Terrific performances featured on the Ross Street Patio

Kick off Family Day weekend with a show by Red Deer’s own Ten02

Music fans won’t want to miss out on a range of terrific performances coming up on the Ross Street Patio.

‘Music on the Ross Street Patio’ continues Feb. 18 with popular Red Deer-based band Ten02. “The performance is a kick-off to the Family Day weekend,
so we will also have the hot chocolate out again, and the photo booth. It will be a really great evening of family fun,” explained Chelsey Ward, special events coordinator for the Downtown Business Association.

The Patio’s music season was officially launched on Feb. 11 with a special Valentine’s Day event featuring tunes from Simon Donovan and Amanda Mitchell, free Valentine’s hot chocolate, a ‘Date Night’ giveaway valued at $100 and a themed-photo booth.

Visitors could cozy up by one of the fire tables under a canopy of sparkling lights while listening to superb local talent.

Folks could also check out the ‘Locks of Love’ installation and add one of their own to celebrate the occasion with their significant other.

“It was great!” said Ward of the Feb. 11 event. “The Ross Street Patio really provides such a romantic ambience to begin with under that canopy of light and the fire tables. It’s really beautiful. We also had the trees decorated with hearts, and of course the Locks of Love was decorated. “The weather was also just right – cold enough to be cozy! The businesses’ patios also filled up with attendees and spectators, too. So, the words to describe it would be ‘vibrant’ and ‘thriving’ – there was a lot of excitement on the patio that evening,” she added.

Music on the patio has been an exciting feature for several years through the warmer months with performances running Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This year marks the first time performances have been scheduled in the winter season, which falls in line with the current ‘year-round’ nature of the Ross Street Patio.

And there is no doubt that residents are loving it.

“Feedback from last Friday’s performance showed a great deal of appreciation from both residents and businesses,” explained Ward. “The Ross Street Patio is such a loved feature of the downtown, so it’s very exciting to be able to celebrate it year-round. There’s a lot of excitement, and people are happy to be there.” Another goal is to just generally increase traffic and overall awareness about all that downtown Red Deer has to offer, she said.

“The downtown is just such a great place to take a walk, explore and come across really unique small businesses, and to enjoy the roots and the culture of our historic downtown, too. Then you can stop by the Ross Street Patio for a live musical performance – there is just so much to see and do. “Right now is also a great time to visit the downtown – we have our ‘ShopDowntown2Win’ promotion going on,” she said.

ShopDowntown2Win is an exciting promotion involving a weekly $1,000 draw – $500 to keep and $500 to share with a local business, Ward explained. “All shoppers need to do is submit a picture of any receipts of $25 or more from any business in the downtown or Capstone area to www.shopdowntown2win.com.” Draws take place every Tuesday until March 8th when there will be a draw for a $1,500 grand prize!

“If shoppers can’t make it downtown every week, they can also participate by writing glowing google reviews about downtown and Capstone businesses,” she added. “It’s a great time to check things out and then enter to potentially win a great prize!”

As to the ongoing music series, folks can check out The Red Hot Hayseeds on March 17. Additional shows feature Jaydin Vonkeman on April 1, Jeremy Doody and Dom Benzer on April 7, and Stephen Scott and guests on April 14.

More exciting performances down the road include Kayla Williams on April 21, Jay Bowcott and Syd Zadravec on April 28 and heading into May don’t miss The Rebecca Raabis Family Band on May 5, James Adams (May 12) and Dean Ray on May 19.

‘Music on the Ross Street Patio’ is a free event and is open to all ages. All performances run from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. on show nights.

Also, according to the DBA, dates that fall on or near holidays will also feature giveaways, themed-décor, photo booths as well as free hot chocolate and/or activity booths along with the regular performances.

For more about the Downtown Business Association and all that is planned for the Ross Street Patio, find them on Facebook or visit www.downtownreddeer.com.

