Author: DECA

Our Pumpkin Poster Artist – Tak Bui

Thank you to Tak Bui, designer of our first-ever Pumpkin Parade poster. He’s a man of many talents and is committed to community service, as you’ll read below:

Tak Bui is the cartoonist of two syndicated comic strips with the Washington Post Writers’ including “Cheap Thrills Cuisine,” with Chef Bill Lombardo, a longtime friend who is also a local resident.

A native of Vietnam, Tak won a scholarship at 17 to study in the U.S.  He has won awards for editorial illustrations and has illustrated Vietnamese and Canadian children’s books.  McClelland and Stewart will publish his next book of cartoons for children in 2011.  Tak has also taught cartooning for non-profit art organizations in Toronto.

Tak is a founding member of the Stephenson Ave. Community Garden near Main and Danforth, which won a Beautiful City award. Last summer he played mandolin at farmers’ markets around town (including the East Lynn Farmers’ Market)  with Bad Dog Trio, a retro country band. Tak is married with two adult children.

Heather Bean organized the fabulous pumpkin parade last week and she has sent along this note of thanks…

Pumpkin parade appreciations

What a great night! I had a blast at the pumpkin parade. Here are a few thank yous to the people who pulled it together.

Thanks first to Natasha Granatstein for offering orientation and lots of good advice, Sarah Kiliuk for handling media contacts, and the whole DECA crew for helping to harness this great neighbourhood’s enthusiasm and community spirit.

Huge, huge thanks to our volunteer crew for the event: Julie Doucet, who managed to photograph the event as she lit your pumpkins and doled out candles; Anita Schretlen, who showed up after the parade to haul pumpkins, taking on the grunt work and not much glory; and most especially to Johanne Von Zuben, who showed up an hour before the parade began and cheerfully stuck it out to the bitter end. A special award goes to Andrea for volunteer spontaneity–she came for the parade but stayed to help us clean up.

Thanks, too, to City of Toronto Parks Manager ,Bob Ward, and his cleanup crew; the next day there wasn’t a pumpkin seed in sight. Amazing.

And finally (and crucially), thank you to everyone who brought a pumpkin to share! Each pumpkin made the parade bigger, better and more beautiful. Hope to see you all out again next year–tell your neighbours!

Show us your pictures!

There were lots of cameras at the pumpkin parade, and we want to see your favourite photos! On Flickr, tag them “DECA Pumpkin Parade”, or email them to hbbean(at)gmail.com

And we’d love to hear from the owner of the giant monkey Jack O’Lantern, the king of the parade. Where’d you find that pumpkin???

Amazing is the word I heard over and over and over again at DECA’s first Pumpkin Parade. It really was.  Nearly 500 pumpkins lined the walkway and the pool.  Here are just a few.  There are a whole bunch of thank yous to come for this one, but let’s just start with the fabulous organizer Heather Bean – who had a great idea and ran with it.  That’s pretty amazing too.

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On the day after Halloween, bring your pumpkins to the Danforth East Community Association Pumpkin Parade at East Lynn Park.  Lit pumpkins will line the park’s walkway and playground.  Please bring your own candle; lighters will be available at the park.  Monday, November 1^st – 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.