Gateway from the past reopens with midway delights

Gateway from the past reopens with midway delights

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Gateway from the past reopens with midway delights Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia

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Article content After three years of patiently waiting, what can you expect from the new and improved Fort Edmonton Park?

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Article content Upon first glance, nothing drastic. It’s still the same friendly park you’ve been taking your kids to every summer for decades, but with a few key changes and additions. Most noticeable is the front entry plaza, which now boasts a café and gift shop, along with gender neutral washrooms and a pleasant open area to relax in before or after your visit. We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Gateway from the past reopens with midway delights Back to video The midway to the right of the entrance has been beefed up with a row of 1920s-style games, most involving throwing or rolling balls, though the race track contest may be the most fun. If you’re not terrified of heights like some newspaper writers we could mention, the new Ferris wheel is a delight. Larger than its predecessor, it gives you a very nice view of the area, including the small wooden maze in front of it. The strength tester had a lineup of kids itching to take a shot, and the classic carousel was an immediate hit among families invited in for the soft opening on Wednesday, proof that some things never grow old.

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Article content Also new is the Cabinet of Curios exhibit, complete with fun house mirrors, slides, mutant farm animals with glass eyes glaring at you from cages in the walls, and other sideshow wonders. How the head of Medusa, complete with bared fangs, happened to make its way to Edmonton we’ll never know, but for the sake of the children do not look her directly in the eyes. It’s all wonderfully corny and fun, though some very small children might be a little nonplussed at one or two of the exhibits secreted in the twists and turns of the corridors. It’s taken Fort Edmonton a long time to catch up with the rest of the world, but social media influencers will be thrilled to know wi-fi is now a park feature. Expect a torrent of Instagram posts of your friends having a few beers at the Masonic Hall or chowing down on food truck offerings. It was 30C so we opted out of trying the brisket at the midway, but can attest that the ice cream sandwich was sufficiently large, in fact so big the sun melted it long before it could be finished.

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Article content A day prior to the official July 1 unveiling, a number of the buildings had yet to open, though the woman in period clothing loitering in the doorway of H.B. Kline Jewellers was eager to invite new clientele in. Without the usual crowds you can expect on a summer day, Fort Edmonton Park really did look like a tiny, growing community, with costumed staff fanning themselves on porches, shouting out greetings from inside shops and homes, and happily revealing historical facts if you get within shouting distance. They cheerily wave at you as you pass by on the slow moving streetcar, which now has some additional rails on which to trundle along. The interactive Indigenous Peoples Experience next to the old fort is as impressive as other reports have claimed. It’s educational, yes, and more than a little mournful in the room set aside to show the effects of the residential school system, but it’s also fascinating and even uplifting at points. Many hours could be lost following the history of Indigenous peoples and Metis through stories, photos, clothing, musical instruments and other artifacts. The Experience would be well worth checking out on its own, and in tandem with the new carnival rides, the revamped park makes for an excellent morning or afternoon out with the family. yegarts@postmedia.com

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Two stores to close in St. Albert Centre

Jillian Creech, St. Albert Centre mall manager, said she could not speak to the closure of the two stores or future plans. However, the mall had seen a two-per-cent growth in sales over the last year since new retailers have moved into the renovated space.

Peoples Jewellers was one of the first businesses to open at the mall 40 years ago. BRITTANY GERVAIS/St. Albert Gazette

1 / 1 Peoples Jewellers was one of the first businesses to open at the mall 40 years ago. BRITTANY GERVAIS/St. Albert Gazette

Two stores, Peoples Jewellers and Stokes, are closing at the St. Albert Centre mall.

Last week, a salesperson at Peoples Jewellers said they found out the store would be closing to customers on March 24. Signs hanging in the window advertised a 20- to 50-per-cent off sale.

The jewelry store was one of the first businesses to open at the mall 40 years ago.

“We don’t know why yet, (head office) technically doesn’t tell us any details,” said Suzanne Martel, who had worked at the store for the past four years. “We have no clue what is going on.”

Peoples Jewellers is the largest retailer of fine jewellery in Canada, with nearly 150 locations from the Maritimes to British Columbia.

Martel estimated around eight other people are working at the St. Albert location.

“Well for myself and one of my other coworkers, who has been here for 22 years, we are older women. It’s going to be hard to find another job,” she said.

