The 10th Annual Bright Lights Festival in downtown Lethbridge a huge success ... watch our VIDEO!

Thank-you to everyone who joined us for the 10th Annual Bright Lights Festival and Midnight Madness event in Downtown Lethbridge. Even though the weather was a bit chilly, the event was a huge success and a great time was had by all.

Please click on the link below to watch the video ...

Bright Lights Video YouTube VIDEO

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at the Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (DBRZ)!

O3 FACTOR ... bringing high-quality, fashion-forward clothing & accessories to downtown Lethbridge

Brad Plausteiner

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Brad and his staff at O3 FACTOR have worked hard to bring high quality men's and women's fashions to downtown Lethbridge for the past 10 years. They pride themselves on keeping up with what is trendy and popular in the world of celebrity fashion. If you've seen it on TV or in a celebrity magazine, O3 FACTOR will probably already have it stocked in their store.

Denim is definitely their focal-point. They offer a variety of different fits, cuts and price points for their discerning customers. With prices starting at around $90.00, the sky is the limit on what they have to offer.

Besides their amazing selection of jeans, O3 FACTOR has an extensive range of tees, sunglasses and other accessories. They carry numerous styles and colours of handbags by leading manufacturers such as Matt & Nat and Guess.

If you're looking for what is hot and trendy in sunglasses, O3 FACTOR is the place to go. They carry an impressive selection of Oakley, Carrera, True Religion and Arnette sunglasses. They also stock Oakley goggles that provide style, comfort and protection while skiing or snowboarding. There are lots of colours and styles to choose from and if they don't have it in stock, they will do their best to get it in for you.

So, if you're looking for something a bit different, something that is trendy, fashion-forward and cutting edge ... then O3 FACTOR is the store for you. Visit them at 104 - 8th Street South (near Chapters on 1st Avenue South) or call (403) 394-0302.

Christmas Meter Plugging Program in Downtown Lethbridge

December 6th to 24th in Downtown Lethbridge

Sponsored by: City of Lethbridge Heart of Our City Revitalization Committee (HOCRC) and the Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (DBRZ).

As a way of saying 'thank-you' to shoppers during the Christmas season, the HOCRC and DBRZ will be sponsoring the Christmas Meter Plugging Program from December 6-24.

Christmas Ambassadors will be walking throughout the downtown, plugging expired meters and leaving behind a greeting on vehicle windshields, wishing customers a Merry Christmas and thanking them for their patronage. For the majority of businesses, this is the busiest time of the year, so it is important that customers and clients don't receive a parking ticket while visiting the downtown during the Christmas shopping season.

For more information on the program, please contact Ted Stilson - Executive Director, DBRZ (403) 327-9002 or George Kuhl, Downtown Revitalization Manager, City of Lethbridge (403) 320-3926.

Judi brings a passion for contemporary design and style to her eclectic retail store in the heart of downtown Lethbridge

Judi

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Judi takes us on a tour of her bright, colorful and interesting downtown Lethbridge store. Her unique retail concept is actually two stores in one - Nicholai Home Fashion, a modern, contemporary lifestyle accessories, furniture boutique and Peter & Nelly's Market, comprised of 19 local and area entrepreneurs.

Nicholai has a wide range of contemporary household items that range from mirrors to furniture, pillows to books and a wide range of other unique and colorfully designed accessories that will appeal to a variety of tastes and styles. Some of the well-known lines they carry are Torre & Tagus, Maxwell & Williams, Fatboy and Umbra. They also stock contemporary framed prints by Canadian artists as well as an eclectic selection of design/style books.

The other side of Judi's unique concept store is taken up by Peter & Nelly's Market. The market fills a gap that was left when Homestead Village closed its doors. Each of the merchants in the market rent different sizes of retail space and offer their customers a diverse selection of items. Baby blankets, purses, jewelry, original art, jams/antipasto, framed outdoor photographs by Mike Byneshewsky and much, much more can all be found in this unique little downtown market space.

