Medicine Hat Media

Posts Tagged ‘Downtown’

Down Right Crafty - Indie Craft Fair

Saturday, August 28th – 10am to 4pm – BATUS Park
(downtown on the corner of the 500 block of 2nd Street SE)

This is not your mama’s craft show, we’ve got unique items you wouldn’t find at most traditional craft shows. Featuring the handmade wares of crafters from Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Calgary and surrounding area. You’ll find amazing jewelry, clothing, plush items, handmade beauty products, accessories, fine art and more!

There will be a Kids Craft Corner and free lemonade, so bring the whole family and end your summer on a high note!

For more information or to book a table visit www.downrightcrafty.ca


Downtown Medicine Hat is a drag. Shops open and close regularly, driving around to find a parking spot is most often a nightmare and the only way to go between North and South Railway Street on foot is through a dilapidated underground walkway. Currently there are a number of plans in the works to revitalize downtown. One plan of which includes removing planters, at the cost of a huge sum of money, to make a few more parking spaces which probably will not return on the investment of spending so much for so little. Other plans fizzle out or are rejected by vote.

In reading Ticked and Tickled on the Medicine Hat News, one resident complained about how the Railroad is still in town. This gave me an idea: As the railroad is supposed to be moving its operation to the town of Dunmore, why not rip up the tracks and make a mall? A mall would help downtown immensely. It would help relieve the congestion of traffic headed towards Walmart on a daily basis, create many jobs, create an area for people to park in, and most importantly, unify the North and South Railway Streets. The railroad station could also be turned into a dozen cool shops.

The immediate problem I can foresee is that malls usually start off with a few chain stores, such as a Walmart, Zellers, The Bay, Safeway, and so forth. There may not be enough room for a typical square style mall, so an elongated one would be the best choice. Perhaps two chain stores on either side with strip malls and a big parking lot in between. Another possible idea could be a two story mall that could accommodate many more stores with a big underground parking lot, though, Medicine Hat may not be big enough for another large scale mall.

Another issue is that Medicine Hat is not considered big enough for some stores, but as the town just keeps getting bigger, a new mall may encourage new business. Some businesses would, of course, do better in a mall setting, such as Empire Gaming, which tanked due to poor location. It may have greatly thrived in the setting of a mall or in the heart of downtown.

Thoughts?


Spectrum Logo

Looking for the Spectrum 2011 post?

I have already posted about All the Colours of the Spectrum, but what about the main event? This year it taking place over the following dates:

  • Friday 4-10PM (June 4th)
  • Saturday 11AM-10PM (June 5th)
  • Sunday 11AM-4PM (June 6th)

The main Spectrum event contains a huge amount of art, sports, dance, music, food, festivities and other performances (including the magic of Trevor Moore). In fact, I think this post has been tagged with the most categories a single post has ever received. The following is a list of stage performers (which are free, by the way):

Friday, June 4th

4:00 – 4:45 – German Harmony Band
5:00 – 5:45 – Amy Nelson
5:45 – 6:30 – The Magic of Trevor Moore
6:30 – 8:00 – Scott Ward – Hypnotist
8:15 – 9:15 – Kool Ray and the Hip Kats

Saturday, June 5th

11:30 – Amy Nelson
12:00 – Walk a Mile in her Shoes
12:30 – Amy Nelson
1:00 – Medicine Hat’s Got Talent
2:00 – Dance Connection
3:00 – Master’s Extreme Makeover
4:30 – 5:30 – The Straight Jackets
5:30 – 6:30 – Blacksmith Jones
6:45 – 7:45 – The Magic of Trevor Moore
8:00 – 10:00 – Jazz – Lyle Rebbeck

Sunday, June 6th

12:00 – Gas Town Riot
1:00 – Medicine Hat’s Got Talent
2:00 – Dance Connection
3:00 – Quintet

Besides performances, there’s also a ton of other activities and events to keep you busy: THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »


The City of Medicine Hat is in the process of reviewing parking in the downtown area to determine if additional parking space is required.

As part of this review, a team will be conducting surveys throughout the downtown. The survey is scheduled to commence June 2 and is expected to take two weeks to complete.

Interviewers wearing safety vests and name tags will approach patrons and ask them to answer a few questions regarding parking.

All residents are encouraged to answer this short survey on-line.

The City of Medicine Hat appreciates the public’s support and participation in this important survey.


Runner's Soul in Downtown Medicine Hat

Runner's Soul in Downtown Medicine Hat

Finally a store that caters to runners with a knowledgeable staff has opened in this city! No longer will the runners in the Hat have to go to other sporting goods stores, and have staff members guess at the type of shoes that will work best for them.  Runner’s Soul is without a doubt a huge improvement to the community athletic scene. Not only do they provide knowledge that was previously unheard of in this city, but they host Learn to Run nights to encourage everyone to try their hand, or foot, at running. All the information regarding these events can be found at the store, so don’t be shy!

