I am taking a brief break from corn dog season… I mean rodeo season. While recovering from Ponoka Stampede and Calgary Stampede AND currently enjoying Westerner Days festivities before travelling to Klondike Days… I mean Capital Ex… no… K-Days (hopefully no more rebranding) in Edmonton, it is a good time to shore up festival season plans for the family for the rest of the summer.
The festival menu highlights include events contributing to the local culture in the heart of the city of Red Deer – the downtown core. The Downtown Business Association (DBA) is established pursuant to statute and funded by our municipal taxes to support a downtown business revitalization zone. That includes cleaning and beautification and supporting businesses.
I was fortunate to be Chairperson back at the turn of the millennium, when we moved out of a basement location (at a building now called the Millennium Centre) to finally see the sun in a ground level office. The current Executive Director is Amanda Gould, whose door is always open and well lit.
If we want our downtown to not become defined by homelessness and partly empty buildings, bringing the citizenry downtown via Festivals is important exposure. Those popular scooters are another way (nerve-wracking to a lawyer whose practice includes personal injury, what is so wrong with wearing a helmet and putting up with a little helmet hair?).
CentreFest Street Performer Festival July 27-28 is a long standing one to support. Dancers, mimes, magicians, musicians, artists, vendors, the list goes on. Especially if you haven’t been for a while, check it out. Think of it as your civic duty to go have some fun. Not a big ask. Invite your relatives, co-workers and neighbours.
Among my new favourites (having a spouse originally from the Caribbean and loving jerk chicken and Jamaican patties doesn’t hurt) is the second annual Afro-Caribbean Festival on a closed Ross Street across from City Hall Park (free entry). It starts at noon on Saturday, August 17 (until 11 pm) and Sunday, August 18 (until 8 pm).
It includes a parade of flags, entertainment, fashion shows, food, drink and vendors and is a family friendly event. With over 5,000 attendees in the first year (and all vendors returning and more being added), I hope we get to the 10,000+ attendee level. Next year could then be even bigger as government funding could also be on the table to help take Red Deer next level in the festival game and as a tourism destination location.
Zainab Mohamoud is the Executive Director of ACCoCA (ah-COKE-ah – the African Caribbean Centre of Central Alberta) who lead in the creation of the festival. We first met two summers ago at Saturday morning’s weekly Red Deer Market at Red Deer Polytechnic (everyone who’s everyone makes it to this OG market at some point, it is like a weekly Festival). I am growing more aware of our many local leaders who were not previously on my radar. She has won many awards including a Platinum Jubilee award from the Alberta government handed out recently. Moreover, she is a force for fearlessly revitalizing the downtown core.
This Canadian, originally from Somali, has not only opened the not-for-profit ACCoCA premises downtown with many offerings open to the community AND started what I hope becomes our biggest Festival with visitors from around the province and beyond – on Saturday she is officially opening Zainab’s Coffee House near to Prime Stock Theatre in our downtown core. The food and drink at the soft opening was fantastic. The only downside is she is not right beside Chubby’s so I have to travel a couple of blocks between two of my favourites downtown. See you there and at the Festival.
Donna Purcell, K.C., (aka Lady Justice) is a Central Alberta lawyer and Chief Innovation Officer with Donna Purcell QC Law. If you have legal questions, contact dpurcell@dpqclaw.com.
