Edmontonians prepare for 100 in 1 Day this weekend

Edmontonians are preparing to make Saturday a special day.

The project “100 in 1 Day” takes place on Saturday in Edmonton and other cities around the world. This is the first time the event is taking place in Alberta’s capital but it has existed in other cities for several years.

Chris Gusen, marketing manager for Make Something Edmonton, said the event is meant to celebrate the power of small projects organized by residents that can spark big change in the city.

“Some people are really interested in bringing more colour to the city – you see that in mural and chalk. Some people are interested in making the city more fun – so there’s people doing music or performances,” he said.

“It’s all about placements and projects in public spaces. It’s about creating a city that feels like it’s shaped by citizens.”

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There are more than 120 projects taking place in Edmonton.

Cressida Raffin, marketing manager of El Cortez, said it was a no-brainer for the restaurant to get involved.

On Friday, staff helped paint a wall of the restaurant with chalkboard paint.

“Essentially what it’s going to be is a big chalkboard. We’ll stencil ‘Before I die, I want to’ and then a line. The main goal of it is to inspire introspection, motivation and build the community,” she said.

Raffin wants residents to use the wall on Saturday as a bucket list and she plans to keep it up for a few weeks.

Jill Robertson is a landscape architect and planned a pop-up park in a parking space on 104 Street to celebrate 100 in 1 Day.

“It’s a comment on how we can use space differently in the downtown,” she explained.

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There is also a lemonade stand at the pop-up park, which is a fundraiser for the Zebra Child Protection Centre.

Meanwhile, Randy Brososky, executive producer of Necessary Evil, is making Instagram videos for the event. They will make up a series called Hellevator.

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Brososky said he and his team will make 100 videos on Saturday and the length of the videos will range from 16 to 60 seconds.

“I hope this removes the barrier of getting out and doing something creative. We’re shooting this on an iPhone. We’re editing on an iPad,” he said.

“You can reach out. You can share a story whether it’s fictional, whether it’s meaningful. You can try and make change in the world. You can try and just entertain and enlighten.”

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You can find more details about 100 in 1 Day here.