Saskatoon The Sheaf ’s
Oddities & Icons
Dear readers,
The ice climbing wall at Saskatoon’s WinterShines festival.
photo by Pete Yee
As a teenager, all of my plans for the future were to leave Saskatoon as soon as possible. I had no intention of staying here for more than a year after graduation. The awful country bars, horribly uninviting climate and criminal notoriety of our over-sized hamlet held little in the way of intrigue for a budding young adult. Even now, I’m guilty of asking how or why people come to live in Saskatoon, especially during the winter months. But nearly eight years after graduating from high school, I’m still here, and I’m starting to think it would be pretty sweet to get that $20,000 tuition reimbursement from the government and stay here for another seven. The truth is, Saskatoon is pretty unique. It may not be as impressive as Toronto, as exciting as Vancouver or as big as Calgary, but it does have a certain kind of charm. Interviewing Jeff Smith of the University of Saskatchewan Fine Arts and Humanities Digital Research Centre for the article “Animating the imagination” (see page A11), I discovered he moved here from Ontario. “Why?” I asked out of habit. His answer? “My wife and I always used to lament that we didn’t get to raise our children in the
‘60s and then we discovered Saskatoon and realized we still could.” Smith insists that’s a compliment, and I think we should take it that way. Big cities are great but only small cities like Saskatoon have such a sense of community and togetherness. Further, despite our small size and relative isolation, Saskatoon’s arts and cultural scene is miraculously vibrant and quirky. With that in mind, we’ve gathered up some of our favourite oddities and icons from around the city for your perusal. Did you know our Fuddruckers is the only one in Canada? Did you know that Barack Obama has personally thanked one of Saskatoon’s most famous authors? And did you know that you can buy a purple vibrator in the shape of a bear, right here in Saskatoon? Think of this as a compendium of the people, places and shops which add to the intrigue and uniqueness of Saskatoon, be it through penmanship, by lobbying for more green space or by producing a plate of legendary wedge-cut fries. Perhaps you’ll be familiar with some, but hopefully we’ll have managed to procure a few that you’ve never heard of. -Ashleigh Mattern The Sheaf Editor-in-Chief
Changing attitudes can shape a city ASHLEIGH MATTERN Editor-in-Chief Saskatoon is a winter city. From November (and sometimes even October) to April (and sometimes even May), we’re faced with chilly temperatures, snow and a frozen city. That’s easily half the year, if not a bit more. We have some great summer festivals but sometimes it seems the majority of city residents see winter as a time to either hunker down and wait for it to blow over or fly away to warmer places. But there is a growing movement in city planning around the world to make winter cities more inviting, and Saskatoon is embracing that movement. The WinterShines festival is one example of Saskatoon embracing its winter weather. The 16-day festival featured an ice park, an ice climbing wall, sleigh rides, an outdoor light show, an ice carving festival, a yukigassen tournament (an organized snowball fight),
a nordic ski festival, hockey tournaments, winter kite flying and Ice Cycle, among many other activities and events. Part of my inspiration for this article came from the StarPhoenix’s Jan. 31 article “Is Saskatoon a ‘winter city’?” by exSheafer David Hutton. The article starts out reviving the seemingly long-dead idea of putting a dome over downtown Saskatoon. In the article, designer Henry Feldkamp said his inspiration was trying to invent new ways for residents to still be able to enjoy the city during long, cold winters. But as Hutton later points out in the article, there is a fine balance between protecting people from the cold and over-protecting them. Urban planner Cynthia Nikitin, vice president of Project for Public Spaces in New York, argues that the dome idea, while better than building underground malls which take people off the street, still might not be the right answer for a city looking to embrace winter.
“It’s getting people to go outside,” she said. “What makes a city a good winter city is what makes a city a good city,” said Nikitin, “which is a great public destination, multiuse destinations, places where people want to go and be year round.” She pointed out that, as odd as it may seem to those of us from colder climes, hot places like Texas and South Florida have the same problems, except the summer heat keeps them from enjoying their cities. In both cases, the solution is the same: give the people somewhere to go. “People will dress appropriately if you give them a reason to go outside.” There are some important actions cities can take to make winter more liveable: clearing sidewalks and bike paths quickly, providing covered bike parking, offering a heated place to wait for buses, street vendors serving hot beverages, and outdoor cafes with heat lamps and blankets, to name
just a few ideas. But one of the most important aspects of creating a winter city is changing the residents’ attitudes. “I think the change in attitudes will then necessarily affect the city,” said Nikitin. “It’ll change politics, it’ll change decisions about park design or planning.” While Nikitin had only been in the city for less than a day when we spoke, she had already noticed one positive aspect of Saskatoon in winter: cross-country skiing in Kinsmen Park. She pointed out that it’s rather unusual to see cross-country skiing in downtown parks. Another thing Saskatoon is doing right in Nikitin’s opinion is lighting up the city. “Lighting up buildings, historic buildings, trees, making it light. Lights are very good when it’s dark all the time.” Ryan Walker, professor of regional and urban planning at the University of Saskatchewan, also had positive examples of
Winter cont. on B2.
You just proved the Sheaf advertising works. Just like those bus stops. Now let’s fill this space with personal ads. JENNIFER STILL AND
HOLLY LUHNING
UPCOMING EVENTS
Embracing winter makes for a happier, healthier Saskatoon
run Mar 3, 11.indd 1
Reading & Signing Girlwood and Quiver Friday, March 4, 7:00 PM
RAY FLEMING Signing Peter Gzowski: A Biography
Sunday, March 13, 1:00 PM
02/19/11 10:19:19 PM