April 2014 – Danforth East Community Association

April 30, 2014

Best wknd ever? Art of Danforth party, PAINTFIGHT, LEN swag & more!

Rest up this week, because this weekend is going to be a non-stop party. Besides the Jane’s Walks and our Family Dance Mob we’ve already blogged about, there are a ton of fun activities happening.

FRIDAY, May 2, 2014:

Jane’s Walk, “Toronto has a Main Street?”, 6:00 p.m. Meet up at Main and Danforth (across from Main Station) .

Art of the Danforth kicks off the festival this Friday with a 19+ party. Dress to impress or to withstand a mess–you decide, but this is definitely one to call in your babysitter favours for. 9pm, 1803 Danforth.

SATURDAY, May 3, 2014:

Jane’s Walk, “Death and Life of Upper Midway”, 10:00 a.m. Meet up at Wise Guys, 2301 Danforth.

Celebrate LEN‘s one year anniversary since opening at 698 Coxwell Ave. Drop by between 10 am – 6 pm and enjoy some deliciously decadent cake from Celena’s Bakery, sparkling drinks and a chance to win prizes.

Next, head over to AoD’s family-friendly launch event, PAINTFIGHT! It happens at 1 pm sharp. Goggles recomended and good times guaranteed. NOTE: RESCHEDULED TO SAT., MAY 10, 1 PM.

SUNDAY, May 4, 2014:

Family Dance Mob at Robertson Parkette (SW corner of Danforth and Coxwell) @ 1:45 p.m.; Danforth and Greenwood @ 2:00 p.m.

April 29, 2014

Dance Mobs this Sunday, May 4 – come watch!

DECA & Pegasus Studios Hosts Dance Flash Mob To Celebrate International Dance Day

Details: Sunday May 4^th
Locations & Times: Robertson Parkette (SW corner of Danforth and Coxwell) @ 1:45 p.m.; Danforth and Greenwood @ 2:00 p.m.
Duration: 4 minutes at each location

On Sunday May 4, Pegasus Studios and DECA are partnering to host the first annual Dance Flash Mob held in Robertson Parkette on the south-west corner of Danforth and Coxwell, and then again at Danforth and Greenwood Ave

The 75 participants will gather just prior to 1:45 p.m. at the first location and 2:00 at the second location. They will be dancing to a National Ballet School choreographed routine to Crabbuckit. Parents and students of Pegasus Studios, as well as many members of the community will be coming together in celebration of International Dance Day.

The Dance Flash Mob will also coincide with the kick off to Jane Jacob’s Community Walk by East End Arts as well as the launch of the Art of the Danforth.

Special thanks to the local businesses sponsors – thanks to them, the dancers will be sporting fancy t-shirts that will make them easy to spot!

LEN: Democratic Purveyors of Fine Art and Beautiful Things,
FlyGirl Fitness,
Ages & Stages,
Oaks ‘n Acorns,
Dianna Kennedy from Remax Hallmark,
Counterbalance Studio Pilates,
Pose Hair Design,
The Canine Social Company

Special thanks to DECA Board member Jane Davis-Munro from Pegasus Studios, who donated the rehearsal space and hours of her own time to make this event happen!

April 28, 2014

Local Jane’s Walks – This weekend!

If you don’t know about Jane’s Walks by now, don’t despair. This weekend is your chance to get on board and spend two hours on a walking tour of our neighbourhood. This year there are two local options, and they are at different times so don’t feel the need to choose between them – do both! There are many others too, so please check out the Jane’s Walks website for all the walks around here and everywhere! www.janeswalk.org/canada/toronto/walks

“Toronto has a Main Street?”

Friday, May 2, 2014 @ 6:00 p.m.

This walk begins in the park at Main and Danforth (across from Main Station) and tours the area that used to be a rail yard, and a Ford Motor Company hub! Stops include the Main GO station, the fire station, the Main Street Library and Centre 55 Community Centre. Come and learn from Sarah Dewar, who has lived and worked in the area for more than 15 years. Get the details here.

“Death and Life of Upper Midway”

Saturday, May 3, 2014 @ 10:00 a.m.

Want to know where horses used to race in our ‘hood? What about learning why the Value Mart has such a wacky layout? Find out the answers and more this Saturday with DECA’s own Stephen Wickens (also a local historian and long-time resident) as he leads his popular Jane’s Walk.

Meet up at Wise Guys, 2301 Danforth, at 10:00 am and look for the man with the black poorboy hat on backwards. Be sure to wear your comfiest walking shoes since the tour is about 2 hours long. Get all the details here.

