Archive for the ‘Saskatchewan Events’ Category

New Festival For Saskatoon

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Saskatoon welcomes its newest festival this weekend with the first ever Word on the Street in Saskatoon joining other Canadian cities from Halifax to Vancouver. The event began in Toronto in 1990. Organizers promise a fair-like atmosphere with plenty of family activities and a total of 29 writers will read from their works, respond to questions from the public and sign books. One of those readers is my mom, Marie Donais Calder, with her books series “The Other Side Series”.

She has published 5 books already in the series with the 6th one on its way, due to arrive in stores mid October. She will also be at the Saskatoon Public Library on Friday afternoon to present and read from her 5th book, “Torn”.

When it comes to library use and buying books, Saskatoon is at the top of national figures and our city is also home to writers of high achievement. There are 4 Governor General Award winners who live here as well as the Man Booker Prize winner and Griffin Poetry prize winner.

The exhibit will take place at the public library facilities and will be hosted in front of the Frances Morrison Library downtown and at City Hall, with the street in between closed and tents set up along the street. It will be sort of like a farmer’s market for books. The event is free and it runs from 11-5 on Sunday and the weather is supposed to be nice so hopefully the turn out is great! Unfortunately I am off with many of my Saskatoon Century 21 agent colleagues to our national convention in Edmonton where I will be receiving a Centurion Award for my Saskatoon real estate sales in 2010 so I will not be able to be here to support my mom and the community for this first time festival.

If you get a chance please stop in and support our city’s festivals as well as my mom!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Fusion
306-653-8222

Attempting to have a summer life in Saskatoon!

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

As a Saskatoon real estate agent I am usually a little bit slower in the summer, but not this summer! The Saskatoon real estate market has been a busy one this year and I have not been able to slow down for a moment! It is amazing and sad at how fast time flies, especially the older you get. I now understand what ‘old people’ (when we were10 people my age seemed ancient!!) were talking about.

There have been many great festivals and events in Saskatoon already this summer. I am happy to say I was able to enjoy one of my favourites, Taste of Saskatchewan, at least twice. I love food so this is one not to miss. I actually bit the bullet and shared a Deep Fried Mars Bar with my fiance as well…I knew why we shared and why I hadn’t done it in 3 years shortly after biting in as it is the richest dessert I have ever eaten!

I am excited to say I will be heading to see Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan tonight for my first time ever! I did miss the Saskatoon Exhibition this year. Usually I like to pop in at least once to check things out but I was too busy selling houses for sale in Saskatoon this year to make it by even for an hour.

Now that summer is coming close to an end I am finding I need to make more time to enjoy the festivities but it is a fine balancing act with my career as a realtor in Saskatoon. Luckily I sleep less in the summer! The next festivity I will look forward to is Folk Fest this weekend.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Fusion
653-8222

Looking Forward to Cirque du Soleil’s Drallion!

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

I will be taking an evening off from selling houses for sale in Saskatoon tonight by attending a Cirque du Soleil show here in Saskatoon. I am sure I will still be checking my phone as I am a dedicated real estate agent in Saskatoon and somewhat a workaholic, but I won’t be out showing houses for sale in Saskatoon tonight.

A group of friends, my fiance, and myself have been looking forward to this evening for a few months. I actually only got to see my first true Cirque show in Vegas in May and I was BLOWN away! We will be attending the opening show tonight so hopefully they will have worked out any hiccups during their rehearsals.

Dralion runs tonight until Sunday at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon (aka Sask Place for those who know it as that!) I believe tickets are still available. It will be interesting to see how the performance and stunts differ from the stages that are built around the performances as this is a traveling act. At any rate, whatever they do it is all amazing to me as I give credit to the performers for their strength, agility, grace, etc.

It is great to see more shows coming to Saskatoon as our city’s population grows and the arts scene keeps on growing with it!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Fusion
653-82202

Saskatoon’s Very Own Princess Shop

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

I just read an article that made me smile and I wanted to pass it along. With all of the negativity, greed, selfishness, rudeness, etc that we endure in a day this article reminded me of my own youth and high school grad. Feels like a lifetime ago because it essentially is!

The Princess Shop, located here in Saskatoon, was featured in the Star Phoenix today. The purpose of this Saskatoon store is to let every girl feel like a princess at grad and not let the dollar amounts that are normally daunting to someone who is not mid to upper class take away from the experience every teen deserves.

