Seen and Heard in Edmonton

It’s nice to be back at it after a week away from the roundup. Last week was a blur: My daughter was in the hospital; Mack and I launched Taproot Edmonton; I spoke at Journalist Interrupted and at the Canadian Association of Journalists conference; and we had our podcasting meetup. Kind of a lot, but nothing we couldn’t handle thanks to the help of family and friends. Happy endings all around.

Let’s begin with media and makers:

• Mack Male announces Taproot Edmonton, a new member-supported home for local journalism.
• For more media-related matters, including some of the things I’ve been up to, check out Mack’s Media Monday.
• “Dominion newspaper folk are Edmonton guests today,” declares a 1924 headline in Vintage Edmonton; 92 years later, the National Newspaper Awards brought the same kind of folk here.
• Lindsey McNeill sets up Randy Brososky’s ambitious 100in1Day project, Hellevator.
• And hey, there’s Randy on Faces of Edmonton, talking about what motivates him.
• Justina Smith shares a whimsical series of anthropomorphic animals commissioned by food blogger Chris Falconer.
• Kendyl Lauzon has embarked on a 100-day photo project to centre herself.
• Paper Leaf’s desktop wallpaper for June is going to make me happy for the whole month.
• Forrest Zeisler outlines what design means at Jobber in light of a recent makeover.

Politics

• Dave Cournoyer gets a scoop on what MLA Derek Fildebrandt has to do if he wants to return to the Wildrose caucus she’s been suspended from.
• The Alberta legislature’s first mace was made out of “pipes and mugs and toilet parts,” writes Bruce Cinnamon.
• Mike Ross sort of salutes whoever runs the trollish but funny @Burger_Baron account on Twitter.

Music and theatre

• Sable Chan interviews choral composer Stuart Beatch in a post that comes complete with Pro Coro’s performance of one of his pieces.
• Michael Senchuk recounts how the Tragically Hip have provided the soundtrack to his life.
• Megan remembers her best first kiss, and other musical memories jogged by the news about Gord Downie.
• The Northern Sessions found quite the interesting setting for a couple of videos with Jordan Norman & The Wisdom Teeth.
• Colin Maclean writes up the resurrection of the Varscona Theatre.

Hockey all the time

• Matt Henderson takes another run at “hockey people” who dismiss analytics when making decisions.
• Corey Travers constructs a model to see if Taylor Hall should have made Canada’s World Cup of Hockey team.
• Kyla Lane’s opinion of Taylor Hall improves after seeing him perform in the world hockey championships.
• OilersNation is teaming up with the Edmonton Prospects to inject a little baseball into your hockey, complete with a tryout from Chris the Intern.

Parenting

• Jess Holt is at her wit’s end when it comes to making supper for her twin toddlers.
• Stu Kehrig’s baby Sophia tries solid food for the first time.
• As we head towards the International Children’s Festival, Trent Wilkie chats about fatherhood with St. Albert events manager Stephen Bourdeau.
• When you’re having a bad day, take five, says Lori Godin. It makes all the difference.

Reflections

• Erika Ensign takes a kind of comfort in the fact that you can’t go back, and focuses on the future. (Also, hire her.)
• Be kind to yourself, writes Vickie Laliotis.
• Kira Paran is having trouble saying goodbye to the house her family is about to outgrow.
• I’m glad I can find out from Jen Ference what it feels like to run 80 km, because I am never going to do that. (Plus she did it for a great cause.)

How-tos

• Nicole Rowan shows how she’s been styling with a cast on her foot.
• Marie a la Mode has suggestions for choosing a photographer to capture your newborn’s earliest days.
• Katie Kelly finds ways to save money on laundry.
• I didn’t know you could eat spruce tips, but Margaret Bose-Johnson says you can, and has the salad recipe to prove it.
• Maegan Lukian has a recipe for roasted bananas with honey and fresh lavender that sounds so good.
• Nicole Winski reveals the results of a bedroom makeover.

I know I missed some good ones, because of the craziness, but you can find plenty more at ShareEdmonton. You can find these and previous picks on my Flipboard magazine and in past roundups.

These weekly recommendations and much more will be delivered to you every Thursday if you subscribe to the Seen and Heard in Edmonton newsletter.

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This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Eek Fest, the pop culture fair happening at Servus Place in St. Albert on June 4 and 5.

You’ll find five halls of fun, featuring Lego, comics, collectibles, video games, zombies, Nerf guns, live improv, cosplay and more. Hear all about it from Eek Fest’s Rob LeLacheur.

Family passes are on sale now for $39.99; adult weekend passes are $19.99 and kids get in for $8 (plus fees). Get your tickets today!