Category: Ramsay

November & December Ramsay Comic Strips

12/8/2014

It's about time I posted these long-overdue comics, written for my community newsletter. This is something I've been doing for almost three years now, but I think it's the end of an era - time for me to find another way I can contribute to my community. After all, there are so many things going on - the Community Association, Ramsay School, our amazing skating rink... Or maybe I should just walk around taking pictures of doors in the neighbourhood?

Yes, I actually did that a few days ago... but that's another story. Meanwhile, here are the comics!

Ramsay's famed giant Lenin head.

Buddha.

Darcy. He is actually really smart and funny, even if he doesn't know the difference between Lenin and Buddha! Ah, well, these artists...

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September & October Ramsay comic strips

10/8/2014

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Realized I haven't posted these comic strips yet. These comic strips appear in my community newsletter (almost!) every month! How long can I keep this up??? Luckily there's always something happening in Ramsay. Actually, you should check out this month's newsletter to read about our recent Robot Uprising (yes, you read that right). Or check out the Robot Uprising site so you can come to Ramsay next year to hang out with the robots yourself!

Sidewalk

Tree

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Behind the Scenes at the Inglewood Night Market

9/7/2014

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Are you one of the many Calgarians who've been enjoying the wonderful Inglewood Night Market? Would you like to know who's behind this unique, creative event? Here's the story of a tiny volunteer-based team that has been working around the clock to build an event that promotes fun, culture, art, local shopping and inner-city vibrancy.

It's also a story about a lot of work. This is my call for help! Read on to find out what we have been doing... and to learn how you can help keep the Inglewood Night Market alive.

Here's a picture of our team (plus a few poets) back when we were getting started two years ago.

The Vibrant Village Society of Inglewood & Ramsay

Our very first meeting at the "Area" in Inglewood

Back in 2012, inspired by the fearless leadership of Inglewood resident Meg Van Rosendaal, a handful of neighbours from the inner-city Calgary communities of Inglewood and Ramsay started the non-profit "Vibrant Village Society of Inglewood & Ramsay," with the mission of bringing fun "pop-up" arts & culture events to our hoods. We called our pop-up series find it. I've written a bit about how it all got started in this blog post - check it out for more details!

By 2013, with the help of some great community partners and a few amazing arts grants, our team of five or six unpaid volunteers had put together some great events.

The Inglewood Night Markets

Andy!!!

In 2013, our team came up with the idea of a Night Market. It seemed pretty evident that Calgarians wanted something like this! With a very short time frame, and in the midst of the 2013 flood, our tiny team managed to pull together the necessary permits to close off Inglewood's 10th Street, find a bunch of vendors who were willing to take a chance on us, and promote our event around town.

We certainly had a lot of help from neighbours and local businesses. Our amazing event partner Andy of Inglewood's Gravity Cafe loaned us $1000 up front to help us get started. The results were more than we could have imagined. People poured in. Local merchants had record nights. It was fabulous!

Now it's 2014 and our second market season is almost finished. Our September market will be the best one yet - DJ Reggie Suave, JUST DANCE on a giant screen, the Chinook Country Line Dancers, pedicabs, food trucks, and... as part of the annual Beakerhead festival, we're hosting El Pulpo Mecanico... an enormous flaming robot octopus. You don't want to miss this!!!

(Details on our website, by the way... www.finditcalgary.ca)

Credit for this amazing photo goes to Cat Laine. Click here to see her website.

But what has to happen to make the Night Markets happen? They don't just run themselves.

What We Do

Solita of ReWorks Upcycle Shop does our graphic design and makes our posters! Allison coordinates our volunteers. We're ALL volunteers, of course, but for a big event like the Night Market, we need a few more people to come out and help us get set up.

What kind of help do we need, you might ask?

Setting up tents: It takes six people to set up this tent! And there are only about six of us on the whole team. That means we need husbands, wives, children, friends and neighbours to come out and lend a hand. (And they do... and they are awesome!)