Each year, Nicholai hosts Lethbridge Fashion Week's Designer Sale. This popular sale of exclusive fashions, showcases designs by our city's top designers and upcoming talent. This year, the Fashion Show will be taking place at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG) on Friday, November 26. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15.00 at SAAG or available at the door on the day of show. Designer Rack Sale - hosted at Nicholai Home Fashion from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information on Fashion Week, visit nicholaihomefashion.blogspot.com.

If you haven't taken the opportunity to visit Nicholai and Peter & Nelly's Market, we encourage you to stop in and visit with Judi and her knowledgeable staff. If they don't have what you're looking for, they'll do their best to find it. They are located at 330 - 7th Street South (between Esquire's and Gentlemen III). For more information, call (403) 327-1447.

10th Annual Bright Lights Festival & Midnight Madness Event in Downtown Lethbridge ... our biggest celebration ever!

The 10th Annual Bright Lights Festival will kick off the holiday shopping season in downtown Lethbridge on Friday, November 19th. The ceremonial lighting of Galt Gardens Park will take place shortly after the arrival of Santa at approximately 6:00 p.m.

The Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (DBRZ) is especially excited to be partnering with the City of Lethbridge's 'Heart of Our City' and the Cultural Appreciation Society of Alberta (CASA) on this year's lighting of the park. Hundreds of new lights and a choreographed light show have been added in order to help us celebrate the 10th anniversary of this popular community event. The new Christmas lighting feature will add a whole new dimension to the event and the downtown. CASA's Lethbridge Holiday Light Festival will be in operation each evening from November 19 until January 7. A dedicated radio channel (102.7FM) will provide downtown visitors with the opportunity to take in the light show from the comfort of their vehicles while parked around Galt Gardens Park. Visitors are also encouraged to stroll through the park to listen to, and view, the lights close-up.

Besides the amazing Lethbridge Holiday Light Festival, Christmas Movies-in-the-Park will also be back again this year. A variety of classic Christmas movies will be shown from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the pergola area of the park. As well, the traditional hayrides, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, coffee and popcorn will be available (free-of-charge) courtesy of the DBRZ and participating merchants. The U of L's Faculty Brass Quintet and Tuba Christmas will be treating everyone to a live musical performance of classic Christmas tunes.

Midnight Madness will also be taking place in conjunction with the Bright Lights Festival. Participating businesses will be keeping their doors open late on November 19th and providing their valued customers with Midnight Madness specials.

Back again this year will be the London Road Neighborhood Association (LRNA) who will be on hand to sell hot dogs and hamburgers and to take donations for the Lethbridge Shelter & Resource Centre Soup Kitchen. The U of L's Kappa Sigma fraternity will be back again this year to help volunteer for light installation, concessions and take-down/clean-up after the event.

Modernegg will be presenting the 3rd Annual MADE Show+Sale at The Gate (522 - 3rd Avenue S. - old Bank of Montreal building) from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. A collection of local vendors will be selling unique, hand-made items. For more information, call (403) 894-3462.

For more information on the Bright Lights Festival & Midnight Madness event, contact Ted Stilson at the DBRZ at (403) 327-9002.

Historic murals find new homes in downtown Lethbridge

A series of historic murals by local artist Jason Trotter were installed on buildings in the downtown Lethbridge in 2007. The murals, commissioned as part of a 'Heart of Our City' initiative, depict key historical figures and industry that played a significant role in the development of our city.

The process employed by Jason to create the murals is far from the typical technique used by traditional mural artists. For this project, Jason selected archival photographs (supplied by the Galt Museum & Archives) and then digitally manipulated them into a multi-layer stencil format. Each of the large-scale stencils were then hand cut. The stencils were then used to transfer the image onto steel mesh with paint. This unique mural application allows the buildings substrate to be seen through the work, giving the image a certain tactile quality and ghost-like appearance.

