Summer is here 🏖️.I hope you are enjoying time with family, maybe doing a little Stampeding if that is your thing, and are able to find some time to relax!
The Calgary Real Estate Market is showing some good balanced conditions, which is great for buyers and sellers alike. All property types have reported gains in inventory, which means a better selection for buyers - which favours more people being interested in making a move right now. The most inventory growth has been in row and apartment style homes, while supply for detached and semi-detached units are only slightly higher than the typical levels we've seen over the last few years. Overall, pricing is stable and the market continues to do well year over year. Let me know if you are considering a move in the next few months and we can discuss what these market conditions mean for you and your needs.
In this newsletter, we are celebrating summer! If you are the type to love attending festivals and events, I have included 10 options below. From smaller town rodeos, to music festivals and country fairs, there are local, day trip and weekend options to choose from!
I've also taken us back in time - back to the summer of '25. Take a peek at what life was like in Calgary 100 years ago, when we were a city of about 65,000 people.
Summer is a time of year where you might find yourself enjoying a cool drink with friends and family on a patio. In the "spirit" of this kind of summertime activity, I have shared the story behind three local craft breweries and distilleries - and how friendship and a love of community and Calgary shaped their "hops" and dreams.
Enjoy the rest of July and our beautiful weather!
The Calgary Real Estate Market is showing some good balanced conditions, which is great for buyers and sellers alike. All property types have reported gains in inventory, which means a better selection for buyers - which favours more people being interested in making a move right now. The most inventory growth has been in row and apartment style homes, while supply for detached and semi-detached units are only slightly higher than the typical levels we've seen over the last few years. Overall, pricing is stable and the market continues to do well year over year. Let me know if you are considering a move in the next few months and we can discuss what these market conditions mean for you and your needs.
In this newsletter, we are celebrating summer! If you are the type to love attending festivals and events, I have included 10 options below. From smaller town rodeos, to music festivals and country fairs, there are local, day trip and weekend options to choose from!
I've also taken us back in time - back to the summer of '25. Take a peek at what life was like in Calgary 100 years ago, when we were a city of about 65,000 people.
Summer is a time of year where you might find yourself enjoying a cool drink with friends and family on a patio. In the "spirit" of this kind of summertime activity, I have shared the story behind three local craft breweries and distilleries - and how friendship and a love of community and Calgary shaped their "hops" and dreams.
Enjoy the rest of July and our beautiful weather!
10 Sizzling Summer Festivals to Check Out
Whether you are a music fan, a foodie, can't get enough of stampede vibes, or you just love to try new activities, there are festivals all over Alberta that will keep you and the family entertained this summer. Take a road trip for the day, get away for a weekend or stay in Calgary - there is something for everyone! Here are a few that you may be interested in!
Rodeos and Stampedes:
Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede
Medicine Hat, ABJuly 23-26
Experience the entertainment! Check out the rodeo, live music, agriculture and art displays, night shows, markets, the midway and more!
Medicine Hat Stampede
Strathmore Heritage Days Stampede
Strathmore AB
August 1-4Rodeo, chuckwagons, Stampede Smackdown (wrestling), concerts and more!
Strathmore Stampede
Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo
Pincher Creek, ABAugust 14-17
Small Town, Big Rodeo. Join us for the 30th Anniversary of Pro Rodeo with bucking bulls, fast horses and some good ole small town fun!
pinchercreekprorodeo.com
Okotoks Pro Rodeo
Millarville, ABAugust 22- 24
okotoksprorodeo.com/
Formally known as the 'Okotoks & Foothills Pro Rodeo', this rodeo is hosted in one of the best outdoor arenas in the County of Foothills, Alberta - at the Millarville Racing and Agricultural grounds. This event draws contestants and visitors from across Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
Festivals:
Omatsuri Japanese Festival
Calgary ABJuly 18-19
This annual festival brings members of all communities together for two days to celebrate and share Japanese traditions and culture.
Omatsuri Japanese Festival
South Country Fair
Fort MacLeod, AB
July 18-20
The mission of South Country Fair has always been to expand cultural horizons in Southern Alberta by giving people the opportunity to experience a diversity of music, spoken word and performance art in the context of a three-day, camping-style, old-world outdoor folk music festival.
South Country Fair
YYC Ice Cream Fest
July 18-August 17
This summer, participating cafés, restaurants, and creameries compete for the coveted titles of YYC's Best Scoop, Best Non-Dairy Scoop, and special Golden Scoop award. Calgarians can taste a spectacular lineup of chilled treats and determine the entry that bests them all!
yycicecreamfest.com
Taber Cornstock
Taber, AB
July 24-26
Cornstock is back, and this year's festival promises to be bigger, louder, and more exciting than ever! This three-day music festival transforms Taber into the ultimate summer destination, bringing together an incredible lineup of artists, mouthwatering food, and an electric atmosphere that music lovers won't want to miss. Whether you're a fan of rock, country, indie, or folk, Cornstock offers a diverse mix of performances that will have you singing along, dancing under the stars, and soaking up the best of festival season
https://celebratetaber.ca/event/cornstock/
Edmonton Folk Music Festival
Edmonton, AB
August 7-10
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival promotes live folk music at its annual festival with the purpose of celebrating diverse, affordable folk music, sharing meaningful, inclusive experiences, and building community for its volunteers, artists, vendors, patrons, and the people of Edmonton, Alberta.
Edmonton Folkfest
Summer Skirmish
Calgary AB
August 16-17
Almost 2000 years of warfare comes to life in a weekend of scripted battle re-enactments and demonstrations! Viking raids, medieval duels, gladiatorial combat, musketry skills and cannonades are some of the demonstrations and exhibitions that will be available. You will be able to interact with all the participants, who will be dressed in period costumes and uniforms that will transport you back in time.
