Calgary Citizen Newsletter Thursday May 16

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Good morning !

One of our readers asked us if there are any women over 60 meetups and we haven’t responded yet because we haven’t been able to find any, so we are asking our readers for some help. Do you know of any and where can they be found? Enjoy your long weekend!

Krista Sylvester, Managing Editor

👀 In today's edition:

• YYC coffee barista heats up

• The “bar is way too low”

• Long weekend events around town

Today’s read time: Approx. 4 minutes

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QUICK POLL

WORTH KNOWING

COOL AND WET WEATHER EXPECTED FOR THE MAY LONG WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK

🌧️ Today: High 18C, Low 4C. See the 7-day forecast.

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

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / check Calgary wildfire and fire restrictions and the Alberta Wildfire Dashboard.

Calgary barista goes the extra mile for a caramel macchiato—and he finished fourth overall in a North American competition

Beni Patai may not have won the competition but he got to show off his latte skills while learning from some of the best. The Starbucks Gates of Walden barista just returned from Vancouver where he competed in the Western Canada semi-finals in the first-ever Starbucks North America Barista Championship. Patai was among four talented green apron coffee slingers out of 20,000 participants competing at the inaugural North America Barista Championship, and while he didn’t win, he says it was a wonderful experience.

“It was so exciting to see what my other competitors came up with and how they share their craft,” he says, adding it was one of the best experiences he ever had.

“From sharing my passion with baristas and partners like me to learning more about coffee, everywhere I went there was an abundance of joy and caring, and that is something I want to keep passing on as I advance in my Starbucks journey.”

For Patai, passion and practise go hand in hand for success in his field.

“I love perfecting my latte art, making sure the drinks taste the best, or coming up with new drinks to sample to customers,” he says. “Seeing our regular customers every day, keeping up with them and putting a smile on their face by making their favourite beverage.”

His favourite cup of java?

“You can never go wrong with a caramel macchiato, iced or hot, blonde espresso preferably,” he says, adding he always goes the extra mile to make sure it’s the best his customers ever had.

The Calgarian says he loves sharing his passion with his customers.

“[Coffee] is really more than just your cup of coffee in the morning before work. It’s the people at the coffee farms whose whole livelihood is nurturing their fields of coffee trees and our master roasters who craft blends for us to use in store,” he says.

“Then of course, it’s how us baristas transform those beans into essentially a work of art, sharing our creativity and joy through a delicious beverage.”

Related Story

Need to know

🛝 'The bar is way too low': Dozens of violations found at Calgary daycare following parent complaints.

🔒️ Downtown eatery Yemeni Village has been ordered closed and had its food handling permit suspended—and now it’s reportedly for sale.

🏅 A Calgary man is offering up some one-of-a-kind items for sports fans in search of something special.

🐄 The Vancouver Humane Society has paid for some Calgary billboards asking people to skip the rodeo and chuckwagon races. 

🪧 City council passes amended rezoning bylaw after its longest meeting ever held.

💸 Calgary's affordable and low-income housing waitlists are getting longer with no reprieve in sight as the city faces low vacancy rates, rising rents, and record population growth in Alberta.

🔥The city is monitoring the northern Alberta wildfires and preparing for potential evacuees.

🏥 A Calgary man who fell from a six-storey ledge is recovering ‘remarkably well’.

🌊 Floods can happen, even in a drought: the city prepares for the 2024 flood season.

🎒 Exclusive Access: Be the first to know about the best events, insider tips, and jaw-dropping deals and contests — all delivered every Thursday straight to your inbox. Subscribe to Calgary’s free Child newsletter to find out what’s up!

Five fun things to do over the long weekend without leaving the city

We wanted to give you a peek at this long weekend’s fun offerings around the city. Check the weather forecast though, it’s expected to rain. Happy long weekend!

🛝 Calaway Park opening: Enjoy 32 family-friendly rides, an assortment of games, food and drinks, and so much more as Calgary’s amusement park opens for the season on Saturday.

🚃 Heritage Park opening: Making history this year, Heritage Park is opening before Victoria Day long weekend and invites the public to enjoy an extra day of fun and excitement at the park.

🍸️ Highfield Food and Beverage Market Fest: This market features a variety of vendors and local businesses and there is no shortage of things to do. Enjoy free admission at this two-day licensed event on Saturday and Sunday from 11am-4pm at 544 38A Ave. SE.

🍸️ YYC Caesarfest: The home of the Caesar presents the most Canadian long weekend plan ever filled with caesars, craft beer, cider, spirits, food, and a ton of fun. Saturday and Sunday at the Big Four Building.

🚸 Día del Niño Children’s Festival: Casa Mexico’s Children’s Day Festival is offering a pay-what-you-can event featuring a movie, a piñata workshop, face painting, and more. Saturday from 10am-6pm at cSpace.

Where to eat and drink

🍴 A&W: This iconic fast food joint is bringing back its popular Whistle Dog accompanied by an award-winning short film on May 21. Check out the film here and don’t forget to have a bite or two.

🍴 Mama Dessert: Serving handcrafted Asian desserts, Mama Dessert is located in Chinatown and its menu has a variety of mochi, dessert bowls, drinks, and more!

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

Things to do

🎟️ Late Night Laughs Improv: Join The Kinkonauts on Friday for a late-night high-octane comedy show where performers use suggestions from the audience to improvise scenes full of hilarity.

🎟️ SPACE: A Journey to the Moon and Beyond at TELUS Spark: Fly through a technicolour nebula, kick up dust on the moon, and witness Saturn’s rings up close in this out-of-this-world immersive experience running until October.

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

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