Unlike traditional mural applications, this unique approach, also makes it possible for murals to be moved from one location to another. Unfortunately, a mural that was commissioned for the north side of the Travel Lodge was lost when the building was demolished to make room for the new downtown fire station. A similar situation recently occured when the City of Lethbridge purchased the old IGA building as the new site for a community arts centre that will replace the Bowman Arts Centre. As a result, a new home was required for the 'Black Diamond' mural that was affixed to the west side of the IGA building, prior to its demolition that began in September of this year. We were fortunate enough to find a suitable location on the upper north side of the Wallace Block building on 5th Street. Owners of the building, Malcolm and Bonny Greenshields, were very supportive of the move and are proud to have the mural displayed on their historic building. As well, one of the 'Three Kings' murals also needed a home after the new owner of the Lethbridge Hotel building decided to have the mural removed during renovations. That mural was moved to the west side of the old Bank of Montreal building (The Gate), reuniting it with the other 'Kings'.

Here is a brief description of the history behind each of Jason Trotter's murals;

Three Kings (west side of The Gate building on 3rd Avenue - old Bank of Montreal building) - taken from archival portraiture photographs of Chief Red Crow (Kainai), Chief Sitting Behind An Eagle Tail Feather (Pikuni) and Chief Crowfoot (Siksika). The Chiefs represent the tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy and the murals pay homage to these great native leaders and the aboriginal population of southern Alberta.

Jock Palmer (south side of Streets Alive building on 4th Street) - John Enderby 'Jock' Palmer was born in Cambridge, England in 1898 and moved to Lethbridge in 1905. Jock joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI and served gallantly on the battlefields of France before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps where he received his wings and tallied nine aerial combat victories. Upon his return to Lethbridge after the war, Jock flew extensively as a barnstormer, commercial pilot and instructor.

Often described as the 'grandfather of Alberta aviation', Jock also pursued other ventures beyond flying. One of those ventures was the formation of the popular Lethbridge radio station - CJOC.

The upper part of the mural shows Jock posing in front of one of his planes, while the lower half shows an enlarged letter destined to be on the first airmail flight from Lethbridge to Ottawa.

Black Diamond - (upper north side of the Wallace Block - Round Street Cafe building on 5th Street). The unidentified men in this mural proudly pose in front of a coal mine shaft on the banks of what would later become West Lethbridge. Galt Coal was a leader in the coal mining industry which helped to establish Lethbridge.

All-Candidates Forum focuses attention on issues affecting downtown Lethbridge

The first forum for this year's municipal election was held on September 29 at the Public Library. The much-anticipated forum attracted an overwhelming crowd of citizens who were anxious to hear from candidates for the first time during the election campaign. The campaign will see 30 aldermanic and 6 mayoralty candidates vying for City Council positions.

With just two hours to conduct the forum, candiates were allowed one-minute for an introduction and one-minute for each response (total of two questions per candidate). Although it was a relatively short time-frame for responses, it did provide the public with an opportunity to get to know who the candidates are, what they hope to accomplish if elected and how they feel about downtown revitalization.

The Downtown All-Candidates Forum was designed to ask important questions pertaining to the 'Heart of Our City'. Each media panel member was supplied with two questions that were prepared by the Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (DBRZ). The panel members were also encouraged to pose other questions relating to the downtown and to the greater community.

Although private developers, business owners, property owners and City Council have taken great strides towards the goal of successfully revitalizing our downtown core, there is still much more to accomplish. It is important that the incoming City Council build on the momentum that has already taken place by continuing to support and invest in the development of a clean, safe, attractive and economically viable downtown ... a downtown that our community can take great pride in.

The All-Candidates Forum was sponsored by the DBRZ and the Lethbridge Public Library. Special thanks to Doug McArthur who did an excellent job as moderator, to Marda Schindeler from the Citizen Society Research Lab at the Lethbridge College who helped to develop and compile the questions and data for our City Council Candidate Study questionnaire and to our media panel. The results of the downtown questionnaire will be posted on the Lethbridge College Citizen Society Research Lab www.lethbridgecollege.ca website prior to October 18.

The Municipal Election takes place on Monday, October 18. For more information on the election, visit www.lethbridge.ca.

A Celebration of Art and Music in Downtown Lethbridge

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Downtown Lethbridge was bursting with a wide array of festivities that exposed southern Albertan's to our local art and music. The Alberta Arts Days celebration (Sept. 17-19) included live music in Galt Gardens Park and other downtown venues. Local dancers, musicians, actors and artisans also joined the celebration with performances and displays of arts and crafts in the park. Although the weather was unseasonably cold and rainy, it didn't deter large numbers of people from attending and enjoying the celebration.

