Remember the DECA Pumpkin Parade is Tuesday, November 1st at East Lynn Park – 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Bring your jack-o-lanterns and enjoy the carving skills of your neighbours. Last year was incredible. And, if you’re a better photographer than me and can capture the beautiful glow of the lit pumpkins, I’d love to post some of your pictures here.
Art in Stores, Community Workshops, Street Performers, Collaborators
The 2nd bi-annual ART OF THE DANFORTH is a large-scale, multi-disciplinary art event held along Danforth Avenue from Greenwood to Woodbine. Event dates: May 20-June 10, 2012.
The goals for 2012 are:
· Bring community members together through the creation of art
· Increase the sense of history and engagement in the community
· Explore the aesthetic possibilities of urban space
· Increase pedestrian traffic on Danforth between Greenwood & Woodbine
AoD 2012 is inclusive and open to all forms of artistic practice. Free public exhibitions of art in all mediums, site-specific installations and the popular Art in Stores program will run throughout the festival, May 20 to June 10, 2012. Community workshops will be held leading up to and during the festival, allowing community members to participate in the creation of visual art exhibits and performances. On the final weekend (June 9 & 10), the art projects of the festival will be supplemented with free outdoor performances and activities.
We believe art is a powerful tool that can be used to forge new connections between groups and transform the social and physical space in which we exist. With this project, we want to survey “what is” (physical structures, cultural heritage and individual talents), and creatively explore “what could be.” We would like to distinguish this event from other art walks in the city by encouraging ideas that transform our shared spaces in creative, profound and/or whimsical ways.
Artist Opportunities:
All participating artists will be promoted at www.artofthedanforth.com and in our event brochure.
ART IN STORES: The Art in Stores component of Art of the Danforth matches artists with local retailers. Selected artists will be partnered with a local store to present 1-5 pieces of their work in a non-gallery space. Non-paying. Notifications of acceptance will go out at the beginning of February, 2012. DEADLINE: December 16, 2011.
PERFORMERS: AoD is accepting proposals from performance artists (music, dance, you name it) interested in presenting work outdoors on the final weekend of the event (June 9 & 10, 2012). Non-paying. DEADLINE: December 16, 2011.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS: 3-6 artists or artist groups will be chosen to hold free arts workshops for community members of all ages and backgrounds on the weekends of the event. Workshops will be 1-2 hours long and may be in any artistic discipline. We are taking proposals for one-time workshops or series of up to three. Preference will be given to workshops which are accessible to participants of all backgrounds and skill levels, and which produce a display or performance that can be presented to the public as part of the AoD event. Small honorariums available. DEADLINE: December 16, 2011.
COLLABORATORS, A Piece of a City: A neighbourhood-based curatorial initiative presented in Zone 2 (Coxwell to West Lynn Ave) as part of the large installations component of Art of the Danforth. This project brings together a group of emerging and established artists to envision a series of site-specific installations and performances that address the interlocking themes of locality, community & contemporary art practice. For complete project and submission details, visit www.labspacestudio.com. DEADLINE: November 15th.
Online and downloadable applications are available at www.artofthedanforth.com.
Hold on tight dear friends, we’ve got a few things to get through here.
Health, Food, Creativity Wellness Celebration
Yuri Murakami-Bihan is a licensed naturopathic doctor who operates her clinic out of the LucSculpture School and Studio on Greenwood at Danforth. If you’ve never wandered into LucSculpture, this may be the weekend to visit. Yuri is hosting her third annual wellness celebration, Health, Food, Creativity. There will be food demos and a wide variety of workshops throughout the the weekend. Click here for the full listing of events. Saturday October 29 & Sunday October 30 – 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Councillor’s Corner
Mary-Margaret McMahon has two things to ask you.
1) Do you know where the barricades are? Those big heavy barricades that we used to block off East and West Lynn Aves with? They’ve, ahem, gone missing. If you or someone you know accidentally tucked them into your shed and forgot about them, let her know, would ya?
2) Do you know where your teenagers are? If you do and if they want to contribute to a healthy democracy, or get their volunteer hours, or get out of the house or get you off their back, Mary-Margaret has volunteer opportunities that are fun and involve fresh air and exercise. For either of the above, contact her at Councillor_mcmahon@toronto.ca, 416-392-1376.
