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Last Modified: January 27, 2025
Celebrating 30 Years: Five Stories from the Avenue Magazine Archives

“A lot has happened in Calgary since Avenue magazine published its first issue in December 1994” writes Käthe Lemon, publisher of Avenue Calgary, in her reflections on the magazine’s 30th anniversary

We asked Käthe how Avenue contributes to developing and sustaining the creative community of Calgary: “For 30 years Avenue has shared the stories of Calgary to encourage Calgarians to take part in and be proud of this beautiful city in all its many facets. In doing so, we’ve highlighted innumerable theatre, dance, music and other performing and visual arts groups as well as festivals and venues.”

In honour of their 30th year, Avenue has shared reflections from their first editor, Val Fortney. She was brought in to lead the magazine’s editorial with an inaugural 24-page issue in 1994, and by 1996 it had already been named the Best New Magazine in the country: “it was the start of decades of awards for the little city-magazine-that-could.” RedPoint Media purchased Avenue Calgary in 2003 and expanded the publication, with some issues as long as 200 pages. They believed in the considerable value of the magazine for the city and the role it played in the business community.

When Avenue Calgary was awarded Magazine of the Year in 2020, a panel of publishing industry peers and experts recognized the magazine as an informative source that hasn’t shied away from addressing increasingly complex and timely topics over the years. Alongside this strong editorial package, the judges appreciated “creative and ongoing strategies to engage readers beyond the pages of the magazine” in programs such as the Made in Alberta Awards, Top 40 Under 40, as well as the Best Restaurants and Best Neighbourhoods programs.

Let’s take a look back at five (of the many more) Alberta Magazine Awards nominated and winning stories that we’ve seen from Avenue in recent years!

  1. Is the Glenmore Reservoir Calgary’s Best Neighbourhood? by Dave Robertson (July/Aug 2023 issue) “It doesn’t have any houses, apartments, shops or schools, but the Glenmore Reservoir is a hive of activity and a tight-knit community. A sailing instructor shows us around and makes the case for why it belongs on a Best Neighbourhoods list.”
  2. Dressing for the Life We Have by Jacquie Moore (May/June 2023 issue) “What does one do with a background in engineering and fashion design? If you’re Nina Kharey, you make antiviral garments for health-care workers and do right by the planet while you’re at it.”
  3. And We’re Rollin by Kendall Bistretzan (April 2022 issue) “The local film industry is having some of its best years on record. Why big-time productions are turning their focus on Southern Alberta.” 
  4. Moving Mountains by Lynda Sea (February 2022 issue) “Many prominent peaks in the Rockies are prime for renaming, but the process can be arduous, even when stakeholders, community members and First Nations are all in agreement.”
  5. Looking Toward the Future of the Stampede by Taylor Lambert (June 2019 issue) “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is a celebration of Western culture and values wrapped around a midway, a shopping centre, the city’s largest music festival, community pancake breakfasts, corporate schmooze-fests and more. But at Stampede’s heart is nostalgia for a ranching and agricultural past that grows increasingly distant for many Calgarians. How Stampede maintains relevance as the city grows and changes will be pivotal to its future.”

Here’s to the next thirty years of Avenue!