The Pulse: June 26, 2024

The recently opened Shiddy's Rumpus Room at 9908 78 Avenue NW is now home to offerings from both Shiddy's Distilling and Flat Boy Burgers, a partnership its stakeholders hope will make their brands stronger together.

"A lot of Flat Boy fans have never heard of Shiddy's," Pete Nguyen, chief creative officer and partner at Sea Change Brewing, Shiddy's, and the Rumpus Room, told Taproot. "We've been around for a little while, but Shiddy's is still new, you know? Getting that crossover has been huge."

The Rumpus Room opened along Happy Beer Street on June 7. Since then, Flat Boy customers have come flocking, its staff said.

Shiddy's and Sea Change (which share owners) moved production to the Beer Street location two years ago, before renovating part of the warehouse for the Rumpus Room. The room has a menu full of Shiddy's and Sea Change products, including cocktails made with slush called "Shlurpees." For food, the Rumpus Room offers the established Flat Boy menu alongside a breakfast all day (or "BAD," as the menu describes it) section.

"We always wanted to build something for Shiddy's that wasn't just a taproom or a tasting room — we wanted to make it feel like its own bar," Nguyen said. "Having Flat Boy be a part of it kind of creates that whole vibe."

Flat Boy Burgers was founded by Dan Cote-Rosen, but the owners of Shiddy's and Sea Change now own a stake in Flat Boy and work on its growth.

"We created this partnership where we can help (Flat Boy) develop their brand and keep it going with our resources and then grow together," Nguyen said. "We always had plans to make Flay Boy just huge, as big as we can make it."

Flat Boy started in 2020 in Cote-Rosen's home kitchen. Its quickly growing Instagram audience then saw Cote-Rosen transfer to a commercial kitchen to meet demand. Its smash burger-style menu is inspired by Cote-Rosen's research of eating at California burger spots, such as In-N-Out Burger and more indie operations. A classic smash burger comes with an ultra-thin patty (but more often two) that's been pressed against a flat top grill. The smashing process causes the beef to become caramelized and crispy.

"The response from so many total strangers on Instagram was just overwhelming and so uplifting, especially during such a dark time when a lot of people (myself included) felt very isolated," Cote-Rosen, who is also the vice-president of marketing for Oilers Entertainment Group, told Taproot in an email. "Flat Boy gave me the opportunity to get back into the community, and from week one in our commercial space we were selling out."

During those early days, Cote-Rosen brought burgers to the Sea Change taproom and formed a relationship with the Sea Change and Shiddy's team. When Cote-Rosen's day job got busier, the Sea Change and Shiddy's team bought in and helped open Flat Boy at the Granite Curling Club, where it operated from 2022 until this year.

• Edmonton city council has approved the first part of a new district planning program in a 10-2 vote. During the June 25 meeting, councillors tried to address concerns and clarify misconceptions about the 15-minute cities concept, which would divide the city into 15 districts with an aim to promote home construction and business activity. In response to public fears, an amendment was added to ensure the policy does not limit movement or commerce. The policy must be approved by the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Board before council can finalize it.
• The Edmonton Police Service said it made six arrests at the Edmonton Oilers watch party in the Ice District, with no major incidents reported among the 33,000 fans gathered downtown to watch the Stanley Cup Final. Five of the arrests were for public intoxication and one was for mischief, police said.
• Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi will wear a Florida Panthers jersey after losing a bet with Sunrise Mayor Michael J. Ryan after the Edmonton Oilers failed to clinch the Stanley Cup. Oilers fans reflected on their disappointment after the loss, with some CBC spoke to expressing pride in the team's hard work. Boston Pizza, which had promised 30,000 free pizzas if the Oilers won the Cup, says it will still honour the promise "to ease the sting" of the loss. The company said all 30,000 pizzas will be given away on June 26 in Edmonton and other select markets in the "biggest (though maybe saddest) pizza delivery in history."
• EPCOR is set to start billing some private golf courses, cemeteries, and City of Edmonton properties for stormwater services, which could help it generate millions in additional revenue and help ensure a fairer distribution of costs among all users. EPCOR has also proposed a 2.9% increase in wastewater rates starting April 2025, which will be reviewed in a public hearing this October.
• The City of Edmonton has reopened its Change Homes for Climate Solar Rebate Program to provide financial incentives for multi-unit residential properties to install rooftop solar photovoltaic systems. The $1.3 million in rebates is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applications open July 2, with installations required to be completed by Dec. 16.
• Bag fees associated with Edmonton's Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw will increase July 1, with paper bags costing 25 cents and the price for reusable bags increasing to $2. With 73% of shoppers already using reusable bags as the bylaw approaches its first anniversary, most shoppers will avoid the new bag fees, the City said. The City is targeting a 10% reduction in single-use items by 2025.
• Bill Flanagan has been reappointed for a second term as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta. In a statement, the university board of governors said Flanagan's leadership has been marked by navigating provincial funding cuts, increasing student enrolment, and elevating the university's international rankings. Flanagan has held the role since July 2020. The reappointment comes as Flanagan faces backlash and a non-confidence vote from the Arts Faculty Council after the removal of a student-led Palestine solidarity encampment.
• Constable Ezio Faraone Park has been rededicated to honour all Edmonton police officers who have died in the line of duty. The bronze statue of Faraone in the park was newly engraved with the names of all 10 officers who have died on duty since 1918. The rededication ceremony was held June 25, which was the 34th anniversary of Faraone's death, who was killed while pursuing suspects in an armed robbery.
• The Edmonton Oilers' failure to win the Stanley Cup has prompted several questions ahead of what could be an interesting off-season, the Canadian Press reported. A major question concerns the future of Leon Draisaitl, who can negotiate a contract extension starting July 1. If Draisaitl decides to leave, the team must choose between trading him or risking losing him for nothing after next season. Additionally, with general manager Ken Holland likely departing, CEO Jeff Jackson needs to find a replacement who will be responsible for contract decisions related to several unrestricted free agents.
• Alberta Innovates is undergoing a senior leadership transition as CEO Laura Kilcrease departs, with Lyn Brown temporarily stepping in to fill the role until an interim CEO is appointed. The organization says it is shifting towards a new strategic direction to bolster Alberta's research and innovation sector, and has recently appointed five new members to its board of governors.

