Tag: Outdoor

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Outdoor events in Sonoma County Aug. 7-16, 2022

Andrea Guzman takes a break with her dog Kai at the Riverfront Regional Park near Windsor in 2019. Learn how 150 years of resource extraction and human settlement have changed the landscape at an Aug. 14 event at the park. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)

Aug. 9

Windsor: Train your dog to walk politely on trails at Foothill Regional Park with a certified dog trainer. Attendees can expect to walk 2.5 to 4 miles. Bring your own water and snacks. Dress in layers, and bring a hat and sunscreen. Heavy rains, smoke or extreme temperatures will cancel the event. Accommodations are made for visitors with disabilities upon advance request. Parking is $7 or free with a Sonoma County Regional Parks membership. No registration required. 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Alexis Puerto-Holmes at Alexis.PuertoHolmes@sonoma-county.org. Foothill Regional Park, 1351 Arata Lane. Meet at parking lot. More information at bit.ly/3PR0iHn.

Aug. 14

Glen Ellen: Lace up your hiking boots and join others on a guided moderate 5.5-mile hike on the Upper Fallen Bridge trail, through Jack London State Historic Park’s revitalized historic orchard. Hikers will have a chance to see varieties of apple, pear and plum trees planted before World War II. Wear sturdy shoes and bring hiking poles, a snack and plenty of water. Meet in the ranch lot on the right as you enter the park. Tickets: $10, plus a parking fee. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jack London State Historic Park, 2400 London Ranch Road. Get tickets at bit.ly/3vvnaUE.

Healdsburg: Learn how 150 years of resource extraction and human settlement have changed the landscape of Sonoma County. At Riverfront Regional Park’s redwood grove, attendees will learn about the area’s transition from a gathering place to a quarry. Bring water and snacks, dress in layers and bring a hat and sunscreen. Heavy rains, smoke or extreme temperatures will cancel the event. Accommodations are made for visitors with disabilities upon advance request. Parking is $7 or free with a Sonoma County Regional Parks membership. Registration required. For more information, contact Ellie Muelrath at Elspeth.Muelrath@sonoma-county.org. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Riverfront Regional Park, 7821 Eastside Road. Meet at Redwood Grove group picnic area. Reserve a spot at bit.ly/3PTgvf9.

Kenwood: Join Dan Levitis at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park for a slow, wheelchair-accessible excursion for those new to bird-watching at dusk. Bring binoculars if you have them, although the park will have a few pairs to lend. Bring water, and consider bringing a flashlight and a jacket. The entire event takes place on the Creekside Nature Trail, a 0.9-mile ADA-accessible trail. Benches are available along the way for resting if needed. Tickets are $10, plus parking fee. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, 2605 Adobe Canyon Road. Meet at the White Barn lot. Go to bit.ly/3SeoEMG for more information and tickets.

Santa Rosa: The floating water park at the Spring Lake Lagoon is open through Labor Day. The inflatable floating playground has slides, climbing walls, bridges, balance beams, jumps, an in-water sports court and other fun activities. The water park is for kids age 6 and older who are at least 42 inches tall and know how to swim. Parents will need to sign waivers for children 14 and younger. Teens 15 and older can sign their own waivers. Tickets: $10 per session (use of a life vest included). Two daily sessions are available: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. Spring Lake Regional Park, 393 Violetti Road. Get tickets at bit.ly/3Buimmc.

Santa Rosa: Want to explore Spring Lake by water? Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available to rent for $12 an hour between 10:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. every day. Parents will need to sign waivers for children 14 and younger. Teens 15 and older can sign their own waivers. The beach is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with lifeguards on duty. Spring Lake Regional Park, 393 Violetti Road. Rent a kayak or paddleboard at bit.ly/3zs1Ksq.

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.

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Summer of Sarah Polley – FIN Outdoor at the Public Gardens – GlobalNews Events

Summer of Sarah Polley – FIN Outdoor at the Public Gardens - GlobalNews Events

Produced by FIN Atlantic International Film Festival (FIN AIFF), the beloved FIN Outdoor summer movie series returns for the first time since 2019, and proudly presents the “Summer of Sarah Polley”, coming this July. This summer celebrates Canadian icon Sarah Polley; author, activist, acclaimed actor and one of the most important and influential Canadian directors of the last 20 years. Forging her own path, she’s been in our hearts for decades and now it’s time to revisit some highlights from her storied career in film. Join FIN Outdoor at the spectacular Halifax Public Gardens for one-of-a-kind and exclusive nighttime access to watch a movie under the stars this July!

