bakery owner Shotaro Kajita has also stuck to tradition with Amandine, a bakery that has been in business for 40 years. In this case, though, it’s the tradition of the European pastries and breads Kajita learned to make in Germany, France and Switzerland before moving to Canada to work in Montreal, Vancouver and at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel.

Growing up in Nagoya, Japan, Kajita got his start in the world of small business by helping out his parents at their confectionary. After working in Calgary for a few years, he set out on his own, opening the original Amandine in the southeast community of Dover before moving to the community of Tuxedo Park on Centre Street north. Over the years, Kajita has expanded the business, opening new locations, only to ultimately shut them down again, retaining only the Tuxedo Park store.

Kajita has simplified his business in the last few years, shutting down wholesale production and turning down work when too many special orders are coming in.

Through the boom-and-bust ups and downs in Calgary, he has remained steadfast on one thing: his staff will not be impacted by the price of oil. He has avoided laying off employees, and that means avoiding the varying staff levels needed in a fluctuating economy. When the bakery is busy, he works longer hours. In downturns, he scales back to make certain he never has to lay anyone off. It’s a hard-won lesson, and it means that when there are too many cake orders coming in at one time, he’s not afraid to turn down the excess in order to ensure the work is steady and all cakes are given the same care and attention.

The changes in what people are looking for in a bakery have not escaped his notice. A few decades ago, he says, people would stop in at the bakery for something to take to the office. Today, they go to the office and then stop in at the Tim Hortons or Starbucks in the lobby. Still, regular customers abound, and new ones show up through word of mouth. Behind the counter, friendly staff steadily retrieve cookies and pastries from the case, adding them to brown paper bags or boxes.

Kajita, on a rare break from the back of the store where everything is made, casts an eye over to the door each time it opens. He is pleased with where he and Amandine are now. “I’m doing what I want to do,” he says.

529 Riverfront Ave. S.E.,

3, 2610 Centre St. N., 403-276-3532, amandinebakery.net

sidewalkcitizenbakery.com

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587-356-4461, maribakeshop.ca Croissants

The Black Sheep Pâtisserie 140, 815 17 Ave. S.W., black-sheep.ca Italian Pastries

Italian Centre 120, 9919 Fairmount Dr. S.E., 403-238-4869, italiancentre.ca Macarons

Yann Haute Patisserie 329 23 Ave. S.W., 403-244-8091, yannboutique.com Prettiest Pastries (that also taste amazing)

Manuel Latruwe 1333 1 St. S.E., 403-261-1092, manuellatruwe.com Savoury Pastries

Sidewalk Citizen 618 Confluence Way S.E., 403-457-2245; and 338 10 St. N.W., 403-460-9065,

Passion Fruit Bellini

Cactus Gift Cards Because it’s hard to wrap a Passion Fruit Bellini. visit cactusclubcafe.com for details on our corporate gift card program.

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A WORLD OF DELICIOUS

Earl Grey chiffon cake from Wow Bakery.

European Bakery and Deli Must order: potato burek.

Rainbow Bakery Must order: barbecue pork bun.

Forget France and Italy, the focus of this bakery tucked into the ground-floor of an apartment building on 17th Avenue S.W. is the Balkans — southeastern European countries such as Albania, Croatia and Romania. Yes, there are white breads and croissants, but skip over those in favour of bureks, baklava, kifles filled with Nutella or jam, the round sesame breads known as gjevrek, or the kadaif, a sweet snack made from shredded puff pastry and walnuts.

This little bakery on the main floor of the Dragon City Mall in Chinatown is self-serve, so grab a pair of tongs and a tray before you peruse the cases of traditional favourites, from egg tarts to tuna or curry buns, morsels of barbecued pork tucked into puff pastry and other savoury pastries. On the other side, you’ll find sweet roll cakes and other desserts, along with a freezer of take-home dumplings.

160, 515 17 Ave. S.W.,

403-234-9909

135, 328 Centre St. S.,

403-806-3768, eurobakerydeli.com

Village Pita Bakery Must order: meat pie.

With meat pies made from beef and tomato, spicy mhamara and massive pita pies made with everything from spinach and feta to olive oil and za’atar, it’s a Mediterranean feast at this bakery/café/shop in the city’s northeast. Of course, it’s not only savoury goodies here — don’t overlook the cannoli-esque asafiri, studded with pistachios.

