DECA’s 4th Annual Pumpkin Parade @ East Lynn Park

Your official invitation to DECA’s 4th Annual Pumpkin Parade!

This is the most magical night of the year.  The entire park lights up with the creative talent and community spirit that defines this wonderful neighbourhood.

Bring your jack-o-lantern, a candle,  your favourite people/pets,  your good camera and some mittens.  (A thermos full of of hot chocolate too!)

Enchantment guaranteed.

HalloweenPoster2013C.jpeg

PS – You don’t actually need to bring a pumpkin!

PPS – Thanks again to Councillor McMahon (Ward 32) for sponsoring this event.

If you missed our Halloween post, click here to read about some neighbourhood activities on the big day.  Note that face painting at Artisans at Work is now from 2:30-5:00.

Boo! Halloween is coming…

Your Danforth East Halloween Agenda

Does Halloween ever get old?  Dogs, kids and a pumpkin walk for everyone – our neighbourhood has it all.  Here is the info in no particular order:

DECA’S 4th Annual PUMPKIN PARADE in East Lynn Park
November 1, 2013, 6:30-9:00pm

The poster is forthcoming, but mark your calendars that the Pumpkin Parade is ON!   We are so grateful that Councillor McMahon is sponsoring the event this year.  With the new, wider path in the park, it is sure to be the best-ever most magical night in the park!

Howl-O-Ween Festival
October 27, 2013 1:00-3:00pm
Merrill Park Dog Association

For more info, visit: http://merrilldogpark.wordpress.com/MPDA_Oct_15_2013 Poster

Halloween Face Paint Party with Happy Faces
October 31, 2013 2:30-5:30pm (updated time)
2071 Danforth Avenue (Artisans at Work)

Missing your Thursday market face paint this Halloween?  You’re in luck — Happy Faces Face Paint will be hosting a Halloween Face Paint Party at Artisans at Work on Halloween.
For only $5 per face, they promise to: “add the finishing touches to your little monster/princess/monsterprincess’s costume with face paint, sparkles and hairdos.”
You can book in advance by emailing your name, phone number and preferred times to thosehappyfaces@gmail.com, or just drop by!

Halloween

ArtCave Halloween Events
October 25th & October 31st
155 Lamb Ave, just south of Danforth Avenue

Come and visit ArtCave, a new, local art studio business!
For more info: www.art-cave.ca
poster-hllween

East End Children’s Centre Fundraiser & special request

Two ways to help local kids and families!

East End Children’s Centre Fundraiser
October 26, 2013  7:00-11:00 p.m.

Last chance to book a sitter!  The Annual East End Children’s Centre fundraiser is this Saturday. Help raise money to support the Kimbourne and Gledhill drop-in centres that so many families and kids enjoy and rely on.

Please see the poster below for the details, or click here to buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/event/7039277669

Event FlyerAnother chance to help Gwyneth

And while we are talking about kids, please think about supporting a local mom who is trying to raise money to start a charity for children and to get some help for her own daughter, Gwyneth.  All you have to do is vote. Round 2 of voting started October 21 and goes until November 4.  Here are the links to vote and for more info:

http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16828

https://www.facebook.com/hardtotreat

Help a Local Biz; Show Some East York Pride

For those who haven’t met him yet, here’s Allister, owner of Fa.Real Custom Tees, and all-around awesome guy.

Allister Thomas
Allister Thomas, Fa.Real Custom Tees

Fa.Real started out as one of DECA’s Pop-up Shops last winter and proprietors Allister and Tracey loved our ‘hood so much they moved their family above their store at 1900 Danforth Ave and set out to become a permanent addition to Danforth East. We here at DECA have used Fa.Real’s services for many amazing gifts (just read Catherine Porter’s post about the best baby present ever) and we’ve valued Allister and Tracey’s friendship.

Unfortunately, operating a shop without the backing of the Pop-up Shop program has been a financial challenge and Fa.Real is set to pack it in at the end of the month.

EXCEPT…

They aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. As a final effort to keep the store, Allister has created a line of East York T-shirts (designs are at the end of this post) and he’s hoping you’ll love them as much as you love our neighbourhood.

Here’s the pitch, in Allister’s own words:

First, I would like to thank all of you for coming into our shop and giving me the pleasure to express my creativity on your shirts. I also would like to say that it has been a real delight to meet the people in this community; you all have been outstanding to myself and my family and make us all feel great being here.

A customer one time asked me, “How long are you guys gonna be here?” and I simply replied, “We’re here as long as you guys keep us here.” And that’s the main reason I’m writing this. We are in a position where our stay at 1900 Danforth is limited to OCTOBER 31st, 2013.

We started printing t-shirts from our basement apartment back in 2011 in our dining room. In January we heard DECA was looking for small businesses like us that were looking to try out being in a store front for a month. My wife and I jumped at the opportunity immediately and out of 70 applicants, we were in the top 3 chosen. Since May 1st, we have been operating the business without the help of the Pop-up Shop Project.

We were so committed, we even moved our family above the store when an apartment became available, and it’s been an amazing experience ever since. We’ve been increasingly busy ever since we opened up, but we have not gotten ourselves in a position where we make enough to cover all our expenses without falling short.

So I had to think, think, think, like Winnie the Pooh. Then it hit me: I wanted to provide something that I’m very proud of and something you guys have pride in as well. So I created a line of EAST YORK t-shirts to big-up the area we call home.

