Tragically Hip now a street name in Kingston
Written by on February 22nd, 2012 in Latest News.
It’s not every day that your hometown names a street after you.
But Kingston City Council did just that for the Tragically Hip Tuesday night, when it renamed part of a downtown street Tragically Hip Way.
The re-named part includes a block and a half of Barrack Street that runs in front of a large entertainment venue, the K-Rock Centre, and down towards the Wolfe Island Ferry docks. Officially, the re-named part of the road runs from King Street East just past Ontario Street.
City Council also voted to make a Walk of Fame.
The Hip are 12-time Juno award winners. The band formed in 1983, and it has since released 14 albums.
Artsy consultations
Even the public consultations were touched by the spirit of art. When speakers signed up to weigh in on the matter at a meeting last January, they were questioned to draw a card. To choose the order of speakers, the mayor randomly drew cards from his own matching deck. If a speaker’s card matched, it was their turn to speak.
Some speakers were not in favour of the plot, saying they were concerned about the military history of the area. Most were in favour and wanted to use the re-naming as a springboard to develop an entertainment district.
The vote was close, with seven councilors voting in favour, and six against.
