email newsletter
August 2005

   
Click on the text links below for more information on these topics in the Victoria Crossing website. If you would like further information, contact the Victoria Crossing BRZ office: 265-2888 or info@vcrossing.com.
play What to do this month
August 1-6 - Tim Williams and the Electro-Fires at Elbow River Casino
August 2-18 - Write Now! Summer Writing Program at Memorial Park Library
August 3 - Motley Crue live in concert at the Pengrowth Saddledome
August 3-17 - Reading Railroad at Memorial Park Library
August 4 - Film Show: Animated Adventures at Memorial Park Library
August 7 - The Royal Lipizzaner Stallions at the Pengrowth Saddledome
August 8 - Foo Fighters live in concert at the Pengrowth Saddledome
August 8-20 - Combo Del Casa at Elbow River Casino
August 11 - Film Show: Animated Adventures at Memorial Park Library
August 16 - Abstract Rude, Atu and Drez at Fameless
August 18 - Film Show: Animated Adventures at Memorial Park Library
August 21 - John Mellencamp and John Fogerty live in concert at the Pengrowth Saddledome
August 22-27 - Donald Ray Johnson Band at Elbow River Casino
August 24 - Def Leppard live in concert at the Pengrowth Saddledome
August 27-29 - Furniture West Market Showplace at Stampede Park

Coming up...
Grave Gala, Hotel Arts
October 29, 2005
A major fundraising event for the Calgary Opera and Alberta Ballet, Grave Gala 2005 will bring an infusion of creativity to the city centre at Hotel Arts. Don’t miss this opportunity to be at the centre of attention for an electrifying event that is sure to revitalize Victoria Crossing in a very distinctive way! Sponsorship opportunities are available for this uniquely urban event, and tickets will be available August 23. Please contact the Victoria Crossing office or Calgary Opera website or 262-7286 for more information.



Victoria Crossing and Coyotes raise $2000.00 for the Mustard Seed Street Ministry!
Thank you very much to everyone who attended the Victoria Crossing Stampede Block Party at Coyotes on July 11 and helped us raise $2,000.00 for the Mustard Seed. This event was a great opportunity to bring businesses and the community together in the spirit of Stampede, and we look forward to making this an annual event.

Stride Gallery closing for the summer
1004 Macleod Trail SE
Catch the final week of SINCERITY OVERDRIVE at Stride Gallery, from August 2-6, before the gallery closes for summer holidays! They reopen on September 9 at 8:00 pm with a new exhibition by acclaimed Canadian performance artist, Rita McKeough, and book launch of Caught in the Act, an anthology of performance art by Canadian Women. Call 262-8507 for more details or check out their website at www.stride.ab.ca.

Watch for other upcoming events...
Parks Foundation, Calgary Centennial Celebration, Haultain Park
September 23, 2005

Music Hall of Fame, Cantos Music Foundation
September, 2005

Victoria Crossing BRZ Annual General Meeting The Kahanoff Centre
November 3, 2005
work 17 Avenue Urban Design Strategy
The City of Calgary is setting out to define the character of 17th Avenue, between Macleod Trail & 17 Street SW, and how future development can build on and enhance that character. As a key stakeholder along the avenue (from 2nd St. SW to Macleod Tr.), Victoria Crossing and representatives from its business community will be participating in the Stakeholder Advisory Committee in the development of this strategy. Representatives of the Victoria Crossing Board on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee include Eileen Stan, Executive Director, and Neil McPherson of McPherson Financial Group. Victoria Crossing businesses with a vested interest in the 17th Avenue area are asked to contact us with your input or for more information.

Need domain hosting?
New Canadian Domain Name Registry Service at Lexi.net
A new divison of services has recently been opened at Lexi.net, a Canadian Domain Name Registry Service,  which can be found at the Lexicom.ca web site. They are currently offering one year domain hosting and name registration for a flat rate of $149.95, an offer valid until Sept 15th 2005, as a promotional item. Domain Registration alone is $19.95 annually, or less, depending on length of registration. Advantages are simple: a name and site managed and hosted locally, economically, and with personal service. Lexi.net runs two server rooms here in Calgary, and boasts a wide range of local, national, and international clients. Contact Lexi.net at 1-877-426-6277 or go@lexicom.ca.

