Meaet!

Forgive the weird biking-in-snow photos, the shutter speed on auto was being ridiculously slow and frankly, it was too cold to fiddle around with. So here we are!

Don and I biked to the train and went downtown to check out MEAET. It's a micro-fundraiser put on by Nextgen, as a part of the city's METROPOLIS winter festival. There are a bunch of wicked pavilions in the middle of the big square downtown, where Edmontonians can get-together and hang out semi-outdoors.

We were in the community pavilion, designed by Gene Dub, the architect behind our city hall.



I like how the light is constantly changing.





Though the pavilions are heated to a degree, it was still a coat-on sort of environment.



I liked going up on the gangplank.



We all gathered about and waited for the pitches.



How it works is people who are looking for some funding for their start-up project can make a 5 minute pitch. At the end of the evening, everybody in attendance votes on the idea they liked best, and the winner takes all the proceeds from the ticket sales that evening. Winners come back at the next MEAET to update the audience on how the project is proceeding.

Last time's winners were two teen moms from the terra centre. They used their start-up funds to begin filming an awareness video for teen parents!



We were fed a delicious comfort-food meal by Nomad. Very yummy - thanks!





After the meal, we heard the pitches!

They were all really good, featuring pitches to share local music on the Edmonton Queen, funding for a co-op of fashion designers-run boutique here in Edmonton, Edmonton's best kept secrets, local organic farming, and people-powered (read: bike powered) parties.



The winner took home over $800 for a concrete sculpture project that will be featured in a downtown park on the weekend of February 25th.

On our way home, it began to snow.





Just dust off that saddle and hop on.



When the roads are gross, I usually ride in a car's tire track.



Wee!



Have I mentioned? Love my winter bike.