About the Blog:

Guelph Politico is locally sourced and dedicated to covering the political and cultural scene in the City of Guelph. Est. 2008.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

50 Reasons to Be Pretty Damn Euphoric You Live in Guelph

 Welcome back to the Politico show everybody. To celebrate – so to speak – I’ve decided to take a cue for The Village Voice and concoct a list: 50 Reasons to Be Pretty Damn Euphoric You Live in Guelph. In some ways, politics bring out the worst in us, and before the new council starts up again, I thought it might be fun to take a moment and remember some of the reasons why we’ve all made this place home. So here are the 50 reasons in no particular order:
  1. The Hillside Festival
  2. Ed Video Media Arts Centre – Guelph’s only artist-run centre
  3. McCrae House – Museum based in the birth house of “In Flanders’ Fields” author Col. John McCrae
  4. The University of Guelph – Inventor of the Yukon Gold potato. Keeper of the largest archive of material by Lucy Maud Montgomery
  5. Neve Campbell was born here
  6. Robert Munsch makes his home here (and sometimes reads from his books to local audiences)
  7. Canoe rentals at the Boathouse in the summer
  8. The Albion Hotel – According to legend, Al Capone’s favourite watering hole when he was in Guelph, and supposedly his lady friend from Guelph still haunts the place. Also, $5 burgers on Mondays.
  9. Old Jeremiah – The cannon at the U of G. Hasn’t been fired since 1916, but it’s still a sounding board for students.
  10. The annual Speed River Clean-Up – The community cleaning the river together. Environmental, and awesome fun.
  11. The Bookshelf Cinema
  12. Actually, the Bookshelf period. Movies, books, meals and clubbing: All under one roof.
  13. The Victor Davis bus doesn’t actually go to the Victor Davis pool.
  14. The 50/50 draw at Guelph Storm games – Some people don’t even care what the charity is, they just want to win half the money.
  15. The graffiti tunnel behind the bus station
  16. The incredible indie filmmaking community here.
  17. The U of G Arboretum
  18. The fact that Guelph was one of the test cities for Mondex. (Remember Mondex? You can actually see one in the Civic Museum, if you don’t.)
  19. The Church of Our Lady
  20. Low crime
  21. High volunteerism
  22. The little known origins of the Guelph name. (Hint: It was named after the British Royal Family of King George IV,)
  23. The funny mispronunciations, both purposeful and ignorant, that comes from a name like Guelph.
  24. Frank Valeriote – No matter your political stripe, you have to appreciate how MP Valeriote assured that Guelph continued to wear Liberal red as all around us tried on Tory blue in the last Federal Election.
  25. Steven Truscott – The most famous case of miscarriage of justice in Canadian legal history makes his home here.
  26. The Farmer’s Market, and the fact that it’s held in the last remaining structure from when Guelph hosted the Royal Winter Fair.
  27. The Wooly (AKA: The Woolwich Arms)
  28. Thomas Ryan, inventor of 5-pin bowling, grew up here.
  29. Guelph always comes out for zombies (See: Night of the Living Dead ’07, 1:16 PM, Mind’s Eye and Dead Genesis)
  30. Guelph is home to Sleeman and Wellington Breweries.
  31. The first Municipal Motorcycle Patrol was set up here in the Royal City
  32. We’re a Musical Launching Pad: Edward Johnson, The Constantines, Jim Guthrie, The Barmitzvah Brothers, Green Go, The D'Urbervilles, The Kramdens, Tim Kingsbury of The Arcade Fire and many more.
  33. We’re the only city in Canada to own our own rail line: The Guelph Junction Railroad.
  34. The fact that you can’t ride your bike anywhere in Guelph without having to ride up a hill.
  35. The mind-boggling bric-a-brac that you can find in window of Dis-A-Ray’s (and the Family Thrift Store before it).
  36. Our cosmopolitan ambitions combined with our small town feel.
  37. All the neat little cafes downtown (Red Brick, Capistrano, Cornerstone) along with the utter lack of chain coffee stops (Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Second Cup)
  38. Strong voices across all political spectrums.
  39. We kept Wal-Mart out of town for 10 years, and in the process stood with New York, Chicago and San Francisco as municipalities that were Wal-Mart free.
  40. The “Mullet” quality of our downtown: business during the day; party at night.
  41. Noah 23
  42. Largest amount of green space per capita.
  43. Guelph Jazz Festival and Colloquium
  44. We have two rivers and a lake
  45. The persistent urban legend that the city plans for Guelph were switched with those for Goderich. (And how that would explain the terrible mismatched roads in this city.)
  46. Guelph Storm on Friday Nights.
  47. Homewood – A world famous rehabilitation centre. We’re all about the healing here.
  48. The number of urban legends, conspiracy theories and ghost stories involving Guelph. (ie: The Maple Leafs stole their name from a Guelph minor league team and Exhibition Park was based on New York’s Central Park.)
  49. Half-Priced Aps (Appetizers) at Bobby O’Brien’s on Tuesday Night.
  50. To everyone that thinks Guelph is too progressive, it’s because it’s right there in the town motto: “Faith, Fidelity and Progress.”