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WNBA commissioner blames gun violence for lack of outdoor fan events during All-Star weekend

WNBA commissioner blames gun violence for lack of outdoor fan events during All-Star weekend

All weekend, the WNBA’s All-Stars talked about how the 18th annual game felt different. They described a higher level of attention surrounding the event, better player-thrown parties and an overall feeling of being treated like All-Stars.

Severely lacking, though, were planned fan activities and even the ability to purchase tickets to events such as the skills competition and three-point contest, which were held at McCormick Place, not Wintrust Arena. One event specifically, a concert thrown by Chance the Rapper, seemed like a great opportunity to engage Chicago fans.

But WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert didn’t see it that way.

“We would have loved to have opened that up to the public,” she said Sunday. “Because of security concerns dating way back to Mandalay Bay, dating back to other things that have happened here in Chicago, Uvalde and Buffalo, there’s a lot of concern about outdoor events right now unfortunately in our country. So we were just trying to do the best we could.”

Meanwhile, the Taste of Chicago was taking place less than two miles from McCormick Place, where the WNBA’s limited outdoor events were being held.

The general public was unable to attend most major All-Star events outside of the game Sunday. Nike Nationals participants, their families, All-Star players’ families and friends and select Sky season-ticket holders were able to secure tickets to the skills and three-point competitions Saturday. Youth players, corporate partners and players were admitted into the Chance the Rapper concert.

Despite Engelbert expressing concerns about outdoor events, the league’s lone event open to the public, WNBA Live, was held outdoors. The league had been planning the All-Star Game in Chicago since last fall. Engelbert said consultations with security experts, including the Chicago Police Department, led to the league’s decision to limit fan attendance.

Wintrust Arena wasn’t available to the WNBA on Saturday because of a Pampered Chef event, which is a better explanation as to why there were so few fan activities.

“Cobbling together everything that’s going on, coming off two tough COVID years and not having Wintrust available yesterday, it just wasn’t possible to have a fan event,” Engelbert said. “We didn’t have an arena to have it in here in the city of Chicago.”

Championship feelings

The All-Star Game at Wintrust Arena was played in front of a near sold-out crowd of 9,572. Last year during the WNBA Finals, the arena was at maximum capacity with 10,897.

Sky players weren’t on the same team in the game. Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman played for Team Stewart, coached by the Sky’s, James Wade, and Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot played for the victorious Team Wilson, coached by the Aces’ Becky Hammon.

“Just had Finals feels all over again,” Copper said. “I think the atmosphere was incredible. Especially when Chicago Sky players were being announced. It just felt so amazing to be a part of something so special.”

Copper added that the only thing that will help ease the pain of losing to her teammates is winning another championship.

Changes coming

Engelbert opened her news conference announcing changes on the horizon for the WNBA, beginning with chartered flights for both teams in the WNBA Finals this year and a 50% increase to the postseason bonus pool.

Also, the regular-season schedule will expand from 36 games to 40 next year, and two teams will be added by 2025.

“I’d say probably 10 or 15 cities are very interested in hosting a WNBA team,” Engelbert said. “We’re meeting here and there, I’ll call it with interested ownership groups. We’re looking for the right ownership groups with the right commitment, the right arena situation, the right city to support a WNBA franchise.”

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FABnyc’s “Open Arts” and Free Outdoor Events Continue All Summer

FABnyc’s “Open Arts” and Free Outdoor Events Continue All Summer

FABnyc is programming more free outdoor events all summer long. Their neighborhood activities in July include:

Arts on Avenue B
2 – 5pm Saturdays
Avenue B between 8th and 9th Streets

East 4th Street Open Street 
5 – 7pm Thursdays
East 4th between Bowery and Second Ave

Family Art Workshops
12 – 2pm Saturdays
Rivington Street Playground in Sara D Roosevelt Park

+ pop up events at M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden, Pier 35, and other LES sites

This Saturday, July 16 on Avenue B, from 1-5pm features a Lower East Side Community Culture Day, featuring local artists, paper quilt making, poetry and spoken word, tarot readings, LES Photo Exhibition, line dancing class, salsa class, activities from Tom Manco Studios, Swiss Institute, Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy, Loisaida Inc., and more!  Curated by members of FAB’s Lower East Side Community Culture Council.

