Red's Diner donates Beltline comics to a good cause!

I tried to fit all this into a tweet and realized I needed a whole blog post.

How could I get Red's Diner, Calgary's Beltline neighbourhood, a "floodraiser" benefit at the Hotel Arts with funds going to the Calgary Foundation, and a comic strip about the Memorial Park Library (among other things) into 140 characters? I just couldn't.

So here's the story.

Thanks to Dinner With Julie's blog for this photo!

It all began last year when Bruce Campbell of Red's Diner - local breakfast spot and community gathering place, on 4th Street in the Beltline - asked me if I could draw some comic-strip-style posters for Red's. We envisioned something kind of like this one that I drew about Ramsay. Since Red's is opening a new diner in Ramsay soon (my neighbours and I are pretty excited about this), we talked about creating some posters about Ramsay. But then we thought it might be fun to do some posters for Red's on 4th, too.

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One thing that's so great about the Red's team (well, besides all the coffee) is how they are committed to running a restaurant that celebrates local history, employs local people, and even promotes local artists. When Red's on 4th opened, far from knocking down the historic building that was standing in their place, they completely renovated the building to maintain its heritage. And not only the heritage "atmosphere" (for example, a Calgary stained-glass window artist was commissioned to create a new window that would fit in with the original decor) - but they also preserved many of the actual heritage components, such as the window over the front door, featuring the original owner's initials.

That original owner was R. H. Williams, who happened to be a personal tailor to Queen Alexandra of England, before he headed out to Calgary in 1915 and opened the town's first ready-to-wear shop in what's now Red's Diner.

That's only one example of the many stories - some obscure, some well-known, but all fascinating - I uncovered about the history of Calgary's Beltline district in my research for this series of comics posters.

The first in the series - which is mainly about the R.H. Williams building itself - will be on display at Red's on 4th sometime in the next couple of weeks. Watch this space for that news! (Or check Red's website, which I believe will shortly be sporting a new look, too!)

Ok, so why I am telling you all this? (Other than just to give a shameless plug for a great local business I've had a lot of fun drawing pictures for, during the last several months...) Well, not long ago I heard from Richard White (local writer, blogger, man-about-town and flaneur... look it up!), about an upcoming benefit to raise money for people affected by Calgary's recent flood. Here are the details about this event, which is happening this Sunday, August 25th (yes, folks, that's this weekend!)

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Hotel Arts is launching a new concert series for the Raw Bar and its poolside patio. The first in this series will be a "floodraiser" generating funds for the Calgary Foundation to assist with flood relief in Calgary, High River and the Siksika Nation.

Amy Thiessen will be hosting the concert series which will include performances by Scotty Hills, Curtis Glas and Locomotive Ghost. Performances will take place between 2pm - 5pm.

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Doors to the poolside patio will open at 1 pm. There will be a mixture of seating and standing room options. Table service will feature the Raw Bar menu. The Raw Bar will also be open featuring its Asian-fusion menu and award-winning cocktail program. A silent auction will also be set up in the Raw Bar with proceeds earmarked towards flood relief.

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When I heard "silent auction with proceeds earmarked towards flood relief..." I immediately thought: Maybe the Red's Diner team would like to donate a print of one of our Beltline comics posters to this cause! After all, the Hotel Arts is another Beltline business, only a few blocks from Red's, and, like Red's, affected by the flood. In fact, the Beltline suffered some of the most extensive damage caused by the flood, and, just as we saw all over the city, local residents and business owners came together to support each other in a way that really displayed their community spirit. Here was another chance for some mutual support in the hood.

To see the first Red's poster, you'll have to head down to Red's on 4th and see it on the wall in a week or two (I'll let you know when it's up!). For a sneak preview of the second poster in the series, you'll have to head down to the Hotel Arts on Sunday to see this first-ever print of the artwork. Its subject is "Beltline Stories" and it features a comic strip depiction of all things book-related in the Beltline: The Memorial Park Library, the Lougheed House (which boasted one of Calgary's earliest private libraries of note), old bookstores (Sandcastles) and new bookstores (Shelf Life Books)... and, just for fun, it also features a bit about my own "Beltline love story" (yes, my own courtship began and ended... that is, when I got married... in the Beltline). (You know I just can't write comics about neutral facts and figures, I've always got to put some stuff about myself in there.) So if you're a fan of comics, Calgary history, the Beltline, and books... this may be something you'll want to have on your wall!

Of course, you can also keep watching the walls at Red's on 4th, as the series is unveiled.

There'll be some more artwork along these lines at Red's in Ramsay sometime soon, too (featuring Ramsay stories). I'll be sure to let you know about what's happening with that. For now, get your tickets to the "floodraiser" and help support a good cause! It starts at 2 PM... which should give you plenty of time for a coffee at Red's on 4th before you head over.



There... that wouldn't have fit into a tweet, now would it?

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