Stringing up lights: You need lights at a Night Market, and that means someone has to put them up. Here's Meg walking the walk - she doesn't just dream up creative artsy pop-up events, she also does more than her share of the heavy lifting!

Unloading supplies and putting up signs: We do that too. And this all has to happen on the afternoon of the market. Even if it's raining. So time is of the essence!

Coordinating vendors: Our vendors arrive on the afternoon of the market, and they appreciate having a team member there to direct them to the right spot, let them know where to park, and provide any other information they need. Our vendor coordinator David not only helps vendors on the spot, he also developed an online process which vendors can use to apply to participate in the market and get signed up. He is amazing!

And here's Greg, who's our link to the Inglewood BRZ.

Operating heavy machinery: This is a portable light tower that gets set up at each market to shine some light on the street. It has to be assembled and taken down at each market!!!

Decorating: Banners, chalk drawing, sandwich boards. Even if you're five years old, we'd be happy to have you come out and help us decorate!

Guarding the exits:
10th Street SE is barricaded off, and we make sure there's always someone watching each barricade to make sure no vehicles are trying to get through while the market's happening.

Manning the information tent: This job is always fun. So many nice folks show up to keep us company at the find it tent. This could be you!

The Perks: We have to take everything down at the end of the night, too. That can be hard work, after a long evening. But last time we did this, a Mexican mariachi band stuck around to play for us while we took down the tents and cleaned up the street! Is there anywhere else in Calgary where you could enjoy something like this? (If there is, please tell me about it!)

So, what can you do?

So, now that you know what we need, I know you'll want to send us a note right away to [email protected] and sign up to come lend a hand on Friday, September 12th. But don't stop there. I hope you might also want to help us make the market happen again in 2015 and beyond. We've had an overwhelmingly positive response to the event - Calgarians love it! And we'd love to keep it going past this year. But this volunteer in particular isn't sure she'll be able to keep this up. With a job and two little kids, I just don't have the time to contribute to our team (and I haven't actually even been doing a whole lot, beyond making the find it website, doing some promotions, and helping on the day of the market).

When we started find it, we were dreaming of doing all sorts of different cool artsy creative events. This summer, we've spent most of our time running the Night Market. We did it, and we loved doing it... but, at least on a volunteer basis, we can't keep doing this forever. Would you like to help? You would? Let us know! Come talk to us at the find it tent on Friday, at what we hope won't be the last Inglewood Night Market. We need you!

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May & June 2014 Ramsay comic strips, & a bit more

6/3/2014

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In this month's Ramsay newsletter comic, a nod to a couple of other local storytellers - neither of whom I've actually met in real life, by the way - Jeremy Klaszus and Amy Jo Espetveidt. Check them out - they write great stuff about the things that are going on in Calgary! And then make sure you take a look at this month's Ramsay Community Association newsletter, which is where this comic strip appears. The newsletter is full (as ever) of stories about what's going on in my neighbourhood, Ramsay. Enjoy!

Here is Jeremy Klaszus's Bridgeland story, and here is Amy Jo Espetveidt's twitter feed, full of renovation updates!

I just realized that I didn't post last month's Ramsay strip - so here it is. Last month's newsletter (which was a particularly fun read, by the way) tipped its proverbial hat to the dogs and dog-walkers of our neighbourhood, so the comic strip ended up with a doggy theme as well. However, my real dog days were spent in Bridgeland, of which more after the comic strip... read on!

Re-reading that comic strip made me want to put up some Bridgeland comics for a change. I used to write and post some online comics back when I lived in Bridgeland, in a little house just off 1st Avenue SE that has since been demolished. Here are a few bits and pieces from that old comic strip. You can see more of that little online comics series here.