*Add your Lower East Side events to our new calendar HERE.

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Excessive heat delays, cancels outdoor events in North Texas due to safety

Excessive heat delays, cancels outdoor events in North Texas due to safety

Excessive heat delays, cancels outdoor events in North Texas due to safety

The near-record temperatures across North Texas are forcing the organizers of some outdoor events to either delay or outright cancel the events because of safety concerns.

IRVING, Texas – The near-record temperatures across North Texas are forcing the organizers of some outdoor events to either delay or outright cancel the events because of safety concerns.

Scorching temperatures across the metroplex prompted the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning Thursday continuing at least through Saturday.

With highs over 105 and heat indexes over 110, the extreme heat is a top concern for those in charge of putting on various outdoor events this weekend.

Megan Gordon with the city of Irving says she decided to delay the start of Friday’s outdoor movie night at Heritage Park out of concern for the safety of attendees.

“As the event planner, I thought about it three days ago. But we always try our best to accommodate rather than cancel,” she said. “The event was originally planned for 6:30 p.m. As soon as we saw that heat advisory coming our way, we said let’s push it back when the sun sets a little bit so move it to 8 p.m.”

Typically, crowds can get up to 350. It was much smaller Friday.

Mom Sheniece Perkins admits she had second thoughts when she arrived.

“It’s for the kids, so I got to suck it up. They run around in the heat all of the time,” she said.

But families in Carrollton aren’t so lucky. The city announced Friday that this week’s Christmas in July event downtown would be canceled with no plans to reschedule.

“It’s probably a bummer for whatever kids were looking forward to it,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on coming, but I think it’s kind of sad for the community, but I can understand why. Safety.”

RELATED: Summer heatwave will test Texas power grid’s capacity, experts say

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ExtraSpecialTeas planning outdoor space for dining, events

ExtraSpecialTeas planning outdoor space for dining, events

GREAT BARRINGTON — Six months after opening its second location in Great Barrington, ExtraSpecialTeas is planning to enhance that space by creating an adjacent outdoor area to use for both dining and events.

ExtraSpecialTeas, which employs adults with special needs, recently received a $10,160 grant from MassDevelopment to construct that space just outside the nonprofit’s newest location, at the site of the former Housie Market on the corner of Pleasant and Main streets in Housatonic. 







Artist's rendering of outdoor space

An artist’s rendering of the outdoor space that ExtraSpecialTeas plans to provide at its cafe in Housatonic. 




The area is expected to be in place and functional by the end of the summer, said Cherri Sanes, who founded ExtraSpecialTeas with her husband, Scott, six years ago. The nonprofit’s original store is located in the center of Great Barrington.

ExtraSpecialTeas intends to use the new area for both outdoor dining and performances, Sanes said. Having outdoor spaces to conduct events is also a plus as COVID still lingers in the Berkshires.

“With COVID, everybody hopes it will be over, but it’s still around,” Sanes said. “The more outdoor spaces that can be created in the communities the safer everyone is going to be. 

“There’s not a lot of restaurants over there in Housatonic or outdoor spaces, so we wanted to create something nice for the community.”

Sanes said the nonprofit plans to hold a small dance event both in the new space and in a park across the street from the new store in the fall. An event held in the memory of a late artist who once operated an art studio in Housatonic will take place in December.

“We’re hoping to have some musical events out there,” she said.

ExtraSpecialTeas’ new store had a soft opening in January and a grand opening in April. The former Housie Market, which closed in 2018, was a community hub for the village of Housatonic, and the site has enabled the company to find more jobs for adults with special needs whom the teahouse both empowers and employs as servers, baristas, craft makers, content providers and administrators. The Sanes employ adults with special needs who are too old to qualify for federal and state student education programs, which expire at age 22.