88 Productions Develops "Homebuilders 4 Tomorrow" Site
88 Productions (#17, 1208 - 3 Street SE) is building a new website for the Centre of Excellence with career information about Calgary’s Professional Home Building Industry and this new site will be up and running August 16, 2005 at www.homebuilders4tomorrow.com. The site is meant to provide the final prong in a three prong approach to enticing high school students into the home building trades as a viable and lucrative career choice. The Centre of Excellence is a non-profit association representing professional homebuilders, land development companies, and trade related contractors, with a mandate to develop and maintain a skilled workforce for Calgary’s professional homebuilding industry.

New Businesses to Victoria Crossing
The Victoria Crossing BRZ welcomes the following new members:
Calgary Coin & Antiques (1404 Centre Street S)
Blame Betty Boutique (1014 Macleod Trail SE)
EOL (204, 619 - 11 Avenue SE)
ICE Classics (1201 - 1 Street SE)
Saw Communications (12 Avenue SE)
UPA Group (200, 1212 - 1 Street SE)

CSOs in Victoria Crossing
Please help us in evaluating the Community Support Officer pilot project by emailing info@vcrossing.com, with "CSOs" in the subject line, including your feedback (e.g. Did you notice/meet with the CSO team this summer? Do you feel they have had an effect on crime and social disorder in the area? Is this a system that could have a long-term positive effect in the community?).

Meetings of the Board of Directors
The Victoria Crossing BRZ Board of Directors meets monthly to discuss the happenings in the area and make decisions about the BRZ's involvement in various projects and initiatives. The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for August 18, 2005. All members are welcome to attend the meetings, but are asked to contact the Victoria Crossing office to confirm times and location.

special features

Taste of the Month: Fettuccine Primavera
at La Brava Ristorante Italiano
A medley of fresh garden vegetables in cream sauce or tomato basil, this pasta dish is a delicious Italian experience. In fact, the whole restaurant is an experience. Elegant Italian-style decor and impeccable service make La Brava a pleasant dining affair for lunch or dinner. Located in the historic Western Block, La Brava Ristorante Italiano is an excellent accompaniment to the retail shops and restaurants on the up-and-coming retail district of Scarth Street (1st Street SW).
Visit La Brava at: 1001 - 1 Street SW
Phone: 263-1112


Business of the Month:
Soft Health & Healing
Located in the South East corner of the IBM building, Soft Health and Healing brings a revolutionary new approach to helping people eliminate pain and achieve optimum health. Whether you have back or neck pain, muscle pain, suffer from arthritis, or are one of those weekend warriors that overdoes it, Dr. McColman can help eliminate your pain and get you back to a healthy, pain free life. By looking at individuals as a whole person rather than just at the area of concern, Dr. McColman can more accurately diagnose and then treat the condition with a blend of Soft tissue therapies, Low Intensity Laser therapy, and other complimentary treatments, most often with remarkable results. As a special bonus to Victoria Crossing area businesses and their employees, Soft Health and Healing offers a FREE Body Scan Analysis and an $80 voucher towards future treatment.
Visit Soft Health & Healing at
130, 227 - 11 Avenue SW
or www.softclinic.ca
Phone (403) 265-6373
Victoria Crossing BRZ Member Info Kits
Throughout July and August, representatives of the Victoria Crossing BRZ are distributing information kits to all BRZ members. In the kit is information about the operations and purpose of the BRZ and benefits of being a member. Also included is a Company Profile Form, which we ask each member to fill out to help us maintain an up-to-date database and online directory. If you have not yet received the info kit, click here to download the profile form and return the completed form to the Victoria Crossing office via fax: 398-1510.
Thank you very much for your assistance.
shop Shop To It Inc. changes the way Canadians shop online
Visit www.shoptoit.ca for a new experience in Internet shopping. Find everything from vacuums to bedding, computers to makeup, and everything in between, all from Canadian retailers. Gone are the days of trying to make the conversion from American to Canadian dollars, paying duty fees and ridiculous shipping fees, and now you can shop all your favourite Canadian retailers in one place! Eighty-five Canadian retailers are linked to Shop To It, including Future Shop, Indigo and Sears. Shop To It Inc. is located in Victoria Crossing, at L100, 239 - 10 Avenue SE.