208, 255 28 St. S.E., 403-273-0330

Wow Bakery Must order: Earl Grey chiffon cake.

This Japanese-Korean hybrid bakery fuses European influences and Asian flavours for tasty creations, from light-asair cakes to sesame or matcha croissants, red-bean stuffed pastries and delicate tarts. Most offerings are self-serve — just grab tongs and a tray by the front door to begin loading up.

Your best bet is to go early for the best selection.

108, 5809 Macleod Tr. S.W., 403-640-0273; 2002 34 Ave. S.W., 403-452-0777; and CF Chinook Centre, 403-640-0273

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AvenueCalgary.com

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Nipika Mountain Resort.

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M O U N TA I N S

BY Katharine Erwin

DOG ON BOARD It can be challenging for winter adventurers to bring their dogs with them on mountain getaways, but Nipika eco resort welcomes canine visitors with open arms — no leashes required.

Photograph by AV Wakefield for North Birch Grove

F

or most active dog owners, a fantasy wintertime getaway is one that includes their pups’ happiness as well as their own. Imagine a world where leashes are rare and dogs are allowed to hang out anywhere and everywhere; a place with seemingly endless groomed trails where you can go Nordic skiing or fat biking with your pups by your side. You’d be imagining Nipika Mountain Resort.

To say that Nipika, located just over 30 kilometres east of Radium Hot Springs, was designed for dogs is a bit of a stretch — but not too far off. In 1979, when owners Lyle and Dianne Wilson first bought the land where Nipika is now, they had a German shepherd named Oochuk. Naturally, Oochuk was Lyle’s best friend and had the run of place, and he’s still there in spirit. When the Wilsons were building their first cabin on the land in 1996 -1997, they had two pups, Yoshi and Murphy — the latter is something of a legend for catching frisbees while dodging elk and horses.

Though the resort has definitely embraced fat biking in recent years with around 30 dedicated fat-bike trails on the property, Nordic skiing has always been the heart and soul of Nipika’s winter programming. Lyle coached Canada’s national cross-country ski team for the Calgary 1988 and Albertville 1992 Winter Olympic Games, and the resort hosts an annual Ski Week in the Rockies in January. Open to all levels of Nordic skiers, Ski Week is a clinic that offers instruction and coaching in classic and skate-skiing styles, as well as theory sessions and personal technique video analysis. (Ski Week registration also includes accommodations, food and social activities.)

Lyle has always had dogs, and has always skied with dogs, and he never gave a thought as to whether there would be dogs around the

resort that he and his family built. Dogs are as integral to the Nipika story as the solar panels that power this eco-friendly operation.

Whether or not the Wilsons had intended to open one of the most dog-friendly resorts on earth doesn’t matter, because the truth of the matter is that they did. Most of the Nipika staff members have a dog and are permitted to bring their canine companions to work. The resort is accessed off a logging road that does see considerable truck traffic on weekdays, but the cabin accommodations and north section of the trail system, which has 50 km of groomed trails outside of the Kootenay National Park boundary, is set well away from the road.

The nine guest cabins are laid out in a spacious semicircle, a formation that encourages supervised pups to play in the heart of the resort. This helps alleviate fears of anxious owners who might be new to having their dogs off-leash in such a setting, especially considering how stringent the rules and regulations are regarding leashes in the national and provincial parks. Certain B.C. Parks are labelled as “dog-friendly” for having off-leash zones and swimming spots — but only in certain areas. There is no “dog section” at Nipika because they are allowed everywhere and on every trail (the only place they’re not allowed is on the furniture). There is also no limit on how many dogs can be there — they have hosted upward of 30 canine guests in the past. The resort does reserve one cabin as dog-free to accommodate guests with allergies, though they will rent it out to guests with a dog if required and then follow up with a deep clean.

Each guest cabin at Nipika is constructed with timber from the property and is equipped with a wood-burning stove, kitchen facilities (cooking stoves and refrigerators but no microwaves, toasters AvenueCalgary.com

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M O U N TA I N S

Writer Katharine Erwin fat biking with her dogs Zelda and Ayla at Nipika Mountain Resort near Radium Hot Springs.

S K I T O WN D OG SI TTERS There are dog-friendly hotels pretty much everywhere you go, though the majority ask that guests do not leave dogs unattended, or, in the case that they are left unattended, that they be confined in a crate.