19 comments:

Katie said...

Damn skippy!

Candice said...

Let's see, weren't we also a test city for the blue boxes?

And we also have Victor Davis, our own Olympic hero.

For a long while we had 3 malls, pretty awesome for a teenage mall rat!

Guelph is also home to F&M Brewery, go StoneHammer!

We house both the biggest multinational agriculture corporations, and agriculture as small as Backyard Bounty.

I'll think up more, give me a bit of time.

David Croal said...

I enjoyed your list. The items are in my mind when people ask why I moved my family back to Guelph. Or why we live close to downtown. I'm hoping the DIYode Makerspace gets on a future version, by merit, of course.

Anonymous said...

All the more reason we should get a 5 pin bowling alley back in town!

deb_cody_Niki said...

All the more reason we should get 5 pin bowling back in Guelph

Anonymous said...

Aren't we also home to Thomas King and Seth?

Anonymous said...

I didn't know we recognized noah23 is that for his burger flipping skills at Pierre's poutine?
Why not recognize the trash for being one of the favourite places for bands to play at in Ontario.

NOAH 23 said...

I am a world renound avant garde lyricist and rap musician. I've toured Europe 5 times (to rub it in, I was born the same day as Victor Davis). You are a jealous parasitic cyber-flea, and I work at the Delhi Bistro, come say hello...Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

who fuck is noah23 and why should anyone be euphoric about him/her? apparently he couldn't cut it at pierre's? missed a few spots but a decent list other than that mystery..

Anonymous said...

You missed having one of the largest Correctional facilities that at one time had some pretty high profile guys locked up in it. Not to forget the amount of movies and even ghost hunters filmed there since it's closure.

Anonymous said...

I disagree that it should make one feel euphoric that they live in the same city as Steven Truscott resides. I feel euphoric about the fact that he's finally out of jail. He ain't no town celebrity to be flaunted. He's just a guy trying to do his thing for once. Let him be... He has to live somewhere.

Also, why should I feel euphoric about the band green go? They aren't even from guelph. They showed up from the ski hills of collingwood to go to school here. I've had farts stink longer than their hype did.

Ps Yukon Dawn, Guelph loves you.

Anonymous said...

We have the lowest rate of absenteeism in the country!

Anonymous said...

the hat trick term was started in guelph with Biltmore hats

Anonymous said...

Noah Raymond Brickley (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Noah23, is a Canadian-American alternative hip hop artist based in Guelph

Unknown said...

One of the most liberal municipalities for off leash bylaws for dogs. Lots of off leash parks and when sports fields are not in use dogs can be off leash.

Anonymous said...

Also rumoured to be a mafia retirement community (hence the low crime rate). I was told a story once of how in the 70's a group of Hell's Angels rolled into town, within a half hour a white limo pulled up and had a wee chat, and they haven't been back since.

Unknown said...

Noah23 - sending love from the states. Thx for all the music! If they don't love you up there... we will be glad to take you down here ! Salute !

Unknown said...

Twizz Thrizzy, Captain Clarke... much love from the USA. Salute you!

Anonymous said...

The fact that council could debate licensing cats for hours with a straight face.