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Mark Weber

Born and raised in Red Deer, Mark Weber is an award-winning freelance writer who is committed to the community. He worked as a reporter for the Red Deer Express for 18 years including six years as co-editor. During that time, he mainly covered arts and entertainment plus a spectrum of areas from city news and health stories to business profiles and human interest features. Mark also spent a year working for the regional publication Town and Country in northern Alberta, along with stints at the Ponoka News and the Stettler Independent. He’s thrilled to be a Todayville contributor, as it allows him many more opportunities to continue to focus on the city and community he not only has a passion for, but calls home as well.

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Trump signs executive order banning government censorship

Published on January 20, 2025

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From The Center Square

By Dan McCaleb

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order banning the federal government from taking any action to restrict Americans free speech rights.

The order ensures “that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”

It also ensures “that no taxpayer resources are used to engage in or facilitate any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen” and “identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to censorship of protected speech.”

Meta earlier this month ended its practice of censoring posts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads after CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden administration pressured the company to remove posts related to COVID-19, the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections – including suppressing the New York Post’s explosive story on Hunter Biden’s laptop – and other matters.

“We started building social media to give people a voice,” Zuckerberg said in announcing the decision. “What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far.”

Twitter, now X, also removed posts under pressure from the Biden administration before Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk bought the social media platform in 2022.

Trump’s executive order also instructs the U.S. Attorney General to investigate past cases of government censorship.

“The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of executive departments and agencies, shall investigate the activities of the Federal Government over the last 4 years that are inconsistent with the purposes and policies of this order and prepare a report to be submitted to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken based on the findings of the report,” the order states.

Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at [email protected].

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Liberals to increase CBC funding to nearly $2 billion per year

Published on January 20, 2025

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

The Department of Canadian Heritage promised funding to offset the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s nearly 10 percent drop in ad revenue last year despite an audience share of 1.7 percent, meaning over 98 percent of the country is not watching the network.

The Liberal government has promised to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to compensate CBC-TV for ads that the network cannot sell.

According to information released January 20 by Blacklock’s Reporter, the Liberal-run Department of Canadian Heritage will give CBC millions more, bringing the network’s total parliamentary grant near $2 billion a year.

“The CBC has been grappling with a range of financial pressures that are challenging its ability to maintain programming and service levels,” Liberals argued, adding that their department will be “providing additional funding to make it less reliant on private advertising with a goal of eliminating advertising during news and other public affairs shows.”

“The CBC is a pillar of Canada’s creative economy, a key provider of programming made by and for Canadians and a significant source of trusted news and information,” Liberals claimed.

“This government is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the CBC so that it can continue to create public value and adapt to the needs and expectations of Canadians,” the department continued.

The increased government subsidies come after an October report found that CBC’s advertising revenue dropped nearly 10 percent last year.

Furthermore, CBC’s own quarterly report found that its network audience share is only 1.7%, meaning more than 98% of Canadians are not watching CBC.

However, Liberals have chosen to ignore the fact that Canadians are not watching CBC, instead spending millions of dollars to prop up the failing outlet.

Beginning in 2019, Parliament changed the Income Tax Act to give yearly rebates of 25 percent for each news employee in cabinet-approved media outlets earning up to $55,000 a year to a maximum of $13,750.

Last November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau again announced increased payouts for legacy media outlets that coincide with the leadup to the 2025 election. The subsidies are expected to cost taxpayers $129 million over the next five years.

That amount to the CBC is in addition to massive media payouts that already make up roughly 70 percent of its operating budget and total more than $1 billion annually.

However, many have pointed out that the obscene amount of money thrown at CBC by Liberals is a ploy to buy the outlet’s loyalty.

Furthermore, in October, Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge’s department admitted that federally funded media outlets buy “social cohesion.”

Additionally, in September, House leader Karina Gould directed mainstream media reporters to “scrutinize” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who has repeatedly condemned government-funded media as an arm of the Liberals.

Gould’s comments were in reference to Poilievre’s promise to defund the CBC if elected prime minister. Poilievre is a longtime critic of government-funded media, especially the CBC.