Another coworker, who asked to remain anonymous, said their store sees a lot of senior customers who will now have to travel to the Kingsway Mall in Edmonton for the next closest Peoples location.

Employees at the St. Albert Stokes location said a closing date hadn’t been confirmed yet, and declined to comment on the store’s closure. ‘Store closing’ signs hang in the windows, along with signs advertising a 10- to 50-per-cent off sale.

Last month, the kitchenware and home decor retailer announced it will be “reducing its retail footprint in Canada” and streamlining its head office operations in Montreal. The Stokes Retail Group has over 150 locations across the country.

“After many years of solid financial performance, Stokes, like most other retailers, is adapting to fundamental changes in the industry, including how customers shop,” the company stated in a press release.

“The company will continue investing in its online business which has experienced material growth over the last few years.”

Stokes noted it will be closing its less profitable stores, but will maintain a majority of retail locations across Canada. The Stokes store had opened with the redevelopment of the new wing of St. Albert Centre in 2017, after Target vacated the 117,000-square-foot space in 2015.

Jillian Creech, St. Albert Centre mall manager, said she could not speak to the closure of the two stores or future plans. However, the mall had seen a two-per-cent growth in sales over the last year since new retailers have moved into the renovated space.

The closure of Peoples Jewellers and Stokes follows the shutdown of three other businesses in the mall in recent months.

Carlton Cards announced its closure in late January after parent company, Schurman Retail Group, announced the closure of all its retail stores in North America.

The local Things Engraved store shut its doors in early January immediately after the company announced the closure of all its storefronts in Canada, citing an inability to compete with online retailers.

Montreal-based Bentley Leathers also closed its St. Albert location in December after the retailer announced it would be shedding its underperforming stores.

‘Somebody’s got it’: Customers out hundreds of dollars after jewelry shop closes

EDMONTON – At least eight customers of an Edmonton jewelry store and repair shop are without their jewelry — some worth thousands of dollars — after the store closed.

Linda Rodd-Kitchen dropped off her $2,500 ring at Heart to Heart Jewellery on 118 Avenue in late October for repairs. She had been doing business with David Dorash, who had made her precious ring, for two decades.

“It was little pieces of gold from my grandmother’s ring, my mother’s ring, that was melted down,” Rodd-Kitchen said.

Dorash had been in and out of hospital recently. When Rodd-Kitchen called to arrange to pick her ring up at his shop, an unfamiliar woman answered.

“And said Dave had passed away. And they were going to have to break into the safe,” Rodd-Kitchen said.

She called again the next day.

“And I said I was wondering whether I could come and pick up my ring and he goes, ‘Well do you have a slip?’ And I go, ‘No we never had a slip with Dave.'” Instead, customers said Dorash would place the jewelry in a small brown envelope and write customer’s name and number on it.

“We never questioned it,” Rodd Kitchen said. “I had never had a problem. Ever.”

Hours later, Rodd-Kitchen discovered the shop was empty with a note directing customers to contact the jeweller’s family.

Edmonton Police Service spokesperson Cheryl Voordenhout said 15 people reported missing jewelry. EPS investigated but no charges were laid.

“I believe police returned jewellery [sic] to three complainants and family also made effort to return jewellery to complainants as well,” Voordenhout said. “Unfortunately the record keeping on the part of the store wasn’t there. So it’s very difficult for investigators to know what was in the store at any given time.”

CTV News Edmonton has spoken with seven additional customers who say they haven’t been able to recover their jewelry either. Christina Miketic-Ketsa said she is now without a $500-necklace and her wedding ring, appraised at $8,500, but managed to recover $4,000 through insurance.

CTV News also reached out to Dorash’s brother, Ernie, who said via text, “Not one piece was taken by any family member.

“When the safe was opened it was empty,” Dorash added.

Customers are still puzzled to what happened. Police said a break-in and robbery was reported at Heart to Heart Jewellery on Aug. 7 for a robbery on July 30. No arrests were made and some jewellery was reportedly stolen. CTV News has also learned Dorash was diagnosed with dementia.

“It’s out there somewhere,” Rodd-Kitchen said. “Somebody’s got it.”

Rodd-Kitchen is now considering legal action against Dorash’s estate.