IODE Bargain Shop
1318 1st Street SW
The IODE features many specials throughout the month of August.  Please drop by and check out their good quality and great prices on new and used men's and women's clothing, household items and books.  IODE Bargain Shop is completely staffed by IODE volunteers with proceeds to charity.  NEW HOURS - 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday.

this month in Victoria Crossing...

Bea's Braiding & Hair Extensions
20% off sale
222 - 17 Avenue SE
Bea's Braiding & Hair Extensions is offering 20% off hair extensions, wigs or any hairpiece this month. See details in store.

Alberta Retail Display Group Inc. will be exhibiting at the Fall Gift Show, held at the Northlands Agricom in Edmonton from August 14th to 17th inclusive.
Alberta Retail Display Group Inc.
224-11th Ave. S.W., Calgary, AB. T2R 0C3
1-800-561-1204
live Union Square (1 Street SW between 13 & 14 Avenues)
Land Use approvals for Union Square's mixed-use residential project were obtained in July. Project details are now being finalized and we look forward to another groundbreaking very soon!

13 Avenue & 1 Street SW Proposed Residential Development (mixed use/commercial condominiums)
A second project on First Street SW by Battistella Developments is currently under design by Graham Edmunds Cartier. The project will consist of 209 residential units over ground floor commercial space. More details to come soon!

Did you know?
In May 2005, the Off The Wall Graffiti Team counted 1,570 graffiti tags in Victoria Crossing. As a result of the team's work in removing and reporting these tags, the graffiti count in June dropped to 980, and was reduced to only 765 by the end of July. Clearly, the Off The Wall Team is making a difference in the amount of graffiti in our business district.
Please remember to call 3-1-1 to report any graffiti vandalism on or around your business.

learn Stirring Culture: A Centennial Discussion on Imagination, Arts, Community
Stirring Culture, presented by Alberta College of Art and Design, is a speaking series consisting of foremost international leaders and practitioners from various spheres within arts and culture who will come to Calgary as keynote speakers to lead critical discussions on community and diversity.

Youth Singers of Calgary now taking registrations
Youth Singers of Calgary is a local charity that provides performing arts education for ages 3 to adult, producing several public performances both free and admission charged, as well as private functions. Youth Singers of Calgary is now taking registrations for all divisions from ages 3 & a half to adult. They are in need of several boys to fill openings in all the divisions of their unique choir programs. Call the office at 234-9549 for more information and to book an interview. Rehearsal days and times vary depending on the division, and rehearsals are held at the Victoria Community Centre (1308 - 6 Street SE).

Volunteer Calgary presents: Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement Workshop
August 26, 2005
Whether your volunteer program is up and running or still in the planning stages, it is essential to have formalized policies and procedures to support your volunteers. Learn how to integrate the Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement into your volunteer program, and create consistent guidelines for the management of your volunteers. The workshop, taking place August 26 from 9:00am-12:00 pm, is FREE to Volunteer Calgary members, and $64.20 for non-members.  To register, contact Volunteer Calgary’s registration desk at registration@volunteercalgary.ab.ca or 403-231-1436.
Victoria Crossing History -
Massey Harris Warehouse (Ribtor Sales)
318 - 11 Avenue SE

Past
This warehouse was built in 1912 to act as the Massey Harris district centre. Massey Harris chose Calgary for its central operations because of the convenient CPR right-of-way, in response to an immense growth in demand for agricultural implements by homesteaders. In 1979, the building was sold to Ribtor Manufacturing and Distributing Company, a sporting goods wholesaler.
Present
Ribtor Sales currently operates out of the main floor of the Massey Harris warehouse, which recently underwent a major interior and exterior renovation. In recognition of this work, the building owners were awarded a Community Heritage Award in 2003. Upper floors are now leased to O'Connor Associates Environmental Inc. and TAG Advertising & Marketing, among others. Along with streetscape improvements, this building makes a strong positive contribution to the revitalized Warehouse District.
Future
Through the foreseeable future, Ribtor will continue to be a city icon as the greatest place to find rare hardware, camping, fishing and hunting gear, as well as army surplus. Development plans for the remainder of the Ribtor site include a second, four-storey commercial/office/retail building.

Victoria Crossing distributes these notifications in aims of promoting the area’s revitalization and providing added value to our stakeholders. If you do not wish to receive these newsletters, please reply to newsletter@vcrossing.com with NO THANK YOU in the subject field.