The team at the Downtown store will spend all the time it takes to find shoes that will work best for your foot type, race distance, and race type. So whether you are a seasoned marathoner, mastering a 5 k, or just want to see what makes those crazy people running in torrential downpours on Saturday mornings tick, head down to Runner’s Soul (it’s in the old city bakery on 6th avenue).

Check out their website at: http://www.runnersoulmedhat.com/


Downtown Growth, Development
Policy Direction Framework, Strategies Set

This week City Council unanimously adopted the Downtown Redevelopment Plan, a conceptual development framework for growth over the next 20-30 years. It will also serve as a foundation for the development of Phase Two which is the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan that will provide detailed regulations and guidelines for development.

The Downtown Redevelopment Plan was identified as a Council priority and is the result of an extensive collaborative effort. In July 2008, Planning Services began the process by engaging city departments, City Centre Development Agency (CCDA) and other community stakeholders in an interactive and dynamic manner including preliminary information gathering/analysis, and a four day design Charrette that included a workshop and a public open house.

“This is a milestone for the city of Medicine Hat because the Downtown has never had a formal Plan to help direct its future development,” says Jeanie Gartly, Superintendent of Planning Services. “There appears to be broad support and anticipation for the implementation of the Plan while conserving the unique historical character of the Downtown.”

The Downtown Redevelopment Plan boundary is defined as the area from Maple Avenue SE to the east and Third Avenue SE to the west. The area is bound on the north by the South Saskatchewan River and Fifth Street SE to the south. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »


View Midnight Madness 2011 Instead

I just realized when we received a comment on our last years Midnight Madness article that this year’s event is quickly approaching. This year, Midnight Madness will be taking place on Thursday night (November 26th). Most of the deals and sales that most business owners promote will start at 6PM and last all the way till midnight. Some of the yearly events include Santa arriving at City Hall, a tree lighting ceremony, Christmas carols, ice sculptures, and the international festival of trees.

The Downtown Medicine Hat website has recently changed their page to promote the event as seen here which details, new comer to this year, The Monarch Theatre having free admission for Midnight Madness. Midnight Madness is primarily a downtown event, but I’m sure some other shops around town also take part. Or, in the case of the Medicine Hat Mall – they have their own event which is called Moonlight Madness which we also posted about last year – still waiting for some information on this one for this year.

Alternatively, for more information, there is a couple businesses listing their own events/information on the Shop the Hat website event list.


Thuy Tien is a Vietnamese restaurant located in downtown Medicine Hat. Taylor and I are no strangers to the restaurant staff, as I am sure we are no strangers to them. We first went there in the spring of 2009, and have been back numerous times since.

The restaurant offers a large menu, including about 75 different dishes, most of which include the best rice ever, which is then complimented by the best soy sauce ever. The dishes usually include chicken, pork or beef, but also branch out to some more interesting items, such as quail.

The decor of Thuy Tien creates a relaxing environment with comfortable chairs, large tables, interesting tapestries and artwork and soft music. There is also a large aquarium by the cash register that children seem to love, which also gives me an air of nostalgia as it reminds me of a Dairy Queen in Regina that also had a large attention-grabbing aquarium.

The food is good and the location is accessible. Check out Thuy Tien if you want to try something new.

Thui Tien is located in downtown Medicine Hat at #647 – 2nd Street S.E.


The United Conservatory of Music is the first musical destination for many, if not all, musicians in Medicine Hat and surrounding area. The Conservatory, or “UCOM”, as it is commonly called, started up in 1972 with only 25 students in its mix and 37 years later with hundreds of students, it is going stronger than ever.

The comfortable atmosphere is accentuated by the knowledgeable and friendly staff who generally greet you within minutes of entering the doorway. It is not uncommon to open the door and immediately hear guitar riffs filling the air.

The walls are lined with a wide array of products and brands, including Gibson, Ibanez, Tama, Sabian, Zildjian, and much more. The prices are usually the best you can find in town for brand name products.

I am no stranger to the drum section of the Conservatory, going there most often for new drum skins, sticks and the occasional piece of hardware. I am sure my face is not an uncommon one to see there after years of occasional visits.

The United Conservatory of Music is located in downtown Medicine Hat at #560 – 4th Street SE.

http://www.unitedmusic.ca


A couple of months ago in Veterans-Riverside Park there were a bunch of paving stones removed from around the tank area. These pavers were lifted and used to make a large fire pit. I couldn’t help but think how long it must have taken to construct this and the fact that nobody reported a fire going in the park.

Don’t know why, but I’m always surprised to see that there is a common problem of homeless and transients downtown. I’m never downtown in the Wee hours when I guess a lot of trespassing and vandalism occurs. I don’t think most people see this side of our City.


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