While this may be doable for very short periods of time, it’s certainly not a humane option if your plan is to spend an entire day out on the slopes. Some skier/dog owners have been known to enlist the housekeeping staff (and throw them some cash) to keep an ear out if the dogs start to bark or get excited, and should that happen, calm them down. But this isn’t exactly an above-board practice, and may not even be possible in large-scale accommodations with an extensive housekeeping staff.

The solution to this conunhave their dogs with them is to hire a pet-sitter for the day. Pet Tech Care in Fernie, B.C. and Fern & Fawn Petsitting Services in Golden, B.C. both cater to those who have come to their respective towns to enjoy the

or dishwashers) and comfortable, sturdy furniture. Most cabins sleep between six and eight. The largest, the Rocky Mountain Cabin, can sleep up to 13, while the smallest, the Bill Yearling cabin, can accommodate four guests.

On a typical winter day at Nipika, you can wake up, put on your snow boots, and take your dogs for their morning walk.

(The resort requests that owners of aggressive and game-chasing dogs use a leash, but otherwise, go leash-free if you like!) Upon returning, you can stoke the stove, make some coffee, feed the pups (and yourself) and get geared up for Nordic skiing or fat biking. Then, right from the cabin, you can take to the trails. If you are worried about the cold, there are warming huts out on the trails where dogs are allowed.

For the most part, this is a place where dogs are welcome as guests and can run and play freely in a natural environment alongside their owners as they enjoy invigorating outdoor activity. Unless you’re on a private estate, that’s a rare treat for dog owners and their canine companions. A trip to Nipika isn’t just something you do for you, it is something you do for your best friend, too.

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exceptional ski terrain. Pet Tech Care is run by former veterinary technician Val Lanthier, and she and her employees offer a number of services that range from taking your dog on a wintery walk, to administering shots, to staying in your hotel room with your pup while you’re out skiing. In Golden, Fern & Fawn, run by Jamie Froats, offers similar services for those who have plans to spend the day at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

Rates vary, though in most cases the day rate for pet-sitting is going to be less than a single-day lift ticket at major alpine resorts. Most Fern & Fawn Petsitting Services.

importantly, you’ll come back to happy dogs, which means a guiltfree ski trip.

Nipika photograph by AV Wakefield for North Birch Grove; Fern & Fawn Petsitting photograph by Jamie Froats

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AvenueCalgary.com

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JUST THE RIGHT SIZE Storage space and smart design help a couple build a home that fits them perfectly.

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DECOR

BY Amber McLinden PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jared Sych AND Mariah Wilson Larry and Adele Thomson’s condo in Calgary’s Downtown West End reflects their next steps in life. Interior designer Karen Fron helped create a small home that was comfortable, welcoming and had plenty of storage – even during the holiday season.

L

Embellishing nonseasonal decor with pine needles and winter florals is a great tactic when decorating a smaller space for the holidays as it minimizes the need for storage the other 11 months of the year.

arry and Adele Thomson spent much of their lives together in large homes, most recently a three-storey in Garrison Woods. With two children, it was exactly what they needed at the time. But when their kids moved out, a large house just didn’t suit them anymore.

The couple had purchased a condo in downtown Calgary for Adele to use during business visits to the city when they lived in Fort McMurray, and then for their son and daughter to live in while attending university. Once the kids finished school and moved out of the condo, the Thomsons weren’t sure what to do with it. With a life that includes travel, spending time in their vacation home in B.C. and an overall desire to no longer mow the lawn, they decided to make the condo their permanent home.

Interior designer Karen Fron, owner of Karen Fron Design, was an integral part of transforming the dated two-bedroom condo into a warm and welcoming home.

Taking cues from the Thomsons’ new lifestyle and the few decor items the couple brought from their previous home, Fron determined that her priorities would be the creation of storage space, a tailored-yet-modern look, a warm and welcoming aura and highlighting the gorgeous view of the Bow River.

“My design philosophy is everybody deserves to live in a functional and beautiful home,” Fron says.

With the help of Adrian Moxon Renovations, Fron turned the two bedrooms into one main suite with a large walk-in closet.

Even though the Thomsons moved into a smaller space, they didn’t want to give up quality time with their family. Sunday dinners and Christmas celebrations with the kids and their partners still happen in the Thomsons’ home.