Janet Davis invites you to Peek at the Creek. Janet is hosting a community meeting to talk about initiatives in Taylor Massey Creek and Taylor Creek Park including a new wetland area, the East Don trail, forestry restoration, park improvements and proposed storm water infrastructure. Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 7 p.m. at Stand Wadlow Clubhouse – 373 Cedarvale Ave. For more info call 416-392-4035 or Councillor_Davis@toronto.ca.
Monarch Park Community Swims
Starting Friday, October 28th there will be community swims at the recently renovated pool in Monarch Park C.I. Drop in Fridays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. $1/person or $5/family. As soon as a lifeguard is hired, there will be an all girls swim on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. $1/ person.
There will also be a Red Cross Assistant Water Safety Instructor course for students 15+ on Fridays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., November 11th to December 16th. Registration deadline is November 4th with a maximum of 16 participants. For more info contact beachswimschool@yahoo.ca
DECA’s very own board member, veteren journalist and local historian, Stephen Wickens, is often asked to speak about the history of East Toronto. He’s agreed to lead a walk this weekend about the history of the Danforth how that will influence where the neighbourhood is headed and how it will get there. The walk will take about two hours, leaving from the Greenwood Tim Horton’s at 10 a.m. Steve asks that if you plan to grab a coffee, arrive a little early so the walk can start on time.
Curious? Here’s a little more to whet your appetite…
For many Torontonians, the Danforth is the main street of Riverdale or a place to eat Greek. But that covers just a small strip of this storied street, formerly known as the Second Concession, the Danforth Plank Road and The King’s Highway No. 5.
Danforth and the surrounding streets east of Pape, sometimes referred to as the “Other Danforth,” wasn’t really developed until the 1920s, partly because a series of creeks made road maintenance a nightmare, and partly because the Bloor viaduct didn’t open until after World War I. The timing meant ours was one of Toronto’s first areas in which the automobile was a major factor. But it was also very much a streetcar suburb, and our main street was an intensely thriving place until the 1960s.
The Other Danforth has always tended to be blue collar and gritty and, while it has seen hard times and empty storefronts, especially in the past four decades, the area is almost certainly about to see a wave of gentrification, investment and development. How do we as a community maximize the chances we get the type of change we want? What factors are key to making neighbourhood economies thrive?
On October 29, we’ll tackle these questions and more while walking the Upper Midway strip, from Greenwood and Danforth to Wise Guys tavern, east of Woodbine. The walk, based on the popular Other Danforth Jane’s Walk held each May since 2008, will examine forgotten history, hidden geography and the basics of urban form and healthy local economies. We’ll also discuss how this might provide opportunities for us and the people who will eventually inherit our neighbourhood.
The Earl Beatty Community Centre is well into the fall programs and the first big community event is coming up – up four flights of stairs to a haunted house.
FOUR FLIGHTS TO HORROR!
Friday October 28th, 2011 – 6 – 9 p.m. Earl Beatty Community Centre Gymnasium, 455 Glebeholme Boulevard, 416-392-0752
ADMISSION: $2.00 (14 & under) $3.00 (15 & up) and a non-perishable food item for the Daily Bread Food Bank. Recommended for ages eight and up, children under nine must be accompanied by and adult. Proceeds to support the advisory council programs.
Howl-O-Ween
Whether you have a dog or not, you are spookily invited to join the Merrill Park Dog Association for the Howl-O-Ween Dog Carnival on Sunday, October 30th, 2-4 p.m. There will be ghoulish games, freaky fun, frightening food and the crowning of Count Barkula. If you want to join the pot luck, bring along some snacks or drinks. Costumes are not required, but they are most certainly encouraged. Merrill Bridge Road Park is at the bottom of East Lynne Avenue, west of Aldergrove .
Don’t miss the final East Lynn Farmers’ Market for 2011 on Thursday. This is your last chance for farm fresh eggs, honey, syrup, apples, organic garlic, bread, scones, tomatoes, peppers…
I’m not going to write any more about this because the thought that this is the final market after such an amazing summer of Thursday evenings spent with friends and neighbours in the park is making me sad.
Meet me there for one final hurrah.
And then sign up to volunteer for next year because if we don’t get some fresh volunteers to help, there is a real possibility that we won’t be able to put it on again next year. If you want to help, send me an e-mail at natasha.granatstein(at)gmail.com.
