Watch The Perseids Meteor Shower This Weekend

Every year around this time, the Earth is pelted with fiery stones from the frigid depths of outer space. Instead of as being as terrifying as that concept has every right to be, it is beautiful and awe-inspiring. For skywatchers, this year’s Perseid meteor shower should be a particular treat, with Jupiter and Venus getting in on the action as well.

ProTips on how to view the coolest light show of the year and a video from the smart folks at NASA, who when they are not sending robots to perfect 10 landings on another planet, are apparently getting other people to do their more menial tasks — like counting meteors — for them. Nice work if you can get it, right?

Get Out of Dodge: If you can afford to take a little late-night trip and, yes, lose a little sleep, getting away from city lights is going to make the Perseids a much more enjoyable show. Escaping light pollution will make for a lot more visible meteors. I didn't see anything particular set up at the observatory SW of the city but it might be worth while checking it out anyway.

Sunday Funday: This Sunday, August 12th will mark the height of the show, which goes on every year when the Earth passes near the comet Swift-Tuttle.

Coffee. Also, More Coffee: Though you can catch a glimpse of the meteors pretty much anytime after 10 or 11 pm, the best viewing is going to be in the early morning hours, just before dawn. So be prepared to either get up real early, or stay up real late. Hot coco is also nice or some kind of tea. Just something warm to put in your tummy and don't forget some comfy blankets to lay out on. This is one thing that is best enjoyed on your back.

Look to the East. Also, A Little North: The majority of the evening’s shooting stars will seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus. For those of you who (like me)  have no idea where to begin looking for that cluster of stars, it is to the northeast. For those of you who (again, like me) have no idea what direction northeast is, your phone probably has a compass that will come in handy.

For more tips, we turn you over to the capable hands and dulcet tones of the professionals at NASA. While you’re watching, the space agency would appreciate if you could count meteors for them to help determine the trajectory of Swift-Tuttle. They’ve even cooked up a smartphone app to make it easy for you — at that point, it’s kind of rude not to lend a hand, right? Right.

and for a special treat, watch this video!

and then check out this month's Star Chart from the TELUS Spark Science Centre.

(via Space.com, pic via Logan Brumm)

Captain's Cruises at Heritage Park

Captain's Cruises

Thursday Evenings: July 19 - August 30
7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Set sail on Calgary's only paddlewheeler and enjoy the breathtaking views of the Glenmore Reservoir and the majestic Rocky Mountains. Enjoy gourmet hors d'oeuvres and a selection of fine Canadian wine and beer, all while grooving to the smooth sounds of a live jazz band ( One Nite Band).

Tickets: $74.95 + gst per person

Call 403-268-8500 for tickets

Menu

Classic Chilled Shrimp Cocktail with Tiger Prawns
Cocktail Sauce & Chili Lime Aioli
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Smoked Duck Breast on Crostini
Chipotle Aioli
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Maki Rolls, Salmon & Shrimp Sushi
with Wasabi Paste & Soy Sauce
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Classic Devilled Eggs with Smoked Paprika
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Smoked Salmon Pinwheels
Capers & Cream Cheese
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Mini Vietnamese Salad Rolls
Sweet Chili Ponzu
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Artichoke & Spinach Dip with Crisp Pita Chips
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Sliced English Cucumber with French Brie & Orange Marmalade
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Grapes Rolled in Blue Cheese Scented Cream Cheese & Toasted Almonds
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Crisp Crudités & Cool Ranch Dip
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Canadian Cheese Platter with Crackers
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Seasonal & Tropical Fruit Tray
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Fancy French Pastries & Assorted Squares
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Complimentary Soft Drinks, Juices & Gourmet Coffee

Beer & Wine Sales are available on a cash basis

     *Captain’s Cruises are not wheelchair friendly, due to the food and drink being served on the upper deck.

Drive into the village and park by the S.S. Moyie Paddlewheeler.

Free parking.

Deerfoot Mall Drive-In Movie Series

Deerfoot Mall Drive-In Movie Series is BACK! Admission is FREE!  Cash donations will be gratefully accepted for Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids Society!

The films being shown are:

THE LORAX (August 10th)

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (August 17th)

Movies will play in the WEST parking lot. Gates open about 5pm. Parking is first come, first serve.

They also have a bouncy house and crafts for kids before the show starts.