A double oven and table with six large chairs ensure everyone is comfortable and well fed.

AvenueCalgary.com

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The kitchen and dining room flow smoothly into one another with the attached dining table and counters providing ample room for holiday dinners with family.

DECOR

“MY DESIGN PHILOSOPHY IS EVERYBODY DESERVES TO LIVE IN A FUNCTIONAL AND BEAUTIFUL HOME.” – KAREN FRON, INTERIOR DESIGNER

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The renovation also created a beautiful openconcept kitchen, dining and living room, ideal for hosting family gatherings. But there are also areas for the couple to have their own space when they need it, namely a den with a television and a computer desk, and a sitting area in the bedroom. “I don’t think we’ve compromised, or lost anything. I don’t think it’s been a big sacrifice,” Adele says.

Fron, who opened her interior design firm in Calgary in 2009, maximized storage space in every possible way. A spacious closet, sliding doors to hide a computer and printer in the den, cupboards and drawers filling the kitchen and even a seat with purse storage in the entryway created a place for everything.

While the Thomsons’ previous family home had ample room to store holiday decorations, the condo does not. Fron got around this by embellishing non-seasonal decor with natural elements such as evergreen sprays and flowers. When the holiday season is done, so are the decorations — no storage required. Fron worked with stylist Arminé Tatosian and Stephen Chapman from Blooms on 9th to assist with the seasonal decorating for the Thomsons. The gold colour palette of the table settings works well across multiple holidays, Fron says. “There’s no reason why this couldn’t look more like spring, with a different napkin and tulips.”

Fron says her favourite part of redesigning the condo for the Thomsons was helping them transition not only their living space, but also their lives. Shiny, reflective cabinets and patterned tile backdrops weren’t things they would have had in the kitchen of their previous family home, but moving into the next stage of life allowed the couple to push themselves outside of their aesthetic comfort zone. “I love designing for people that are changing a little bit, because it allows them to explore and bloom in ways they never did before,” Fron says.

Even though the space is smaller, it’s the perfect home for the Thomsons now. Despite going from a three-storey home to a condo, Adele says she doesn’t consider it downsizing. “I think it’s more like right-sizing for us.”

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AvenueCalgary.com

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Downsizing ulitmately means less space to call your own, but a den and a sitting area in the bedroom maintain private space in the Thomsons’ condo.

MAXIMIZE YOUR SPACE Transitioning to a smaller home isn’t easy, but if you make the right design choices, the space won’t feel stifling. Here are some tips from interior designer Karen Fron.

1. Have a place for everything.

Fron created specific storage spaces to fit the Larry and Adele Thomson’s belongings so everything has a place but there isn’t unused space.

Sliding cupboard doors in the den camoflage the computer desk, allowing for a sleek and uncluttered room.

2. Use round shapes.

“When you have square shapes, it’s boxier, and it appears to take up more room,” Fron says. Using a round coffee table for example makes the space look bigger.

3. Avoid clutter.

The Thomsons’ dining table is attached to the kitchen counter, flowing through the space as one element. Try connecting things in the room for a less chaotic environment and more visual flow.

4. Get rid of what you no longer need. “We realized we really don’t need camping equipment,” says Adele.

“We’re not going tenting anytime soon.”

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SOURCE GET THE LOOK

BY Sarah Nealon PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jared Sych

Chintz & Company and Oasis Flower Shop offer custom floral designs using silk and real plants respectively.

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2.

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Holiday Greenery

Add greenery (real or faux) from local retailers to your mantel or tablescape this holiday seaon.

1. Faux weeping pine spray and rosehip spray from Chintz & Company, 1238 11 Ave. S.W., 403-245-3449, chintz.com 2. Faux pine spray with pinecones from Plantation Garden Centre, 2408 4 St. N.W., 403-277-4769, plantationgardencentre.ca 3. Cedar spray from Oasis Flower Shop, 2002 Kensington Rd. N.W., 403-249-5507, oasisflowershop.com 4. Faux holly-berry spray from Golden Acre Home & Garden, 620 Goddard Ave. N.E., 403-274-4286, goldenacre.ca

4.

