Congratulations to Marissa Kochanski, whose slogan idea “Meet Me in McCauley” won the most community votes for the main slogan. Marissa grew up on an acreage outside of Edson, Alberta and moved to Edmonton in 1991. She bought her first property in Boyle Street, before settling in McCauley, where she has lived for the last four years. Marissa says she likes McCauley because it’s “one of the few places that artists can afford to live.”

Marissa is a set/costume designer for theatre, festivals, and special projects, including the special features for the children’s area of the Strathcona County Public Library. Marissa earned a BFA in Theatre Design at the U of A, and is now the designer for the St. Albert Children’s Theatre. She has also been writing songs for about 10 years, and regularly attends a Songwriter’s Group hosted by Rob Heath, where songwriters gather to critique and encourage each other’s work. She and her partner Mike Siek are the folk/pop duo The Skips, most recently heard in Caboto Park during the new Family Fair in early September. She says her idea for the “Meet Me in McCauley” winning slogan, was first an idea for a song she wanted to write to perform at the Heart of the City Festival, which is held in Caboto Park in June. 

Congratulations also to Jessica Deverill, whose slogan submission “Heart and Soul in the City” was voted by McCauley residents as the best secondary slogan in the contest. Jessica grew up in a small town in rural Alberta. She has relatives who live in McCauley and feels comfortable here, so she moved here. She said she likes McCauley because it feels like a small town, where people are friendly and there are lots of small shops.

Jessica says her creativity probably comes from her father who was always drawing. She always drew as a child, but changed to textiles when she began sewing for her daughter. She learned to sew by reading books, and now makes historic costumes as a volunteer for the Walterdale Theatre. She is now planning to take the Ecology Program at the U of A, in the Clothing and Textiles stream, and she has always wanted to design and make shoes.

When Jessica saw the poster about the Slogan Contest, she imagined McCauley visually as a busy street with coffee, playgrounds, yards, and flowers, and diverse people. She said McCauley has a sense of community and belonging. It’s a lively place with good food. That is how the idea of “Heart and Soul in the City” came to her.