Village Ice Cream

Tucked away near Stampede Park and in the shadow of the Arriva Tower at the dead-end of 10th Ave S.E. is a place your taste buds have been screaming for and you didn't even know it. Welcome one of the newest delights to the Calgary eatable scene:

Village Ice Cream

 

They make small batched, big batches, all created using thick cream and meticulously picked ingredients. This is love in a waffle cone.  Huckleberries come from Montana, pecan are fresh from Georgia, cardamom is ground locally at Silk Road Spice Market and the coconut gets toasted in the shop.

Always something new, always something changing, you'll never get the same thing twice and that's OK. The next is always better then the last and better then the best. You can count on the salted caramel, Bolivian roast coffee, Guides mint, maple pecan, toasted coconut and cardamom to be mainstays.For dairy-free lovers, a small selection of sorbets come in always-changing flavours including juniper hibiscus and cranberry ginger.

Get a scoop in a fresh waffle cone or a take-home carton.

Open Monday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 4 to 11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon to 11 p.m.

431 10 Ave. S.E.
403-519-5648,

 villageicecream.com,

@villageicecream

Ignite Summer Block Party – June 21

June 21st

We're celebrating the summer solstice with a classic block party on Stephen Avenue. Featuring live art, sound by The Bass Bus, signature cocktails and fabulous food to kick start the season.

Tickets are $40 or free for Pivot members.

for more info, click here

The Calgary Folk Fest Comedy Tent

For the first time ever The Calgary Folk Fest will include the jeers, cheers and chuckles of talented funny people in their newest addition... the Talk Tent.

The Talk Tent will run Saturday and Sunday from 11 am - 5 pm, and is programmed chock-a-block with stand up comedians, interviews, and a special celebration of the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. Bring your festival chair and have a seat on the grass under the tent (it will be shady!).

Here is a peak at who will be attending:

Atomic Improv

Donovan Workun and Mark Meer have been creating comedy-on-the-spot based entirely on audience suggestions for over 2 decades. Their fast paced, high-energy show incorporates a range of styles, characters and hooks to produce a comedy pressure cooker. They’ll also be doing sketches from their national CBC Radio comedy program The Irrelevant Show, an irreverent take on pop culture that ranges from the everyday to the surreal, including scenes about family life, dating, relationships, the workplace, the news and superheros.

Chris Fairbanks

Stand-up comic, writer, artist, actor, twitterer, skateboardinger. He’s a correspondent for action sports channel Fuel TV and a Comedy Central reality show Reality Bites Back regular. When not touring as a stand-up comic, Fairbanks earns his living as a poster artist, animator and illustrator.

Richard Flohill

Richard is a Toronto-based publicist, writer and concert promoter who has influenced, supported or managed more than 100 artists over 40 years. His experience and abiding love of music make him an informed and engaging presenter and interviewer who gets deep into artists’ music, history and stories. A dedicated carnivore, Richard has thrived all these years without letting a piece of lettuce, a carrot or cucumber pass his lips. He’ll do a panel with festival artists on their war/travel stories, interview individual artists and share information about how to make a living in music.

Kevin McDonald

Comedian, actor, writer and director, The Kids in the Hall co-founder Kevin McDonald is known for his popular recurring characters the King of Empty Promises, Sir Simon Milligan and Jerry Sizzler. McDonald has appeared in many films and television programs, including Seinfeld, Friends, MADtv, Tim and Eric's Awesome Show Great Job! and Arrested Development and hosted his own CBC show Sketch with Kevin McDonald.

Derek Seguin

A quintessential performer, seasoned stand-up comedian, actor, host and narrator, he’s a regular on CBC Radio’s The Debators and Just for Laughs. Derek’s takes on the world have a hysterical Quebecois flare. Whether ragging on politics or describing life with his children, he deftly brings audiences into his perspective.

Walking Woody’s Road

Jimmy Lafave and his collaborators celebrate and chronicle the life and writings of legendary singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie for the 100th anniversary of his birth through stories, songs and video.

The schedule will be announced alongside the full weekend schedule at the end of June.

For more information check out the Calgary Folk Fest webpage

5 Ways to Spend Labour Day Weekend in the City

With fall around the corner, here are five ways to soak up the last of the summer sun in and around the city this long weekend (more to come later in the week):

Calgary Lawn Bowling Club

Even if you don’t adhere to the no-white-post-Labour-Day rule (who really does?), have a little fun with an all-white dress-up lawn bowling event. Get teams together and crown a lawn bowling champ. (Naturally, you’ll need one last little white summer dress for the occasion.)