Although the Department of Developmental Services does provide adult education programs for young adults with special needs that are older than 22, many who fit into that category face an uncertain future after they age out of the student programs. The Sanes have first hand experience with this issue; their now grown son, Jache, has autism. Cherri, who is originally from Texas, and Scott, who is from Chicago, initially came to the Berkshires to place their son in an autism program at the Options Institute in Sheffield.

They founded ExtraSpecialTeas to provide a place for young adults with special needs to find a place where they can succeed in mainstream life.

The couple said the most important part of opening a second location was giving the couple an opportunity provide more jobs for people in the Berkshires who have special needs. ExtraSpecialTeas currently employees 10 in Housatonic, and now has 30 total employees.







ExtraSpecialTeas Photo

Cherri Sanes stands with her son, Jache, outside the former Housie Market in Housatonic, which ExtraSpecialTeas recently turned into a cafe. The nonprofit that employs young adults with special needs recently received state funding to construct an outdoor dining and event space at that location.




“We’re hoping to hire a few more in the coming weeks,” Cherri said.

The location in Housatonic has a commercial kitchen, something the other store in Great Barrington lacks, which allows meals to be served there. It also contains enough room for employees to create their own types of teas. 

“We now have five teas that we develop in that space,” she said.

ExtraSpecialTeas was one of 14 organizations from across the state that recently received a combined $420,162 in grants through MassDevelopment’s Commonwealth Places program to construct outdoor community spaces, public art exhibits, cultural events and other placemaking projects. ExtraSpecialTeas was the only Berkshire-based recipient on the list.

“Community spaces, public art exhibits, and cultural events are at the heart of placemaking, and cities and towns across Massachusetts recognize the positive impact of these projects in supporting local economies and enhancing quality of life,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. 

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COMMENTARY: Graduation hot take: As temperatures rise reconsider outdoor events

COMMENTARY: Graduation hot take: As temperatures rise reconsider outdoor events
Credit: Margo Rosenbaum

Graduation 2022 at UC Davis after the heat-related problems had been worked out.

Credit: Margo Rosenbaum

Graduation 2022 at UC Davis after the heat-related problems had been worked out.

Margo Rosenbaum 
July 1, 2022

The class of 2022 deserves the highest acknowledgement — we are pandemic graduates.

On Sunday, June 12, I graduated from UC Davis. Despite having to wake up at 5:15 a.m., I was elated to have family members, friends and my partner with me at UC Davis Health Stadium. I loved listening to the wise words of the commencement speaker, sitting beside my fellow graduates and hearing my name announced. It felt like the graduation I deserved after four years of grueling college coursework.

However, when the plans unraveled at two of the three undergraduate ceremonies, many students were denied that same special experience.

As people know by now, the extreme heat at the outdoor ceremony caused 36 grads and attendees to seek medical aid, with seven people hospitalized.

Mother nature alone cannot be blamed, however. Poor planning exacerbated a bad situation.

With late start times, a shortage of drinking water, last-minute planning changes and a lack of shade from the violent sun, there were many ways the ceremonies were a disaster.

Kylie Crisostomo-Rickman, a UC Davis alumna who graduated on Friday, June 10, left the ceremony around 11 a.m. without walking. “How did they plan this so poorly with knowing everything that they do?” she said. “If they say they’re going to sit us down at 7 a.m., then they should sit us down at 7 a.m.”

Admittedly, the commencement planners had a lot to contend with. Melissa Blouin, a spokesperson for UC Davis, said that ceremonies were planned early to beat the heat. The university “believed” they had adequate water resources, but “unexpected delays” on Friday morning put “increasing strain” on the supplies as the heat grew “beyond when was expected.”

Still, a bigger question remains: Can an outdoor graduation in June, especially in a place like Davis with temperatures regularly hitting the 90s and 100s, really be held safely?

Paul Ullrich, professor of regional and global climate modeling at UC Davis, said Davis is already feeling the impacts of climate change — the city’s average temperatures have increased about 2.5 degrees from before the 1970s.

Extreme temperature events are typically “highly predictable,” he said, meaning that people are well aware of increasing heat before it hits. In fact, the day before the Friday ceremony, UC Davis tweeted a warning about the expected heat.