April 28, 2014

Wanna be King/Queen of the ‘hood for a day? AoD is coming this FRI!

If you’ve never been to Art of the Danforth, think of a Nuit Blanche during daylight hours (Jour Blanche?…or Jour Blanc if you want to get picky). It’s fun and thought provoking. DECA even has our own event this year.

To get you in the mood now for AoD’s opening party is this FRIDAY, check out the ways to participate even before the 10 day art fest-extravaganza begins:

DANI/DAN IV

A series of whimsical installations, performances and workshops in which a neighbourhood king or queen is elected each day and treated like royalty.

Schedule: daily

How to Get Involved: Nominate a friend, loved one or yourself to be Queen Dani IV or King Dan IV for a day! Ideal candidates for Sean Martindale’s project are those who have a passion for the Danforth East community, are a valuable contributor and/understand the true meaning of being a neighbour. There is no age restriction, so we encourage nominations from all sorts. Candidates for DANI/DAN IV can be elected through email to dani (at) eastendarts.ca

FROM HERE TO

A traveling information-booth-cum-trading-post that collects and distributes personalized conceptual maps of the neigbourhood created by passersby.

Schedule: daily

Location: random [TBA]

How to Get Involved: Before the festival dates, Rebecca Noone, will be creating preliminary maps for distribution based on prior interactions with community members and volunteers. Rebecca would appreciate assistance from local volunteers, so please contact the artist at rebnoone (at) gmail.com if you wish to help in her mapmaking project.

LAUNDRY LINES

An interactive run and relay race resulting in a silkscreen performance. Printed t-shirts hang on laundry lines, creating colourful festival flags.

Schedule: Sunday, May 11. 12 – 5

Location: Allenby Theatre Parking Lot

How to Get Involved: The artist, Mango Peeler, would like to reach out to the running and fitness communities in the neighbourhood to create awareness for his relay race, as well as students from the local schools. A more detail schedule will be announced a week before the run. Volunteers to maintain the various stations along the race route and the silk-screening stations at the finish line are needed for the day of the run. If interested, volunteers can email info (at) aisle4.ca.

TEMPORARY MONUMENT

The burning of a 12-foot obelisk questions the authority of borders and monuments, marking a semi-official opening ceremony to the festival.

Schedule: Saturday, May, 3. Sunset.

Location: Felstead Park

How to Get Involved: Everyone is welcome to a giant bonfire, acting as the Opening Ceremonies of the Art of the Danforth Festival! Bring your lawn chairs and campfire songs.

April 25, 2014

Clean Up with the Friends of Monarch Park

Do you spend much time in Monarch Park? Well here’s a great way to give back to the park that gives us all so much. The Friends of Monarch Park will be hosting a clean up on Saturday, April 26th from 10:00 a.m. until noon. We hear they may even have some hot chocolate to share!

Remember, there’s also a clean up at Merrill Park on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and we are encouraging DECA Diaries readers to simply spend some time cleaning their streets this weekend. Be sure to share your photo’s with us via our Facebook Page , Twitter (@DECADiaries) or by sending us an email (decacleanup@gmail.com).

April 22, 2014

Celebrate Earth Day!

It’s Earth Day! Did you celebrate today? Did you mark the occasion? As I washed out my reusable coffee cup at work, it occurred to me that there is more that I could be doing – that we all could be doing – to be kind to the earth. In keeping with DECA’s general mantra to start locally, how about a community clean-up?

An Earth Day Request from DECA

This weekend on Saturday April 26 & Sunday April 27, we are asking you to adopt your block, or street, or more! You pick the time to pick up the litter, and if you could a couple more things:

1) Tell your neighbours;

2) Separate the garbage from the recycling;

3) Send decacleanup@gmail.com a note telling us where you plan to clean up pick up (or where you did pick up). Send us a photo! Or let us know on Twitter using our #DanforthEast hashtag or by including our handle (@DECADiaries) in your tweet. Post it to our Facebook Page so that we can help you spread the word!

Let’s have the most litter-free neighbourhood in the city!

Merril Park Dog Association – Spring Cleaning

Merrill Park Dog Association is hosting its annual spring cleaning this Saturday, April 26th at 9:30 am at Merrill Park (by the train tracks just west off of Woodbine.) The poster with all the details is below! Learn more about them at merrilldogpark.wordpress.com. Oh, and yes, participating at this event would totally count as part of the DECA Earth Day request!