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**Update** Park People Park Talk – Thursday 6 p.m.

This meeting has now been moved to Cozy Cafe on the southwest corner of Danforth and Woodbine.  6 p.m. Everyone welcome.

Park People is a group of people (naturally) interested in, and working to improve and advocate on behalf of parks in Toronto. DECA is hosting the next Park Talk, which is open to people across the city.

The next six months will be the most critical time facing our parks since amalgamation and Park People is looking to develop a strategy for defending and improving our parks.The discussion will focus on how we can respond to  major changes facing our parks in the next six months:

  • potential budget cuts
  • a new city parks plan, and
  • new contract discussions for unionized city park staff.

We will be meeting on the hill in the park. In case of foul weather, we will meet instead just around the corner at the Cozy Café, 2075 Danforth. Everyone is invited.

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To Market To Market To Buy A Fat Fig

The weather may be cooler, but the bounty is hearty at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market these days. Join us this week to fill your freezer with fresh, local produce.  Join us next week to fill your belly with the creations of Celebrity Chef and local restauranteur, Lynn Crawford (Restaurant Makeover, Pitchin’ In and Ruby Watch Co.) Did I mention there will be wine from Inniskillin?

This week’s craft  – jersey knit bracelets

Our own creative crafter, Melissa, told everyone at the shopping bag and scarf craft earlier this season that she would figure out what to do with the remnants of the tee shirt craft. Well, true to her word, she’s come up with a fabulous little number -friendship jersey knit bracelets! We are up-cycling with old tee shirts again this week.  Once you learn how to make these, you can make an arm full in no time. Trade them with your friends and make different thicknesses to wear together. Bring your tee shirt remnants, or a new old tee to make into these fab bracelets.

It all gets started at 4:30. Hope to see you there!

DECA’s East Lynn Harvest Festival – October 6th

Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford, from the Food Network and Ruby Watch Co. will be at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market on Thursday, October 6th to prepare some delicious food and suggest wine pairings from her line with Inniskillin. As if that weren’t enough, we are delighted to offer pumpkin treats from Cozy Cafe, music by Wolfgang Bros., pumpkin decorating and giveaways!

Honestly, isn’t this event alone worth the measly $10 that we ask for your yearly DECA membership? To say nothing of the:

  • (ahem) fantastic DECA Diaries
  • the Business Revitalization Team that is improving the Danforth one store at a time
  • the parks committee working to improve our public spaces
  • the community cocktail party (more on that coming soon)
  • the pumpkin parade (Nov. 1st)
  • the incredible Danforth East Arts Fair
  • DECA Learns,
  • and so much more.
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DECA’s Beaches East York Meet and Greet

Join DECA this Thursday at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market for our Beaches East York Candidates Meet and Greet.  Come out to visit your local provincial candidates.  Share an apple, share a chat.

If that’s not enough for you, check out these other Beaches East York debates…

Thursday, Sept 22

Neighbourhood Link Candidates Meeting, co-hosted with Beach United Church

140 Wineva Ave, 7 p.m. (focus on seniors issues)

Tuesday, Sept 27

Rogers Cable 10, 9-10 p.m.

Thursday, Sept 29

Beaches Metro/Centre 55 All Candidates Meeting, St John’s Norway Church

470 Woodbine Ave, 7:30 p.m.

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Planning For THE Plan And Other Fun Things To Do This Week

Wednesday, September 21st

The City of Toronto is beginning a review of its official plan that will focus on how and where Toronto will grow.  Stage 1 of public consultations are this fall and include an open house at the East York Civic Centre on Wednesday September 21 between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.  You can drop in at any point to see displays and share insights with city staff.  A presentation and facilitated discussion will occur at 4 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m.

You can visit toronto.ca/opreview to watch videos, take a short survey, submit comments, sign-up for e-dates and learn more about consultation events.

Thursday, September 22nd

Woodgreen Community Services is having its 2011 annual general meeting and keynote address.

Reception 5:30 p.m. followed by meeting at 6:30 p.m. and keynote speaker, Camille Orridge, CEO Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network at 7 p.m. Riverdale Collegiate, 1094 Gerrard St. E.

Now – September 30th 

The Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Association is hosting ‘Dine Around The Danforth’. Participating restaurants from Jones to Westlake are offering specials and live entertainment until the end of September. Visit the site for information on what special specials are being offered up.

Oct 1st

Drop in and have coffee and a chat with City Councillor, Mary-Margaret McMahon (south of the Danforth, east of Coxwell) from 9 – 11 a.m. at Cozy Cafe (2075 Danforth at Woodbine).

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Applemania

Applemania: [ap-uhl mey-nee-uh]

Enthusiasm, often of an extreme and transient nature for the usually round, red or yellow, edible fruit of a small tree.

Thursday is Applemania day at the East Lynn Farmers Market.  What does that mean for you?It means the lovely and talented, Melanie, of Melanie’s Bistro, will be serving up apple treats.  And it means Rob of Alistair Ant will be performing at 4:30 p.m.  Rob will perform for about a half an hour along with his puppet, Sluggo. 
This week’s Market Craft

What better way to celebrate back to school than by cutting apart books?! This week’s crafts are Bookish Star Ornaments. The ornaments can be displayed either as a star or as a

closed book -simply open to reveal the star shape. All the materials will be pre cut, but there is some gluing, and drying patience, involved. Crafts at the market will now start at 4:30 for the remainder of the season. So now you don’t have to cut school to play.

Also, face painting starts at 4:30 p.m.

DECA Elects

DECA is an apolitical organization. In past, we have organized candidates debates for both municipal and provincial election campaigns. This time around, we’ve invited local candidates to visit the East Lynn Farmers’ Market on Thursday, September 22nd. This is an opportunity for you to meet your local candidates and put them on the hot seat with your questions or simply get to know them a little bit. Watch this space to see who will be there and when.

Park People

DECA will be co-hosting a free public event with Park People: Toronto Alliance For Better Parks on Thursday, September 29th at 6 p.m. in East Lynn Park. This will be an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in parks to learn about what DECA is doing about parks in our neighbourhood and what we can learn from other communities.

Park People is a relatively new organization dedicated to improving Toronto’s parks. It advocates for better parks for all communities by facilitating neighbourhood engagement in their parks, building a network of local community park groups, acting as a watchdog on issues affecting parks and highlighting the importance of good parks to the social, health, environmental and economic well being of all residents of Toronto.

Stay tuned for more on this event in the coming weeks.

Last but not least, check out the cool neighbourhood and street parties that people have written about on the blog comment section!  If you have a street party to tell us about, post it on the blog or send it to me and I’ll share.