Some of the girls are single moms, some of them are totally on their own but still want to succeed and take part and this program gives these girls something they otherwise would not be able to attain. Started in 2007, 2 local Saskatoon women held their first fundraising event in 2008 and that helped give them the momentum to support 39 graduates and it has escalted from there. They got the idea from a program on Oprah.

They are inspiring! As a Saskatoon real estate agent there are many opportunities to volunteer in Saskatoon and I have been volunteering on a financial basis for Easter Seals which is a great program, but I have been looking to find the right opportunity for me to volunteer some of my time as well and this looks like a great place to start! Realtors in Saskatoon often have hectic and crazy schedules that are completely unpredictable but there are other times when we can give more of our time to great causes and I think this one is fantastic!

As a female real estate agent in Saskatoon I recognize the need for mentorship and I really think what this program is about is wonderful. Congrats to the girls who had the vision to start this program and to the girls who have benefited from it!

Century 21 Comes Through Again

Friday, December 17th, 2010

At this time of year the people of Saskatoon really step it up and try to help those less fortunate. This is all part of the 5th annual “Stuff the Bus” campaign. The food bank feeds over 15,000 people a month, over half of whom are children.

Century 21 Conexus Saskatoon and Conexus Credit Union, Conexus Insurance, and Centum Mortgage Direct in Saskatoon have teamed up and donated $800 cash and SEVEN HUNDRED pounds of food!!! WOW!

I am proud of my fellow Saskatoon real estate agents and proud of Century 21 Saskatoon for exceeding our goals-something we achieve on a regular basis. Our goal was to beat last year’s $150 cash and 500 pounds of food so we exceeded it beyond expectation. The cash donations are very important for the purchase of milk, meat and produce.

So way to go Century 21 Conexus Saskatoon and way to go Saskatoon in general for what looked to be another successful year.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, SK
653-8222

Sad Moment in Canadian History

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Well, there are 2 sad things to report today; the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the passing of Leslie Nielson. Our Saskatchewan boys played hard but Montreal played harder and proved themselves to be the true champs this year. Saskatoon was a quiet town after the game. I went to 2 different houses to watch the game, both Saskatoon real estate clients of mine, and saw the enthusiasm dwindling.

Many people probably don’t even know that Leslie Nielsen was actually a Saskatchewan boy, born in Regina in 1926. He played over 220 characters and appeared in over 100 films and 1500 TV programs.

Monday is a day for mourning here in Saskatchewan with those 2 things combined.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, SK
306-653-8222

 

Canadians Are Getting Fatter!

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Just as I am trying to get fitter an article comes out like this one in the Star Phoenix that makes me happy I am making the choice to move in the right direction. The results are astounding! Sixty percent of Canadian adults are overweight with 24 percent of people(1 in 4) being obese. I am curious where each province ranks in the order of things. Saskatchewan is probably in the middle? Men are worse off at 66% while women are 54% overweight. I think many of these are realtors in Saskatoon as we spend a lot of time on the run and driving around so take out is a part of life for the busy Saskatoon real estate agent.

Canada follows behind our super-sized neighbours to the South. The worst are the U.S, Mexico, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Surprisingly, France, with their foie-gras, croissants, cheese, and other rich foods is one of the lowest ones.

The thinnest, Japanese. Only 24% are considered overweight and a mere 3% obese. Maybe we should take more advantage of all the Japanese restaurants in Saskatoon that have popped up over the last year. While Otowa, Yohei, Sushiro and the Samurai have been here forever it seems, we now have had a big influx of Sushi places in Saskatoon. A personal fave of mine is Go for Sushi on 8th Street where Sew and Home used to be. My nieces (5 and 8) LOVE sushi as it was introduced to them at an early age and thought it was funny we had “Gopher Sushi” as that is what they thought the name was. There are also 2 New Island Sushi restaurants and Nagoya. I am probably missing some. Next time Taste of Saskatoon comes around in the summer (popular Saskatoon event) try some sushi if you have never had it. It isn’t all raw fish!

As a busy Saskatoon real estate agent I would love to know if we have a Sushi go round type of place. When I lived in Australia I had one near my home and it was the perfect place to stop for a snack. You sit at an eating bar with strangers and watch a conveyer belt of individually plated sushi go around in front of you and take off whatever you want and are charged by the plate colour. As a realtor in Sasktaoon I would love to have a few of those around the city instead of having to go to a fast food place.

