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Pumpkin People

Thank you Pumpkin People for helping make the 2nd annual Pumpkin Parade particularly pretty and perfectly peculiar. And thanks to Ron Grimes for these pics.

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Hats off to Heather Bean who couldn’t organize it this year because she was busy having a baby.  She did, however, get us started with a very thorough how-to guide.  Then Anita Schretlen and Sarah Kiriliuk took that guide and created a community event that was both kick-ass and magical.

Then, of course, there was the fabulous poster, designed once again by Tak Bui.  Thank you Tak!  And finally, the heroes who showed up after it was all over and hauled all those pumpkins into the pool so the good folks from the City of Toronto could come and pick them up the next morning.  Thanks to Melissa Peretti, Jason Pytel, Leo Gonzalez, Paul Haines, Joel Redmond, Beth Binnington and Sean Webb.

Farmers’ Market

Did you know that NOW Magazine voted the East Lynn Farmers’ Market the best farmers’ market for the Danforth area?  Well, now you do.  Did you also know that Ron Wilford wrote a paper for his course on Local and Global Food Systems about the East Lynn Farmers’ Market? Well he did. I present it here for you reading pleasure.  East Lynn Farmers’ Market

Opening and Closing

This neighbouhood has come a long way in terms of getting a decent cup of coffee.  We have a ways to go in terms of local pubs, especially now that Ten Feet Tall has closed . If you were a fan of Taps and Tales, you will be interested to know that it is being re-invented by a new owner (Hot House Cafe) as ‘Morgan’s.

The House That Went To The OMB

If you live near Coxwell you, no doubt, remember that this BIG house was the subject of an OMB hearing after the developer continued building even when the City refused his permit applications. Well, he’s apparently (I say apparently because I really don’t know) taken down what needed to be taken down and now has it on the market. How much?  Would you believe, almost a cool million?

Earl Beatty and Toronto Star

Word went out this week that ‘hard’ balls such as footballs and soccer balls are now banned from the Earl Beatty school yard. How do I spell kerfuffle anyway?

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DECA Community Cocktail Party

Join us on Monday, November 21st for our third annual Community Cocktail Party (and Annual General Meeting, but I promise that part is extremely short and sweet).  It’s at Melanie’s Bistro (1870 Danforth) so that means there will be wonderful food and drink. 6-9 p.m.

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Pumpkin Parade

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.

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Call For Artists – Art of the Danforth

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. 

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Where Did October Go?!

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