ArtWalk continues to grow with over 50 venues taking part in this popular event. Besides the art on display, ArtWalkers were treated to a number of demonstrations that included block printing, woodburning, glass bead art, textile design, painting and many more. The demonstrations provided onlookers with a glimpse into how artists create. ArtWalkers were encouraged to collect stamps from participating ArtWalk venues to be eligible for a chance to win an original painting by local artist, Ian Randell.

The long-awaited opening of the reconfigured and expanded Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG) coincided with Art Days. The new look SAAG includes a new classroom and library, generous windows that look onto Galt Gardens, a multi-media/video viewing gallery, state-of-the-art lighting, sound and projection equipment. The newly created gathering space is filled with light that is created by the impressive glass-clad facade entrance way. The new SAAG is definitely something that our entire community can take great pride in.

The Alberta Arts Days festivities provided great exposure for our local artists, musicians, performers and artisans. The event definitely illustrated that the arts are alive and well in southern Alberta.

Thanks to all of the organizers and participants who made this celebration such a huge success.

The Galt Museum & Archives offers up an engaging, interactive, stimulating and fun experience for everyone!

Anine

Just a few of the over 20,000 interesting artifacts in the Galt collection

Hands-on interaction in the Discovery Hall

Temporary exhibit - 'Our Ancestors Have Come to Visit: Blackfoot Shirts'

Volunteers play an important role by cataloguing images and artifacts.

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Located on the west end of 5th Avenue in Downtown Lethbridge, the Galt Museum & Archives definitely shatters the stereotypes that are usually associated with the word 'museum'. Interesting ... yes! Boring ... absolutely not! The Galt is a vibrant gathering place that is designed to fulfill everyone's historical, cultural and educational needs.

The Galt Museum & Archives went through a major expansion in 2004-2005 and was re-opened in 2006. Besides adding much-needed space for their amazing collection of 20,000+ artifacts and 300,000+ documents, the expansion project also included the addition of a bright and expansive Viewing Gallery that overlooks the coulees and the spectacular CPR High Level Bridge. For those looking for a bit of exercise, there is easy access to parks and walking paths that will lead you to the Oldman River Valley.

Although there is always lots to see and do at the Galt, one of the highlights is the hands-on interactive experience in the Discovery Hall. Kids of all ages have a chance to get fully immersed in the history of Southwestern Alberta and the culture of the Kainai people. Visitors are encouraged to take a virtual plane ride over the undulating prairie landscape, dig up the history of the local coal mines, duck under a giant replica of Lethbridge's famous High Level Bridge and so much more. Discovery Hall also has a changing exhibit space that offers something new for visitors who may have visited the Galt on an earlier occasion.

For families, the Galt is the perfect place for children to have fun and 'learn while doing'. At their weekly Saturdays at 1:00 program, families can participate in recent and not-so-recent history and take-home projects. Make sure to ask about their Backpacks, Treasure Hunts and interactive stations ... all designed to make learning fun.

The Galt is well-known for their special events and programs that include an Easter Egg Extravaganza, Whoop-Up Days BBQ, Galt Beer Tasting fundraiser, New Year's Eve Party, film screenings, Halloween and Christmas events. Like I said, the Galt isn't a stereotypical museum. Although they definitely take history seriously, they are all about bringing the past alive and making learning interesting and enjoyable.

For those that are serious about history, the Galt has a professionally trained collections and archives staff. Services from preservation advice to object research are offered by appointment and they are always interested in speaking to people about donations of 2 and 3-dimensional materials.

The Museum Store offers a wide selection of unique Southern Alberta and exhibition-related gifts, books and souvenirs, including Ammolite - Lethbridge's official gemstone. Visitors have an opportunity to purchase a wide selection of hand-crafted glass works, pottery, jewellery, textiles, prints and photographs by local artists. Visitors can begin or end their visit with a Galt Blend Coffee, roasted locally, in the Viewing Gallery.

For information about hours of operation, admission fees and group tours, visit www.galtmuseum.com. Call the Galt at (403) 320-4258 or (403) 320-3954.