“We knew many days in advance the exact temperatures that we would be experiencing and at what time of day,” Ullrich said.

For future planning, it is important to note that days reaching 103 degrees or above are becoming more frequent in the Davis and Sacramento region, Ullrich said. In fact, the region now sees an annual average of 10 extreme temperature days.

Due to the chaos of commencement, UC Davis community members, including me, are expecting plans that better account for the variability of climate change for future events.

“The biggest effect of climate change, besides increasing temperatures, is more frequent occurrence of any sort of extreme event or freak event,” Ullrich said. “It becomes more difficult to plan for things long term in light of climate change, because it exacerbates ‘variability’ as we say, meaning that you get more extremes on both sides of the spectrum, and usually with less warning.”

Said Blouin, via email, “These extremes, exacerbated by climate change, bleed over into the potential for power outages and diminished water supply, which in-turn bolster our need for sustainable practices. While there is no easy answer for any of the above, UC Davis remains committed to being a leader in finding global solutions.”

UC Davis news and media relations issued a statement and Chancellor Gary May apologized for the spoiled celebration.

“One of the lessons we learned is there’s a lot of uncontrollable things that happen outdoors,” May said in an Instagram video. “Heat, smoke, wind, all these things that could happen, so I think my preference would be that we find an indoor venue.”

Indoor events bring fewer unexpected risks — that, in my eyes, is the solution for events in the summertime, especially as the effects of climate change worsen.

I have faith that UC Davis will grow from its mistakes. I urge my peers to not let the failed ceremonies spoil their view of college — really, it is the years of classes, friends and memories that matter most.

I wish all graduates the best in their future endeavors. Regardless of what happened at commencement, we are UC Davis graduates, and that is something to celebrate.

•••

Margo Rosenbaum is a member of EdSource’s California College Journalism Corps. She graduated from UC Davis in June 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity as well as Communication.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.

To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSource’s no-cost daily email on latest developments in education.

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Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo organizers announce summertime, outdoor event – Williams Lake Tribune

Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo organizers announce summertime, outdoor event - Williams Lake Tribune

The Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo will head outdoors Aug. 13 and 14 to the Stampede Grounds following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

“I am excited to see the rodeo family again,” says Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo Association (WLIRA) president, Kelly Walls. “We want to give the crowd what they’ve been craving for the last two years.”

There were a number of factors in the reasoning to take the show outdoors, not the least of which is the temperature in the arena in August. Additionally, seating capacity at the indoor arena is approximately 1,000 people, whereas the Williams Lake Stampede Grounds can accommodate approximately 4,000 pairs of boots in the stands per day, and WLIRA noted in a news release.

The return of this event was not a given. After two years stagnant, while the association held their own financially, community support and participation is more important than ever, to make sure the rodeo carries on in years to come. “Thankfully, I have an amazing team of directors and volunteers who have been doing this for years and we have some loyal, longtime sponsors and vendors that were able to step up to the plate and help us,” maintains Walls. “To be honest, without them, the Indoor Rodeo might not be able to continue.”

Fundraising efforts were halted out of respect for the financial strain some people experienced amid the pandemic. “It’s really hard to justify going out and trying to raise money for the rodeo when there were people not working and people are struggling,” Walls said. That pause on the fundraising left the association with a “shoestring budget” to operate from for this year, however.

The Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo has traditionally been the first points event of the season for BCRA competitors. This year, it arrives on the heels of 12 British Columbia Rodeo Association’s (BCRA) sanctioned events, including the Prince George Rodeo which has been in mothballs for six long years. It seems rodeo fans are beyond thrilled to see the return of these high-energy, action-packed events. According to Walls, organizers of the Clinton rodeo in May, the first BCRA rodeo this year, saw record-breaking crowds. “Princeton also saw an exceptionally large rodeo crowd in June. “They usually have about 250 spectators, whereas this year it was close to 2,000 people. We know spectators came from as far away as England, Ireland, and Korea. That’s a good sign for our event.”

The number of entrants this year is also a little higher than normal, which translates into even more entertainment for rodeo-goers. The High School Rodeo series is done for the season, and some of those athletes will be taking part in BCRA events throughout the summer, adding to the overall roster of competitors. Featured events will include all the favourites; saddle bronc, bareback, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and team roping. There will also be junior events. As always, there will be a number of unique food and merchandise vendors, and beer gardens both days.