Here's a picture of my dog looking out at that old mama rabbit in my front yard. And right across the street from that yard you can see the parking lot of the Bridgeland 7-11. Since we're on the subject, I might as well add another picture in here, too - a picture I drew at this year's Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. One of the people who came to visit me at my table in Artist Alley was Dan, who worked at that 7-11 back when I went there seemingly every day (to the point that my boyfriend - now husband - said to me, "I could save you $200 a month if you'd just let me buy you your chocolate and grapefruit juice from the grocery store, instead of getting it from the 7-11 every time!").

Well, artists need chocolate and grapefruit juice, and money management has never been my strong suit. However, I'm proud to say that, twelve years after recklessly throwing away my money on so many individually packaged juice bottles and chocolate bars, I now buy that kind of thing at Superstore (sometimes) and, more importantly, I'm currently taking a business class - the Women's Venture Accelerator program offered by awesome local non-profit Momentum. I'm looking forward to blogging about that soon, too. Anyway, I am supposed to be doing my homework for the class right this minute instead of writing this blog. So that is all for now!!

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March 2014 strip

3/3/2014

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Here's my comic strip for this month's Ramsay Community newsletter. You can see my comics from previous newsletters here. (But really, you should just read the newsletter because it is always fun - a great team of volunteers putting something together to reach out to a great community!)

I stared that woodpecker down and he didn't come back!

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February 2014 strip

2/6/2014

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2013 was a challenging year around here - to put it mildly. So I was really looking forward to closing the door on it, and enjoying a fresh new start in 2014. But what happened instead: on January 5th I was in the hospital being told that I needed to have my appendix removed! Well, that's another story (actually, I wrote a little blog about my surprisingly great experience at the Peter Lougheed Centre, but haven't had time to ink it yet - stay tuned). Anyway, I wasn't really out and about in the neighbourhood much, so here's my brother supplying the story for this month's Ramsay Newsletter comic strip. He just got back from doing a Master's in Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford in Bradford, England. Wow!!! (And what is he going to do next???)

And by the way - 2014's already looking a bit rosier, after the rocky start.

You can read all my Ramsay comics here on my website!

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Winter

12/31/2013

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I'd been thinking of making a Christmas card and posting it up here, but that didn't happen, as you can see. I didn't make any Christmas cards this year (although I've made quite a few in years gone by, and you can see some of them here). Christmas is already past, and the next four or five months of cold and snow are looming before us. So, instead, how about a few words on the subject of winter.

I recently read a blog post by Calgary man-about-town Richard White, on the subject of whether Calgarians embrace winter. I have to say I'm not a big fan of winter, but it's a fact of life in this part of the world. Hiding in your (hopefully well-insulated) home for a couple of months is one option (and I sometimes think contemporary suburban homes are being designed to accommodate exactly that - several months of isolating hibernation during which there's no need to actually leave your house! But I digress...). Go outside, everybody! If you're brave enough to venture out, there are a few nice things to be found.

For example. Only in Canada would it occur to anyone to put the patio chairs out next to a three-foot snowbank. Hooray for my neighbours at Caffe Rosso for showing great winter spirit and giving us a spot to sit in the sunshine in spite of the cold! Sure, we didn't last long, but we loved it for a few lovely vitamin-D-soaked minutes!

Now, if you're wondering whether Calgarians embrace winter, take a look at Chandelierville. It's the latest "pop-up" arts event dreamed up by the Vibrant Village Society of Inglewood & Ramsay, otherwise known as the "find it" team, and the folks who brought you the hugely popular Inglewood Night Markets this summer. I happen to be a member of this team, although this year I haven't been able to be as involved as I would have liked (I was too busy having a baby!).

Anyway, this year our team came up with the idea of inviting the residents of Inglewood and Ramsay to create do-it-yourself "chandeliers" with Christmas lights and hang them up outside their houses and/or places of work. We've had thirty entries and over fifty votes for our "OOH AAH People's Choice Award" for the top three chandeliers. (Voting ends at midnight on December 31st - don't wait! Vote now!)