And for each person who purchases EAST YORK t-shirts (if my store gets to stay), I will be offering a special lifetime membership for a 20% discount on all custom t-shirt orders here at Fa.real Custom Tees. (And don’t forget that a custom t-shirt makes a great, inexpensive personal gift for family and friends at Christmas time.)

A lot of you guys already come by here often to get shirts made for yourself or for friends and family. Sometimes, you guys just stop through to say what up and to share on some jokes or have good conversation and catch some positive vibes which is something I really enjoy as well. Help us stay here by supporting our small mom and pop t-shirt shop, and we will support our new home in East York.

Allister Thomas

Fa.Real East York Collection
Fa.Real East York Collect

Contact info:

Fa.real Custom Tees
1-888-502-1112
647-718-3339 (local)

1900 Danforth Ave.

email at info@fareal.com

 

Saying Goodbye & THANK YOU to our Farmers!

So long, farewell…

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to put on the East Lynn Farmers’ Market, here is how our stats for the season break down:

  • 17 market weeks with 85 total hours of vending (farmers standing on their feet with a long drive to and from Toronto before and after)
  • 600 warm meals made with love from 23 of your neighbours to feed the farmers, who otherwise wouldn’t get to eat dinner on Thursday evenings
  • 212 hours donated by dedicated DECA volunteers (including many by ‘Farmerlicious Femme’ Alison McMurray)
  • 16 different groups set up at our Community Table to spread the word about their organization
  • 425 little faces painted by Rebecca and Renee and their team of student volunteers
  • 24 hours donated leading crafts, singing, dancing from our friends at Mrs. Darlings Imaginarium, Silly Goose Kids, Pegasus Studios, Oaks n’ Acorns, Career Fit Mom, Silver Spirit Karate and Sprout Kids

That’s a whole lot of giving from our community!

Why do we do it? Clearly, because of all that the farmers give to us. They give us countless early mornings picking and packaging fruit and veggies, weekends spent turning sap into syrup, late nights making berries into jams and hours raising beautiful animals into healthy, locally raised meat. They also give us the precious time it takes them to drive, set up, and unpack at the park each week, and then to drive home after a long afternoon and evening of work. While we picnic, splash, chase and chat on long, wonderful evenings, the farmers are there too, working, making the whole thing happen for us.

I know that I speak for many when I say, a great big “THANK YOU!” to the farmers!

Make sure to come to the market this Thursday, and while you’re stocking up for the week, buy a few things for your freezer, and take a moment to say thank you and farewell to this year’s farmers.

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Music lessons, casting call, and a special request

As you may or may not know, this blog is run entirely by volunteers.  We are DECA Board members, and like many people, we have jobs, families and busy lives.  We write this blog because we love this neighbourhood, and we love the opportunity to share information from and to our neighbours.  We have loose criteria for what we do and do not post, but generally, we focus on news and events that impact our direct neighbourhood.

With that said, I want to share with you a message from a neighbour, Sharon Oliver.  Please considering helping her raise money to help treat her daughter’s rare autoimmune disorder, and to start a charity.  You can easily vote by using the link below – round one concludes soon, but you can vote every day.  Sharon’s Facebook page provides more information (‘like’ it for daily voting reminders and updates).

I need community to vote for my idea — which is to start a charity for children and get some help for my own daughter…the video and link tell all.  It is super easy and only takes seconds.  The voting has already begun.

http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16828

Thank you again.. Sharon Oliver  — mother of Gwyneth.

*****

And now, the news.

East End Music Project

This new endeavour will launch in January, and will offer a variety of music lessons out of the Church at 1100 Woodbine Avenue (@ Milverton) on Tuesdays to start.  Read on for more info about them, and about their fundraising event coming up on November 30, 2013.

A message from Miranda Snyder:

Dear friends,
It’s happening! I’m so excited to announce that, after months of planning, plotting and dreaming, Mathew Peters and I are launching the East End Music Project in January in our neighbourhood. Lots of you have heard rumblings about this, so read on for more info.
The EEMP is a non-profit music school launching lessons in guitar, choir, and piano (and more to come) in January. It’s open to kids grades K-12 and subsidies and scholarships are available for neighbourhood families who otherwise would not have access to lessons due to the systemic issues of poverty. And I would LOVE for your families to be involved. You can make a transformative difference in our community and in the life of a child by simply accessing our programming, spreading the word, and participating. This music school operates as a not-for-profit. We’ve got an amazing team of teachers and co-conspirators working on this, and your child will not receive a better music education in the city. The EEMP is launching as a collaboration and there are lots of opportunities to get involved, support the project, and, of course, sign your kids up for lessons. Lesson registration opens Nov 1. Send us an email to find out more, get on the list, or visit eemp.ca.
To get things rolling, we’re hosting a fundraiser November 30 in the hood. SAVE THE DATE, people. Call your babysitters. Come on out to party with the East End Music Project at the Circus Academy (1300 Gerrard Street East), as we host The Dirty Dishes, The Uplifters, Trainwreck, and the EEMP House Band for an incredible night of live music, dancing and inevitable over-consumption. Email me today to reserve your tickets. This event will sell out, and every penny from this fundraiser goes towards supporting music education and music-making opportunities for local families who need it. So you can feel good and DO good. Tickets are $25 in advance.
Nov30_Poster

Casting Call this Saturday, October 19

Any thespians out there looking for a local acting opportunity?  See below, and for more information, email Cameron here.

Kindergarten Tycoon casting call