Summer Skirmish
Back in the Summer of '25
100 years ago in 1925, the population of Calgary was around 65,000 people. The city's 50th anniversary was a major event, and Calgary's growth and history was showcased with a historical pageant. People visited the city for events like Stampede. To many, Calgary seemed like a sophisticated, bustling place to be!
Take a look at the video and photos below for a glimpse of what life was like a century ago for those living in Calgary.
Steven Avenue circa 1925
Hitchin' Horses in 1925
In 1924, Ralph "Slim" Moorehouse hitched 32 horses to pull eight carts filled with sacks of grain into Calgary for the Stampede Parade. In this picture, Moorehouse is coming into Calgary, and Ramsay School can be seen in the background. The following year in 1925, Moorehouse would beat his own record and hitch 36 horses (35 matching black horses, with one white horse at the lead). He was an expert at negotiating such a long hitch through tight city streets. Only once did he miss a corner, damaging a fire hydrant in the process. Moorehouse remains a legendary teamster and his 32-horse hitch was memorialized in a mural on the south wall of the Corral on Stampede Park.
Click on the video below to watch a silent clip of life in Calgary in 1925 ⬇️
The Stories Behind the Crafts
Calgary has always been a very entrepreneurial city. It's a place where people can take new and fresh business ideas and turn them into thriving businesses. It can take a lot of resilience, heart and adaptability - and of course hard work - but the end result can be something pretty amazing. The craft beer and spirits industry in Calgary has some great examples of owners who have followed their "hops and dreams" and created some of Calgary's favourite watering holes.
Here are the stories behind three of the Calgary area's most popular breweries and distilleries.
Establishment Brewing Company
It all started with a bunch of beer-loving friends, who happened to be talented homebrewers, and the home that they brewed in. After a decade of brewing in one of their homes, deemed "The Establishment". Mike, Dave, and Brandon always joked that their homebrewed beers were better than anything they could ever buy.The name 'The Establishment' is a nod to Mike's old house in Erlton, which was their primary spot to gather to try their latest homebrews. They referred to the place as The Establishment, based on a sign that Brandon found on a snowboarding road trip and propped up in the home's basement window. Everyone agreed it suited the place and the name stuck. In 2013, the Calgary floods led to the home's basement being gutted and rebuilt. They took this as an opportunity to install a new expanded home-brew system, complete with a yeast lab. This tipped their homebrewing hobby into obsession territory.
They started to half-joke about how they should just start their own brewery. Eventually, they stopped joking and turned their hobby into a business plan. With the support of their family and friends, they took the leap and "The Establishment Brewing Company" opened their taproom in the Manchester Brewing District January of 2019.
This Calgary brewery has since won many awards including won 'Alberta Brewery of the Year' AND 'Canadian Brewery of the Year'.
Establishment Brewing:
4407 1st St SE, Calgary, AB
establishmentbrewing.ca
Eau Claire Distillery
Eau Claire Distillery, located in Turner Valley, was co-founded by David Farran and Larry Kerwin. The distillery, known as Alberta's first craft distillery, was established in Turner Valley after Farran and Kerwin were inspired by a trip to Oregon. They began distilling in 2013 and have since become known for their award-winning Canadian whisky.Farran spends his time farming with horses. Ploughing, seeding, and harvesting with old horse-drawn equipment. In fact, visit the Stampede and you may find him running heavy horse demonstrations. Since farm to glass and plate is pretty important, the distillery uses best-in-class ingredients and artisanal distilling methods, Eau Claire ensures that their whiskies, gins and vodkas reveal flavours and taste unparalleled.Eau Claire is also a Certified Farm Distillery - a unique designation which refers to their own farming operation, much like an estate winery. Though the distillery does buy some Alberta grain to supplement production, all the cereals harvested in the traditional method by Farran go into Eau Claire's whiskies, an amount that equates to roughly 37,000 bottles' worth each year. (Their total whisky output is 50,000 to 75,000 bottles per year).
Eau Claire's spirits, have gone on to win numerous awards, including a medal at last year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Parlour Gin and a Consumer Choice Award at the U.S.-based Sip Awards.
Eau Claire Distillery
113 Sunset Blvd SW. Turner Valley, Alberta
eauclairedistillery.ca
Bitter Sisters
Sisters Jill and Tracy Johnson have been in the restaurant and bar business for 23 years. They formerly owned the Atlantic Trap and Gill, an East Coast-style pub and live music venue, for 20 years. They decided that they wanted to open something more in line with their stage of life and who they had become over the years. Jill and Tracy wanted to create a space where they would be comfortable taking our families and friends, and something that would appeal to the neighborhood. They were always huge craft beer fans and thought the location (across from Heritage LRT) would be perfect for a brewery. It was important to the sisters to be connected and involved in the community and be a meeting place where people would come together. They love Bitter Sisters being a neighborhood hub and are very proud of the great beer and food they provide.Jill and Tracy opened Bitter Sisters just 32 days before the pandemic hit - prior to that, they had been closed while renovating for seven months. Needless to say, COVID was devastating as they had no reserve funds built up. They had to lay off great staff then bring them back them back repeatedly over their first 2 years of being open. The sisters had a very successful opening, and closing so soon after because of COVID was very challenging. The financial strain was overwhelming, as was the stress. But Jill and Tracy fought through it, filling growlers and selling cans and to-go food. The community supported them, recognizing the calibre of the beer and food they were producing even under the stressful circumstances. and helped us pull through. They made it through and are one of the most popular craft breweries in the city, with an exceptional menu of tasty food options too.
Bitter Sisters
510 Heritage Dr SW, Calgary, AB
bittersisters.co
