Calgary Citizen Newsletter Thursday Feb. 6

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Good morning !

The GRAND Theatre shared an exciting update with us yesterday about how hard they have been working to keep the iconic theatre operating since negotiating a new lease with its landlord last year. After consulting with the city’s art community last November, the theatre has put together a plan to move forward. It’s a lot so you can read the full report here, but the highlights are that they’ve stabilized operations and strengthened their financial position, although they still face challenges and need the community’s support in three ways.

The first being that artists and arts organizations use the space for collaboration, that funders and sponsors invest in the arts and venue infrastructure, and that the community shows up by buying tickets, attending events, and spreading the word. “This isn’t about “saving The GRAND—it’s about ensuring that Calgary continues to have a thriving, independent performing arts venue for years to come.” We would love to see the community answer the call because we need great spaces like this not simply to survive, but to thrive! Read this story we wrote awhile back to learn more about this iconic space’s history.

👀 In today's edition:

• From stray to part of the family

• Eau Claire Market’s final goodbye

• Cold snap wreaks havoc

• Jubilations makes a Big Bang

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WORTH KNOWING

⛅️ Today: High -8C, Low -20C. See the 7-day forecast.

🚗 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation, and find the city’s traffic report and road closures.

QUICK POLL

From stray dog to beloved family member: Titus finally has a fur-ever home to call his own

Titus, the three-year-old Dogo Argentina, had been waiting for his forever home for several months after he was taken into the Calgary Animal Services shelter as a stray. As a big breed, it’s not always easy to find the right home for a dog the size as Titus but that day has finally come.

His new family was on a mission to find another dog like their Cane Corso that sadly passed away and their hunt brought them to Calgary Animal Services where they found Titus, a big white teddy bear. Titus had been waiting at the shelter for several months to find a family, so the staff were thrilled when Geoffrey showed up to meet him. “We fell in love with him right away,” he says. "The staff at the Animal Services Centre told us that Titus could be nervous around men, but we were surprised because he warmed up to us immediately.”

Titus has brought a lot of joy to his new home, even as the family works on some challenges. "He still acts like a puppy sometimes," Geoffrey says, adding they take him on several walks a day. "We’re working on his leash walking because he’s scared of cars, which can be tricky. But he’s settling in. We’ve even created a way to ease his anxiety around cars—we leave treats on our car's bumper so he can enjoy them when we get back from walks, and that’s helped."

As a former stray, Titus’ story is one of transformation. Now, he has a family who adores him and a home filled with love and activity. "It’s amazing to see how much Titus has brought us all together." For the family, adopting Titus was the "greatest Christmas gift" they could imagine. “Titus has completed our family. He’s a big dog with an even bigger heart. We can’t imagine life without him."

View adoptable animals at Calgary Animal Services.

Related Story

Need to know

🏗️ The final goodbye: Demolition begins at Calgary’s iconic Eau Claire Market.

🥶 Delayed and cancelled flights, seized pets and more: cold snap wreaks havoc on city. ‘It’s horrible’: Apartment without heat for days during Calgary cold snap, tenant says.

👮 A Calgary man has been charged in a Mississauga violent home invasion back in 2023.

🚓 Police say a suspected impaired driver crashed into their own home.

💸 The City of Calgary is preparing for the possibility of tariff impacts on operations.

🚆Mayor invites premier and MLAs on walking tour of downtown Green Line route.

📅 Groundhog Day 2025: Willie, Fred and Sam at odds over spring’s arrival.

⛄ Want Calgary's snow clearing plan to cover more ground? It can, for a price. CBC compares other city’s responses to Calgary's.

🔋Repair Exchange Calgary is working to keep usable items out of the landfill.

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Laughs, music, and nerdy fun: Jubilations’ latest production makes a Big Bang

Join Sheldon and the gang as they navigate the ups and downs of life, love, and the pursuit of cosmic understanding with Jubilations’ latest production, The Big Bang Parody: A Musical. With catchy songs, hilarious antics, and plenty of heart, this musical parody promises a laugh-out-loud experience that’s out of this world. We spoke with Jubilations actor Munsi Parker-Munroe, who plays Evon Dusk (and Howard’s mom) in a hilariously laugh-out-loud role when you realize it is not so loosely-based on the man everyone knows as Elon Musk. We don’t want to give too much away but there’s also a scene in this production that just might be worth the price of admission in itself. Here is what Parker-Munroe has to say about this latest comedic, musical delight.

What was your favourite part about your (iconic) role?

It’s been a wild ride. Playing the real life person who is the main villain of the regular news right now is already shaping up to be an adventure, because he’s constantly getting up to new and different shenanigans, which I then get to interact with and comment on. It’s been really interesting. It’s a really fun show with a mix of classic ‘80s tunes and more modern faire, the iconic characters you know and love from one of the biggest TV shows of all time, plus of course our signature silliness both on and off the stage.

Without giving too much away, if you could buy anything at the touch of a phone app, what would it be?

I’ve already been more of an experiences person than a physical object owner, if I’m being totally honest. That said, if “anything” included hotel rooms, plane and concert tickets, if I had that app there’s a good chance that would be the last anyone would see of me for six months or so, and OH BOY would I have stories when I got back!

Did you do any research into Elon for this role?

I did quite a lot, and may I say: If you’re going to research him on YouTube, sign out of your account first because my algorithm is a sewer right now. There’s a lot of content being pushed on me, and I suspect it’ll be a while before I get that fixed.

Were you familiar with Big Bang Theory before?

I feel like everyone is at least baseline familiar with the series, by this point, right? If Big Bang Theory isn’t the very biggest television show of the 21st century, in terms of its success and cultural impact, it’s at minimum in the running. I did rewatch some of the episodes in which my characters were more heavily featured, to get some of the voice down as well as to reacquaint myself with the general tone of the show.

Where to eat and drink

🍴 The Burger Mechanic: Juicy burgers and crispy fish and chips, this Macleod Trail spot has it all. All of their food is also halal-friendly!

🍴 Hearts Choices Cafe Market: This vegan market has something for everyone from mac and cheeze Mondays to pad Thai Tuesdays and of course, wings on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, check out their surprise deals.

Have a food or drink suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

Things to do

🎟️ Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival - Winter Edition: Focusing on local talent, this intimate show is highlighting specific tattoo styles, including black and grey, blackwork, fine line, floral, realistic, and more from Friday to Sunday at the Big Four Roadhouse.

🎟️ Mecha Mayhem 2025: Head down to the BMO Centre this Friday to Sunday as more than 300 university, college, middle and high school students from around the world compete in the world’s largest robotics competition. The best part? It’s free admission!

Have an event suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

From our readers

That’s it!

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And before you go, we’d love to know…

We’ll see you back here on Tuesday, same time, same place!