Another season in the books for Upside Downtown series
By Lethbridge Herald on August 30, 2025.
Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The 2025 Allied Arts Council (AAC) Upside Downtown Summer Series did not go out with a whimper but a most-definite bang with their “POP UP, GET DOWN” event wrap-up dance party on Rotary Square at Casa Thursday evening, featuring live music from Shaela Miller and Guests, ADEQUATE!, and Hippodrome.
Eight Street South was closed off to accommodate the audience numbering in the hundreds, and a special stage was set up for the performers. The event also featured an art market, food trucks, arts and crafts and games in a free and 100% family-friendly night of music.
Leading the lineup for the evening was local singer and songwriter Shaela Miller and her band, who also performed at the Lethbridge Wide Sky Music Festival in late July.
“When those shows were being booked, I was worried that there was just too many shows for Lethbridge for Shaela Miller in the summer,” says Miller. “But the most special thing about it all is seeing the fans show up to both of the concerts. A lot of people are here to see us, and that’s just wonderful to be so well-received by our community.”
Right on the heels of Miller was 15-year-old singer and songwriter Charlie Navratil, who had attended Miller’s Lethbridge Youth Songwriting Camp, which Miller runs in partnership with Lethbridge Girls Rock Camp.Â
The songwriting camp happens every winter, and Navratil was one of three girls from the songwriting camp at the event. Navratil’s set featured all original songs written by her and performed on her acoustic guitar..
I do a lot of performing around Lethbridge, but I don’t think I’ve ever performed in front of a crowd this large,” says Navratil.
“I was intimidated, but I still had so much fun,” she said, when asked how it felt performing right after her teacher and mentor, an established professional musician. “I love Shaela so much. It’s such a great experience and such a wonderful opportunity that I was given, so I’m really grateful.”Â
The 2025 Upside Downtown Summer Series included a total of eight main performances every Thursday at Casa since July 3rd, culminating in Thursday’s multi-act dance party.
“I am elated with the number of people that came…and just the success of the whole series and tonight as well,” says AAC project manager and series organizer Shannon Vos. “It was a real team effort for the Allard Arts Council and our community partners as well.Â
Vos says the AAC could not put on an annual quality free music event of this magnitude without their corporate sponsors and community input, and thanks both wholeheartedly.Â
“We really believe at the Allied Arts Council that art is for everyone. One of our main goals is creating barrier-free programming (like the Upside Downtown Summer Series) so that people don’t have that financial barrier to come and enjoy. Regardless of age or demographic, we are a community organization and we’re here for everybody,” says Bos.
Just because the Upside Downtown Summer Series is over doesn’t mean live music at Casa is over.Â
“Sept. 13h we have Big Band Bop in Rotary Square, so the Lethbridge Big Band will be joining us, along with Bridge Swing Community. They’ll be coming out to teach (swig) dancing. As well as Christmas at Casa, we will have bands here Nov.14 – 15…so lots of fun things are in store,” says Bos.
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We have allowed the addicts to push us out of a once beautiful park onto little pieces of land such as Casa Square, Festival Square and parts of a street when we have a stage, new sound system, with almost $400,000 in landscaping changes and structural repairs in Galt Gardens. That added to our $760,000 playground is over $1 million just blown!
We continue to pour millions into the Galt Garden area in an effort to bring people downtown, but fail to understand why! They do not want to leave their vehicles parked downtown because many are broken into. They don’t want to be intimidated by addicts who make them feel unsafe! They are tired of dealing with the addicts and criminals!
Stop pouring millions into that park now and cancel putting the almost $8 million into the SAAG which is in that park and bulldoze it and build housing there or something that will be used!
There is a high cost to maintain Galt Gardens with Clean Sweep employing several people to clean up the garbage daily ( thank you for the great work ), 2 security officers for 12 hours per day ( who are not allowed to move along the addicts ), and painting over the constant graffiti and burn marks from addicts starting warming fires overnight, and replacing tables and benches burned up by addicts. This week they wrote in purple paint on the east side of the structure where there is storage by the stage, on the green doors, F— and the second image was hard to distinguish, but the size of letters were about 3 feet high.
It is a money pit! If the city are not going to take back the park, remove it!
We rarely get to enjoy events there anymore because of decisions made by the city leadership to just let it go on! This years Canada Day saw the lowest numbers yet and last year we saw about 20% of the numbers we used to see there!
These are our taxpayer dollars being burned up and no one listens to our calls for change! No one!
Time for a leadership change!