Something that will be a little bit different this year however, is the absence of the much-anticipated and popular barn dance.

“We know there has always been a dance at the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo,” Walls said. “We needed to restart small, figure out the logistics like security, parking, and even volunteers.”

Championed by local MLA, Lorne Doerkson, he had this to say about the rodeo getting the green light,

“This event has a reputation of real quality with respect to organizers, venue, competitors, stock and overall entertainment. What’s really neat is that it’s a BCRA rodeo; most of these competitors are from BC. Even better, they’re local characters who are our friends and family, and we get to cheer them on! I hope the local communities will join me in welcoming it back with open arms, and will show up and celebrate this 30 year old event.”

With 11 inductees into the Cowboy Hall of Fame, including individuals honoured in 2020, 2021 and, of course 2022, the Hall of Fame presentations will likely be broken up over the two days of events. In fact, the 2022 inductees may attend a ceremony in the Lower Nicola Valley, as that is where most of them reside.

Regrettably, famed rodeo announcer Brett Gardner is unable to attend this year due to a schedule conflict, as is true of beloved and ultra-entertaining clown, Dennis Halstead.

There will be some user groups handling parking and perhaps some other tasks at the event as a fundraiser for their group, but Walls emphasizes the dire need for volunteers, adding there is likely a task to suit all talents and skill sets. If you would like to spend a couple hours a day with a terrific team of volunteers in August, you’re invited to call or text Kelly directly at (250) 267-8865 or Shaun at (250) 305-4747.

Tickets will not be available in advance, but will go on sale the Friday and then Saturday and Sunday before the rodeo and general admission tickets will be available at the gates. Admission is $20 for adults, seniors $15, students $15, and children under five free. There is a section for VIPs in the main grandstands, as the infield will be reserved for competitors only. “If we go ahead with the rodeo next year, the covered grandstands will be reserved for VIPs,” Walls advised. “This year was about keeping things as small and organized as possible.”

Businesses are encouraged to buy group tickets for their staff as a show of support for the rodeo and a bonus for their staff, and everyone should mark their calendars now, so last-minute summer holidays don’t overlap the event.

“I just want a rodeo,” says Walls. “I want the competitors to be able to compete, I want the people to visit and socialize, I want to hear those cheers! I want to see the rodeo family again.”

To say that Kelly Walls is passionate about keeping the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo alive would be putting it mildly. She is honoured to hold her current leadership position, which the Board decided to carry-over from the 2019 season. Kelly has been president of the WLIRA for better than 10 years, although not consecutively. Volunteering during the 2003 rodeo led to her becoming a Director in 2004, and she’s sat in that saddle ever since. Kelly lives, eats, sleeps, breathes rodeo. In addition to her full-time job, being a director with the BC Rodeo Association, Kelly advises she puts in about 10 hours a week pre-planning and leading up to the event. As rodeo draws closer, she can easily clock 30 hours a week until the event. This year Kelly is in charge of the beer gardens in addition to her regular duties.

Check the website www.wlindoorrodeo.com or the Facebook page @williamslakeindoorrodeo for the most up-to-date information, and promotions.

Do you have a comment about this story? email:
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Sculpture garden, outdoor events, allotments and markets planned for Edinburgh’s new waterfront attraction

Sculpture garden, outdoor events, allotments and markets planned for Edinburgh’s new waterfront attraction
An artist's impression of a painting studio at The Art Works, the new National Galleries of Scotland development proposed for Granton.
An artist’s impression of a painting studio at The Art Works, the new National Galleries of Scotland development proposed for Granton.

Outdoor cinema screenings, markets, large-scale works of art and new sports facilities have been proposed for a project envisaged as a cultural cornerstone of a new “coastal town” in the north of the city.

Spearheaded by the National Galleries of Scotland, it would see the creation of a building, around the size of two playing fields, where Scotland’s most important art treasures would be safeguarded.

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The project, which will include modern studios for conservation and research, is expected to help the National Galleries expand its collection over the next two decades and ensure it is made more accessible than ever before.