By 2020 it is expected that 3/4 of Americans will be overweight. Canada isn’t expected to get that fat that fast! Hopefully more people will fall in love with Japanese food and rituals and turn our numbers around. It is a big drain on our health care system and not the right way to ‘trim the fat’ of our society when it is said to be the cause of 25,000-40,000 premature deaths in Canada.

If you are a woman of my height (5’5″) and close to 150 lbs you are overweight. If you are around 180 lbs at my height, well, you are obese! So Canada, get off your butts and try to fix those numbers!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, Sk
306-653-8222

One More Bridge Shut Down in Saskatoon-Great for Traffic!

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

After my last post I didn’t think I could complain much about the traffic in Saskatoon, but here I am! Apparently congestion on Saskatoon streets will get worse before it gets better. With another bridge closed indefinitely I am starting to advise my Saskatoon home buyers if they are looking at houses for sale in Saskatoon they may want to stay on the same side of the river as where they work!! Pretty sad when you are looking at houses for sale in Saskatoon that you have to depend it on the river as our average commute is probably about 15 minutes anywhere in the city.

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has reported that the “Traffic Bridge” or, more commonly known as Victoria Bridge, has been closed indefinitely. Not only are they closing it to vehicles, they have now closed it to pedestrians. It is even in danger of collapsing under its own weight.

Saskatoon residents have made it clear that demolishing the bridge is not an option at several public open house sessions. In 2005 City Council approved a $700,000 fix which was intended to give another 20 years of life to the iconic bridge. It was a bandaid and the problems now being discovered run deeper than deficient truss systems.

This also affects one of our most popular summer events, the Fireworks Festival in Saskatoon for the Labour Day weekend. They will have to figure out where to send the fireworks from as, if they try to do it from another bridge, that will just further congest the city and make it less enjoyable to viewers. The show will go on…it is the after effects of the road delays that will frustrate the Saskatoon public even further.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Realtor (r)
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
653-8222

So Proud of My Mom-Saskatchewan Published Author

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

This past weekend I was able to get away from the busy Saskatoon real estate market to spend time with my family in Estevan, Saskatchewan and be there to support my mother, Saskatchewan Author, Marie Donais Calder.

To learn more about her books, visit her website at http://www.mariedonaiscalder.com/

For a schedule of events you can visit http://www.mariedonaiscalder.com/events.html

My mom has written a series of books about Post World War II and the life of her father, Edmond Donais, and the first one has been published by a Canadian Publisher. She has been working on these books for over 10 years now and her first book launch in her small home town was a great success.

Her perseverance and dedication have paid off. As a realtor in Saskatoon I have learned a lot from my mother and have been lucky enough to have a mom with such a great attitude. It is most often through the influence our parents that we become who we are and I know I couldn’t be such a successful real estate agent in Saskatoon if I didn’t have such great parents.

So congrats to my mom! She has several dates booked for her other signings around the province so contact me if you would like more information.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, Sask
306-653-8222

Announcement:Century 21 Saskatoon #1 Firm in Canada since 1995

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Century 21 Conexus shines again in 2009. We have sold more houses in Canada than any other Century 21 firm since 1995 and since 2006 we have had the highest production in all of Canada. What does this mean? Century 21 Saskatoon realtors(r) are selling more houses than anywhere else in Canada and this hasn’t only been since the Saskatchewan real estate boom as we have been selling more houses in Saskatoon since 1995.

This year our awards gala will be held in Regina on April 6th and Century 21 Conexus Realty from Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw are the proud recipients of this award.

“It is with great dedication, knowledge and commitment to quality service that CENTURY 21 Conexus Realty Ltd. has so duly earned this recognition. Rod Spence and the CENTURY 21 Conexus Realty Ltd. team are innovators in the real estate industry and this has led this company’s success in the Saskatchewan community,” said Don Lawby, President of Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership. 

“I sincerely congratulate Rod Spence and the entire staff of CENTURY 21 Conexus Realty Ltd. for this well deserved achievement,” adds Lawby.

“CENTURY 21 Conexus Realty Ltd. along with its offices and sales people have received many awards but to achieve the TOP RANKED FIRM in Canada for the 4th consecutive year is an amazing accomplishment and certainly shows the strength of our organization”, says Rod Spence

If you are interested in learning more about Century 21 in Saskatoon or about Saskatoon real estate contact me.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd Saskatoon
653-8222 (offic)