But not only did we create a dazzling light display around our neighbourhoods, we created a dazzling display of community spirit, inspiring all sorts of folks to get creative and get together to brave the cold and tour "Chandelierville." Did I mention I don't like winter? But I strolled all around the hood with neighbours I'd never even met before, taking in the sights, and finished up with a hot chocolate at the amazing Ramsay rink!

Here are a few of the creations on display now in Ramsay and Inglewood! And take a look at the rest at www.finditcalgary.ca.

Now switch gears and head to Edmonton, where I've just enjoyed a delicious feast at RGE RD, a new local-food-themed restaurant that's the talk of the town.

Yes, it's about -20 degrees out here. Does that stop Edmontonians from going out? Heck no (as John D. Fitzgerald would say). The place was packed.
I really liked these sheepskin rugs. I mean, we all know it's freezing cold, so why pretend it's not? And the table shown here was up against the windows, which, as you may note, are covered by shades. The implication was clear: "the weather outside being frightful, why not just pull down the shades and focus on the food and cozy atmosphere!" Why not, indeed!

And speaking of embracing winter: I hear that RGE RD is planning a winter pop-up restaurant for 25 people on January 18th out at Nature's Green Acres, a farm near Viking. Furs, sleigh rides and amazing fresh food - details in this article from the Edmonton Journal.

We can't make winter go away, but we can enjoy some temporary respite. And in Edmonton, respite is pretty important. Just looking at these snowbanks makes me chilly. Somebody pull down the shades!

And now back to Calgary for a tried-and-true winter activity. It's a long way to the top of the Ramsay sledding hill, but the ride down is worth it. That's all for now - stay warm, everyone!

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November & December 2013 strips

12/6/2013

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I was just going to post December's Ramsay Community Newsletter comic strip, and realized I hadn't ever gotten around to posting the November strip! Well, you know, there have been a few distractions around here. Anyway, here they are!

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October 2013 strip

10/9/2013

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A bit late, but here's this month's Ramsay Community Newsletter comic strip.

Find out more about BARRE Body Studio in Ramsay, and Naina's Kitchen!

And in case you're wondering, the baby was born on October 3rd (hence my delay in posting this, not to mention my delay in getting quite a few other things done, too). He is healthy and his name is Henry!

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September 2013 strip

9/1/2013

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Here's my September strip for the Ramsay Community newsletter. Thanks to neighbour Nancy Janovicek for this idea!

I'm going to try to do another strip for the October newsletter, but in case this baby shows up a bit early, that might not happen. We'll see!

Here are the weights Martin & Nancy found outside their door. Good story, no?

And by the way... I found out who left me those socks.

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sam hester

I am a graphic recorder based in Calgary. I like local stories. I write comics when I have free time. And I leave eraser shavings everywhere I go.

Looking for a
graphic recorder?
Look here!

contact me

[email protected]

my website

www.the23rdstory.com started as a blog and now includes some information about my graphic recording practice as well.

I also have an (old) website which features a lot of my (old) work. Look out, it's a bit clunky and there are a lot of links that don't go anywhere, but there are still a few interesting things there:
www.thedrawingbook.com

November & December Ramsay Comic Strips

September & October Ramsay comic strips

Behind the Scenes at the Inglewood Night Market

The Vibrant Village Society of Inglewood & Ramsay

The Inglewood Night Markets

What We Do

So, what can you do?

May & June 2014 Ramsay comic strips, & a bit more

March 2014 strip

February 2014 strip

Winter

November & December 2013 strips

October 2013 strip

September 2013 strip

sam hester

Looking for a
graphic recorder?
Look here!

contact me

my website

Categories

archives

The Vibrant Village Society of Inglewood & Ramsay

The Inglewood Night Markets

What We Do

So, what can you do?

sam hester

Looking for agraphic recorder? Look here!

contact me

my website

Categories

archives

Looking for a
graphic recorder?
Look here!