Red Deer Reality Rant #24 - The Best Fest in the Centre of Red Deer
Hello and welcome back for another edition of Red Deer Reality Rant. The Fall season is not far away but temperatures are still here along with construction. Over the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday I checked out Centrefest and Meet the Street murals in downtown Red Deer. Downtown is frequented by me as it’s handy to where I live, and contains many cool local restaurants, shops and other businesses and sometimes some cool events.
Centrefest has been happening annually in Red Deer for many years, with a few hiatuses thanks to city government and then Covid. Some people recently were ranting on Facebook about how they weren’t going to any events happening September 2 - 4 because it was a “Jason Kenney holiday”. What a crock of crap. I have no love for Jason Kenney, and maybe his declaring September 2 - 4 a holiday, not a stat holiday, was not the coolest thing. But honestly, labour day long weekend has been around for decades and events like Centrefest and Meet the Street were being planned back in the early spring! It only makes sense to have it on a weekend.
I checked out the Meet the Street mural in the back alley near A+ Art Gallery downtown, and wow, what a difference from other years. Thanks to the construction that has torn up 49th street and has it all blocked off except for pedestrians that area of downtown is a bit deserted. The city has put up signs proclaiming that businesses are open during the construction but 49th street is a mess and that can’t be good for business. Places like A+ Art Gallery, Millennium Centre and Red City Donair can be accessed via the parking lot behind them, so if you enjoy these places it’s not difficult to check them out.
New Murals in Downtown Red Deer between Delmar College and Red City Donair
While browsing Centrefest on Sunday I witnessed some great street performers. There was Spandy Andy, a dude who has made a career out of dressing in outrageous bright spandex outfits who dances to some ultra cheesy tunes with an enormous boom box. Despite this sounding like too much cheese, Spandy Andy is very entertaining and is great at interacting with his audience to the delight of many kids and adults alike. I also watched Sharon from Canada whose act was hilarious and had some great banter and interaction with her audience. These performers depend on events like Centrefest to share their talents and earn some income. Supporting them supports local by bringing business to the Red Deer economy.
Spandy Andy and Sharon from Canada at Centrefest
I was looking for some lunch on Sunday at Centrefest but most downtown restaurants were closed, and the food trucks did not appease my vegetarian palette. So I wandered around and finally found that Danielle’s on 49th street was open. It is not a vegetarian restaurant but does have some fare that concurs. I had a wrap and coleslaw and if you haven’t checked them out, I highly recommend. If you are not vegetarian, some friends have told me it’s the best fried chicken in town. To each their own, I am vegetarian for ethical reasons but that may be a rant for another day. Anyway, Danielle’s has great food it’s a clean place and they are friendly people. I hope they can stay in business in the disaster zone that is 49 street and downtown in general.
In summary, I just want to say it’s important to support and buy local. So many people stay at home and get their entertainment and food and shopping from the safety of their couch. But we can’t all just work for and shop at Amazon! What a dull society we would become if we stopped supporting local and just lived our lives at home and on the internet.
Inside Danielle's Restaurant and Nearby Construction. Shop Local!
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