The Art Works attraction will be created in Granton by the National Galleries of Scotland. Image: McAslan & Partners

Both The Art Works and its art-themed grounds will be open to the public, with the development – which is billed as “a world-class hub for looking after Scotland’s national art collection” – hoped to create a new focal point for Granton.Walking and cycling routes will be created through the site as part of efforts to help ensure that the development – links north and south Granton.The project, described as “the opportunity of a lifetime” by the National Galleries, would see the complex built on a brownfield site bordered by the remains of a historic car factory dating back to 1898, retail units run by Lidl and B&M, and existing archives for Scotland’s national art and museum collections.

The new building will overlook the Firth of Forth on Waterfront Avenue, where an “entrance plaza” is envisaged, while architects McAslan & Parners have earmarked a site for a “landform”, similar to the garden which links the two modern art gallery buildings in Edinburgh.

An official consultation brochure on the project states: “The Art Works will be much more than a world-class building to care for Scotland’s national art collection.

“We’re creating a place both inside and out with the needs of the local community at its heart.

The artrium in the main entrance to The Art Works, the new attraction being pursued by the National Galleries of Scotland in Granton.

“Inside there will be social spaces and amenities for visitors’ comfort and enjoyment while, outside there will be opportunities for activity areas and bringing the environment to life.

“The landscape proposals aim to improve access through the creation of new pedestrian and cycle-routes, to provide space for active open space uses, and to improve biodiversity through new tree planting and the creation of wildflower meadows.

“A spatial framework of routes, landforms, and trees will accommodate a wide range of diverse and evolving usesfrom urban gardening and outdoor learning to events and large-scale sculptures.

“The Art Works will be a cultural focal point for the local community, offering new spaces for all to share and enjoy and will contribute to regeneration of the local area by expanding social amenities, encouraging employment, enhancing cultural activity, and providing an economic stimulus.”

The Art Works attraction will create new routes linking north and south Granton.

Sir John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries, said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for both the National Galleries of Scotland and the communities of North Edinburgh.

“The Art Works has the potential to be truly transformative, not only in how Scotland’s national collection of art is cared for and shared more widely, but also by providing much-needed new facilities to unleash the creative confidence and spirit of the local area.”

The Art Works attraction will be created in Granton by the National Galleries of Scotland. Image: McAslan & Partners
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This Massive Outdoor Movie Event In BC Makes The Perfect Date Night & ‘Grease’ Is Playing

This Massive Outdoor Movie Event In BC Makes The Perfect Date Night & 'Grease' Is Playing

If you’ve been starting to think about all the fun things to do this summer in Vancouver, you might want to add one of these outdoor movie nights to your idea list.

The Evo Summer Cinema is coming back to Stanley Park next month and they’ve got a whole bunch of exciting movies lined up. The outdoor cinema is playing films every Tuesday from July 5 to August 23 on Second Beach in Stanley Park.

The company that is organizing the Evo Summer Cinema will also have other smaller outdoor theatre events scattered throughout Vancouver this summer.

Other locations will include The Polygon Gallery, The Shipyards Commons, Civic Plaza, Grouse Mountain and Vancouver Art Gallery Square.

Evo Summer Cinema. Evo Summer Cinema. Evo Summer Cinema Press Release

At the Stanley Park outdoor theatre, no reservations are required and the seating area can hold up to 5000 people, so it is all on a first-come-first-serve basis.

If you do want to reserve, the cinema is also offering an option for a reserved VIP seating system for up to 200 guests. The VIP package will include cottage-style chairs and guaranteed seating in the “VIP Zone,” the Evo Summer Cinema website said.

There are so many fun movies set to play like, Lion King, Zoolander, Top Gun, Jurassic Park, Dirty Dancing, Grease and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The movies will start after sunset and it is recommended to bring your own chairs and blankets. Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the outdoor cinema area.

Outdoor movie theatre.Outdoor movie theatre.Evo Summer Cinema Press Release

This whole event sounds like such a fun idea and it would be a great spot to spend a summer evening with friends.

Evo Summer Cinema

Address: Stanley Park, BC

Why You Need To Go: It would be such a great activity for the evening to relax and unwind, after having a beach day at one of the beaches nearby.

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