Calgary Lawn Bowling Club; 1238 16 Ave. S.W.; 403-245-4341

Canmore Highland Games

Braveheart is on TV again but instead of settling for the couch, and Mel Gibson for that matter, head to Canmore for this annual end-of-summer event that includes highland dance and piping and drumming competitions, heavy sports contest, sheep dog demonstrations, Celtic wares and traditional food and beverages.

Centennial Park, Canmore; 403-678-9454

Labour Day Classic

Relive your favorite Friday Night Lights moments at a real football game this long weekend as the Calgary Stampeders take on the Edmonton Eskimos in what is known as the greatest rivalry in CFL. No interest in football? No worries; the people-watching alone is totally worth the ticket price. 

McMahon Stadium; 1817 Crowchild Trail; 403-282-2044

Rafting on The Bow and Elbow Rivers

True Calgarians love their rafting, so what are you waiting for? If you’re a beginner, start with the calmer Elbow River before graduating to The Bow (perhaps next summer).

Mackay’s Cochrane Ice Cream

We all scream for ice cream – especially before the temperatures drop to 40 below. Indulge in the summertime treat at the historic ice cream shop in Cochrane, just a short drive out of the city but well worth it thanks to the gorgeous scenery.

Mackay’s; 220 1st St. W., Cochrane; 403-932-2455

The First Thursday Outdoor Dining Room

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

6PM-10PM

The FOOD TRUCKS are here! Alley Burger, Perogy Boyz, BLAMwich, Fiasco Gelato, Los Compadres and maybe more, PLUS a huge communal table under the Olympic Plaza pergola, board games and bocce. 8^th Avenue SE at Olympic Plaza (in front of the EPCOR CENTRE)

Hot Air Balloon Rides

What’s the deal?

Go for a ride in a hot air balloon.

Where’s it at?

Of all the ways of flying, no other feels like a hot air balloon. To balloon is to levitate above the ground, drifting silently as if in a dream. With its beginnings in 18th-century France, the endeavour has changed little since. You are still completely at the whims of the wind.

Book a flight with Sundance Balloons, an operator with balloons in 12 cities from Ontario to British Columbia.

Flights launch at sunrise and sunset, but try a sunrise flight because the winds are calmer and your trip is less likely to be cancelled. Meet your crew, who will arrive with a trailer, in the early-morning twilight. First, they’ll unload the wicker basket, which despite its non-aeronautical appearance has proved de rigueur for hundreds of years. Next, the balloon will be unfurled and inflated with giant fans, and finally the gas-powered burner. Clamber in and you’ll soon be hovering 100 metres above a rural landscape, peering down voyeuristically.

The tranquillity is broken only as your pilot pumps the jets, sending flames up to modulate lift, the only control you have. A skilled pilot can read air currents and choose an elevation with a breeze to his liking. After about an hour, you’ll set down in a farmer’s field and the chase vehicle will arrive to pack it all away. Your pilot will offer a champagne toast, a tradition of balloonists, and the experience will feel like it was a dream.

Who’s it for?

Those who are not afraid of heights or landing in a strange farmer’s field. Sundance Balloons offers two flights per day, weather permitting. Prices start at $215 a person.

**

Another company I have dealt with is Rainbow Balloons, very good. Family Owned. No deposit required.

Deerfoot Mall Drive-In Movie Series

I have a drivers licence and I have a car. I think it's time I take advantage of it...

Though, I'll admit. I'd rather see Grease. Fact. Wonder whaaaat she's doing nooooooow...

August 3^rd – E.T.

Costume Contest – Dress up in your best 80’s attire for your chance to win a $100 Deerfoot Mall gift card. Donations will go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area.

August 10^th – Jurassic Park

Costume Contest – Dress up in your best 90’s attire for your chance to win a $100 Deerfoot Mall gift card. Donations will go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area.

Royal Tyrrell Museum Kiosk

Find out fascinating facts about our prehistoric past and see some real fossils when you stop by the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s kiosk in the Centre Court on August 10th. Don’t forget to pick up your 2 for 1 admission coupon to the Museum so you can come see a mosquito preserved in amber – found right here in Alberta – just like in Jurassic Park!

August 17^th – Fast Five

Count Fast & Furious – Win a $100 Deerfoot Mall gift card by guessing the amount of food in our Contest Car. Food will be donated to The Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank.

Location:  West Parking Lot Time: Gates open at 5PM - Movie starts at dusk. Weather permitting.

Contests and activities each night. Airbrush tattoos will also be available from 6pm-9pm.