On this day in 1946, the Mayfair Golf and Country Club was preparing to host the Canadian Amateur Golf Tournament.

The idea for the club began in 1920. The creators tucked the course into a bend near the North Saskatchewan River, northwest of the University of Alberta campus. Originally, the land they used was planned as a residential neighbourhood named Mayfair, but it has never been developed. (The former Mayfair Park, now named William Hawrelak Park, was similarly built on a never-built subdivision directly south of the golf course).

J. Munro Hunter, a celebrated local golfer, designed the original Mayfair course. It opened in 1922, with then-Edmonton Mayor David Milwyn Duggan taking the first tee-off.

In the 1920s, golf was growing in popularity, and cities across Canada were building new courses. But the owners of the Mayfair knew they needed something to set their course apart. So, only a few years after the course opened, they had legendary golf architect Stanley Thompson redesign it. Thompson's talent won him international acclaim, with his work appearing on courses in Canada (including the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course), the United States, Brazil, and Jamaica.

Although the Mayfair has renovated some of the holes that Thompson created, many still bear his original designs. Golfers still come to the course for this feature to this day.

With its Thompson-designed holes, the Mayfair has hosted some major tournaments over the past century. It hosted the Canadian Open in 1958, and was the site of the LPGA Canada Women's Open in 2007 and 2013. Golf legend Arnold Palmer also played the Mayfair in 1980, when he won the Canadian PGA Championship.

The Mayfair became the Royal Mayfair in 2005, as part of Alberta's centennial celebrations. But the course already had a long history of hosting nobility. The first royals to play it were the future King Edward VIII (then the Prince of Wales) and his brother, George, in 1927. Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family held a lunch at the country club when visiting Edmonton for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. And most recently, in 2002, Prince Michael of Kent held a dinner at the course.

In 2019, the Royal Mayfair entered negotiations to renew its lease with the City of Edmonton. This sparked a debate about access to Edmonton's golf courses and its river valley. The Mayfair resides on 72 hectares of city-owned land, but the club is private. The club has roughly 475 full members, who in 2019 paid around $40,000 in upfront fees and $10,000 annually. The negotiations led to demands the city allow more public use for such important land, as well as a call for more transparency. The voices included Coun. Michael Janz. In the end, the city extended the Royal Mayfair's lease for another 18 years.

The Mayfair's lease extension didn't end debate, however. In 2021, a business analysis recommended the City of Edmonton lease out its three remaining municipally-owned golf courses to save money. And earlier this spring, Coun. Janz returned to the issue, suggesting some Edmonton golf courses should be repurposed. Finally, in June, an EPCOR report suggested the City of Edmonton and some golf courses are not paying water-drainage bills at several sites, but did not specify which golf courses.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Community Coffee Takeover | Friends & Family Funding starting at 7:30am at Edmonton Unlimited
• North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance Annual General Meeting starting at 8:30am at Snow Valley
• Alberta Business Opportunities in the Circular Economy starting at 10am at the Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Stroller Tour | Records and Remembrance starting at 11am at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• Market Research for Small Business starting at 12pm at Alberta Block
• Dandelion Resilience (and Tea) starting at 2:30pm at the Strathcona County Library
• Alberta Catalyzer | Northern Alberta Velocity Showcase starting at 5pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• AI's impact on communication evaluation starting at 5:30pm at the Workshop West Playwright's Theatre
• Summer Session Concert Series: Russell deCarle with Megan Paige starting at 6:30pm at the Heritage Park Pavilion
• City Of Edmonton Insider Talks Permit Approvals starting at 6:30pm at The Creative Hive
• Bellingham Bells vs. Edmonton Riverhawks starting at 7pm at Re/Max Field
• Story Time with Janis starting at 7pm at Audreys Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• July 4-7: Found Festival
• July 7-14: Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton
• July 14: Biking Like a Viking at Strathcona Olympiette Centre

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.