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DECOR PAGES 73 TO 76

Interior design by Karen Fron Design, 403-615-5246, karenfron.com Contractor Adrian Moxon Renovations, adrianmoxon.com Seasonal styling by Arminé Tatosian, 403-455-2539, msmodernmannersyyc.com Floral arrangements by Blooms on 9th, 1420 9 Ave. S.E., 403- 454-4350, bloomson9th.ca Cabinets, closets and built-ins by N&G Woodworking, 917 48 Ave. S.E., 403-243-5929, ngwoodworking.ca Gold swivel chairs in living room by Gresham House, acquired through Stewart Drummond Studios, 5836 Burbank Rd. S.E., 403-236-9414, stewartdrummondstudios.com Coffee table from Hudson’s Bay, multiple locations, thebay.com Side table from Chintz & Company, 1238 11 Ave. S.W., 403-245-3449, chintz.com Bar cart from Hudson’s Bay Fireplace from Ames Tile & Stone LTD Calgary, 2294 Portland St. S.E., 403-243-0434, amestile.com Rug from Home Flooring Design Centre, 423 58 Ave. S.E., 403-984-4100, homefloors.ca Kitchen countertops are Bianco Drift from Caesarstone, 3054 15 St. N.E., 403-476-9880, caesarstone.ca Appliances from Trail Appliances, multiple locations, trailappliances.com Kitchen backsplash from Tile and Stone Source, 6204 6a St SE #105, 403-252-8868, tilestonesource.com Dining-room chairs by Gresham House through Stewart Drummond Studios Bedroom chair by Gresham House through Stewart Drummond Studios Den chair from La-Z-Boy Home Furnishings & Décor, 7300 11 St. S.E., 403-259-1000; 5111 Northland Dr. N.W., 403-240-1000; CrossIron Common, 403-226-1000; la-z-boy.com Cowhide rug from Tandy Leather Calgary, 7816 Macleod Trail S.E., 403-253-1768, tandyleather.ca

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Bow Valley College is committed to helping students and professionals acquire skills to meet business technology needs in Calgary and southern Alberta. bowvalleycollege.ca/tech

Prompt Your Career

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THE LIST

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Holiday Diffusers from Saje Natural Wellness “Saje always makes a special holiday essential-oil diffuser, and it’s different every year. They’re perfect for stocking stuffers or hostess gifts. It’s a unique gift and I love that it’s Canadian.”

AS TOLD TO Jennifer Friesen

Morgan Haight

Tobogganing at Stanley Park “Children always seem to embrace the happiness of the holidays, and I especially see that when I take my kids tobogganing at Stanley Park. It’s safe, it’s fun and there’s a skating rink, too.”

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Luc’s European Meats, Cheese and Eats at the Calgary Farmers’ Market “I’m not a big cook, but I can set a pretty table and this vendor has amazing ingredients and beautifully cut cheeses to make a charcuterie platter for holiday parties.” Tomme de Savoie cheese shown above.

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Kids Winter Clothes from Purr Petite in Kensington “This shop has a great selection for kids, from earmuffs to jackets.

They have items you can keep for years — I even saved some of the baby clothes because they’re so timeless and well-made.”

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Christmas Lights in Upper Mount Royal “Christmas lights are my favourite part of the season, so I always make a point to drive through Upper Mount Royal and look at all the displays.

When all the lights are all on, it doesn’t feel so cold anymore.”

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Hot Chocolate from Bell’s Bookstore Cafe “Their hot chocolate is amazing; it’s super sweet. I would say I go there for my kids, but it’s really for myself.”

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Santa at Southcentre “They have an enchanted forest set up for the line so it’s more of a magical experience for the kids. It’s also easier as a parent, because there are places for the kids to play and explore as you wait.”

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Sticky Wicket Cocktail from Cleaver “I love the smell of the toasted marshmallow, and when that’s mixed with the cool prosecco, it melts in your mouth.”

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Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker “I actually grew up dancing in The Nutcracker, so it’s a big deal for me to bring my daughter every year. It’s a quintessential Calgary staple.” (Alberta Ballet performs The Nutcracker Dec. 13 to 15 and 20 to 24; for tickets go to albertaballet.com.)

Amaryllis Bulbs from Purple Orchid “When I see amaryllis bulbs, I know it’s time for Christmas. It’s such a festive flower. Purple Orchid is filled with amaryllis in December, so it feels like a winter wonderland.”

Morgan Haight, cocktail and cheese photography by Jared Sych; Nutcracker photograph by Paul McGrath

Morgan Haight’s parents established Rubaiyat in 1973. Five years later, they moved the shop to its current storefront location on 17th Avenue S.W. Filled with artful home decor, giftware, elaborate jewellery pieces and more, Rubaiyat has always been Haight’s second home. Growing up, she recalls late evenings at the store during the month of November as her family and Rubaiyat’s staff decorated for Christmas. The shop’s elaborate holiday window displays are legendary in Calgary — Haight says families have been coming for generations to show their children and grandchildren the decorations. “Making our window displays have always been a big family tradition for us, and I love that it’s become a tradition for other Calgarians, too,” she says.

Here are 10 of her favourite things in Calgary for the holiday season.

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Explore.

Over 200 hands-on science experiences BODY WORLDS: ANIMAL INSIDE OUT Exhibition on until March 2020 Great Bear Rainforest Dome show, narrated

by Ryan Reynolds on until April 2020 Shop an amazing selection of unique gifts at the Spark Store

www.sparkscience.ca

You were there when Kimberley was sitting in a chemo chair.

You were there the moment she shared her vows last summer.

Every day, 53 Albertans hear the words, “you have cancer.” albertacancer.ca/moremoments

We need you there.

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TITLE: Device to Root Out Evil (second version), 2004.

WORK OF ART

ARTIST: Dennis Oppenheim (1938 to 2011).

MEDIUM: Aluminum, galvanized steel, Venetian glass, Plexiglass.

SIZE: 6.7 metres by 5.5 m by 2.75 m.

LOCATION: 5th Street Square, 712 5 St. S.E. NOTE: This installation was made possible by the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation in collaboration with the Benefic Group of Vancouver, facilitated by CHIMP Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada) and Art to Public, a subsidiary of TrépanierBaer Gallery.

CURATED BY Katherine Ylitalo PHOTOGRAPH BY Jared Sych

Device to Root Out Evil

T

his past summer, Device to Root Out Evil reappeared in East Village after five years out of the public eye in Calgary.

In the fall of 2008, the truck transporting the sculpture arrived in Ramsay from Vancouver amid great fanfare. An expectant crowd watched as the steeple of the miniature traditional New England-style church (not unlike the Little Church in Drumheller) was bolted into a prepared foundation at a sharp tilt. Device’s creator, the world-renowned American artist Dennis Oppenheim, was quoted in The Globe and Mail at the time, saying: “I think Calgary looks as if it’s going to become a major Canadian art city, so in that respect I’m quite pleased that it’s going there.”

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The steel and aluminum framework of the structure was then set on top, wondrously balanced on the tip of the steeple, floorboards to the sky. Over the following days the belfry and front end of the peaked roof were clad in beautiful, thick slabs of handmade transparent Venetian red glass in overlapping rows. The light that shone through the roof in a range of vitreous reds — from ruby to crimson and scarlet — intensified the mystique of the sculpture.

But the Ramsay site would see a change of ownership a few years later and, in 2014, the Device disappeared.

But now it’s back, thanks to the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the master developer of East Village. CMLC was looking to solve a design problem: a square on 5th Street S.E. at 7th Avenue needed a boost of colour and light to bring it to life as a community space.

Upon learning that Device to Root Out Evil was available, they had it brought out of storage and redesigned the plaza to accommodate it, creating an engaging public space that will house the sculpture for the next five years.

Oppenheim, who passed away in 2011, traversed the possibilities of many artforms throughout his long career, including conceptual, performance, photography, land art and public art. His works often turned the tables on convention and expectations.

Device is not the only Oppenheim work that has appeared around these parts. Visitors to the Illingworth Kerr Gallery at the Alberta College of Art (now Alberta University of the Arts) in 1978 saw and heard Lecture #1, a set-up of chairs facing a lectern where a puppet in the image of the artist, complete with mechanized lip-sync controls, delivered the soundtrack of a quirky, dark lecture. (The piece is now in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.) At the Walter Phillips Gallery in Banff in 1983, he exhibited alongside Calgary’s own out-of-the-box installation artist Rita McKeough. And in 2009, the City of Calgary Public Art Program commissioned him to make Pathways to Everywhere for the Jamieson Place building downtown.

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WORK OF ART

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