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Get ready for a laneway crawl!

Thanks to Gay Stephenson for this guest post

Get ready for a Laneway Crawl

Are you familiar with a pub crawl? Not sure about a ‘Laneway Crawl’? Well, you’re in for a treat! This summer DECA, East End Arts and The Laneway Project are joining forces to bring you the first ever east end laneway crawl.

Laneway Crawl = Pop-up Festival

What the heck is it? A laneway crawl is a pop-up festival that redefines how we think of, experience and use our city’s laneways. Plans are underway to activate our laneway with all kinds of fun activities including things like art workshops, music jams, pickup sports, games, garage/wall mural painting, pop-up greening and more. We’re also looking for organizations who’d like to be part of the festival. Read on for more info!

Mark your calendars for the afternoon of Sunday, August 28th from 1:00 – 5:00pm and join us in the laneway between Strathmore and Danforth, from Woodbine to Woodmount.

bloordale-crawl
Photo credit Katrina Afonso

Naming our laneway

Inviting people out would be so much easier if our laneway had its own name. So, on August 28th, we’ll ask you for name suggestions – then work together with Councillor Janet Davis to officially name our lane. Bring us your ideas! All participants’ names will be entered in a draw and one lucky person will win a prize!

Want to join in?!

Share your ideas

What activities would like to see? We’d love to hear your ideas! Send us a tweet, post on FB or email us at renew@DECA.to.

Host an Activity

Are you part of a sports club, dance studio or other business / organization that may want to host an activity as part of the crawl festivities? Please send us an email.

Join our organizing team or volunteer at the event

Are you a community keener who loves the sound of this and wants to join our organizing team or volunteer during the event? We want to hear from you! Or just come join us on Wednesday, July 6th from 7:30-9:30pm for our first organizing meeting, at Time Capsule Board Game Cafe, 2183 Danforth Avenue.

Lend us your garage or driveway for the day!

Do you back onto this laneway, either because you live on the south side of Strathmore or you live or work on the north side of Danforth between Woodmount and Woodbine? We’d love to chat with you about using your driveway or garage during the laneway crawl or to hear your ideas about how to participate. Please email us at renew@DECA.to.

Request a new mural

Are you experiencing “tagging” or graffiti on your fences, garage doors or building walls? If you live or work on this laneway, we may be able to paint you a new mural. Just send us a note so we can chat about the possibilities. Murals are one of the best ways to prevent future graffiti and help to beautify our lanes.

Events like this one will help us transform our laneways into vital, vibrant parts of our neighbourhood’s public realm. You can read more about the amazing 2016 Laneway Crawl Series or check out this article in the Globe & Mail. We are very grateful for the advocacy work being done by the Laneway Project and for all their support to make this crawl happen!

If you have any questions or ideas or if you would like to volunteer for the event, please email Gay Stephenson at renew@deca.to.

 

Murals can transform graffiti from this………………………………… to this.

Graffiti-to-mural

 

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Market this week: PRIDE @ the Market

Pride at the Market is this Thursday (June 30)

Pride @ the Market

For the first time ever, DECA is celebrating Pride at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market this week, led by our newest group, DECA Pride.

A rainbow-themed market works so well because so many colourful fruits and veggies are making their appearance at this time of year, along with increasing numbers of farmers’ stalls each week.

And for all of your Pride/Canada weekend fun, you can also buy wine (from Niagara’s Rancourt Winery this week) cheese, baked goods and other delicious things.

Here’s the fun in store this week: 

  • pride-inspired crafts courtesy of Silly Goose Kids from 4:00-5:30pm, AND with Toronto Tool Library Kids (TTL Kids) from 5:30-7:00pm
  • pride giveaways courtesy of TD Bank (limited supply)
  • facepainting from 4:00-6:30pm
  • wading pool fun (Parks has said that they will make sure to open the pool that day!)
  • in our wellness booth, Elevated Health Associates bring us FREE chair massage and reflexology PLUS discounts on foam rollers and Natural Calm products

Happy Pride & looking forward to seeing you on Thursday!

If you would like to join the DECA Pride email list, click here to drop us a line.

Thanks to Angela Wagner/Umlaut Design for the poster. 

 

Silly Goose Kids' annual pride window! 2054 Danforth Ave
Silly Goose Kids’ annual pride window! 2054 Danforth Ave

Market Help Needed

Market volunteers are still needed, especially for tear down help at 6:45pm each week. Please send an email if you can help. Perfect for a high school student looking for hours or any other kind soul(s) who can be available.

 

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 2 – October 13 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the East Lynn Market Facebook page or by following us on Twitter.

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Danforth Avenue Planning Study

Danforth Avenue Planning Study – Community Meeting #1, June 27 from 7-9pm

The first public meeting for the city’s Danforth Avenue Planning Study happens Monday, June 27, 7 p.m. at Hope United Church (at Main, northwest corner). DECA’s Visioning Committee, which has for the past three years been advocating and preparing for this study — with help from planners, architects, academics and a community members from many walks of life – urges that you attend this public consultation. 

The Avenue Study (Phase 1 from Victoria Park to Coxwell avenues) presents a once-in-50-years opportunity for getting the east end’s main commercial street back on track toward being a lively, safe, vibrant and economically healthy destination. 

Danforth Avenue Planning Study - CCM #1 - Meeting Notice

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Events this weekend: hoots, bells and babies

Was there an extra Tuesday this week? Good news, neighbours – this never-ending week is finally ending, so here are some fun things to do this weekend. 

Hirut Hoot – Friday @ 9pm $5 (professional comedy!)

Bells on Danforth, Saturday @ 10:30am

Ride your bike across the whole Danforth! If you can’t ride, plan to be on the Danforth to cheer them on – it’s quite a sight and they always love to see bike-loving fans! http://bellsondanforth.ca  

New and Expectant Parent Night @ Silly Goose Kids, Sunday @ 6:30pm, Free

(email info@sillygoosekids.com for free tickets – only a few left)

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The market this week: celebrating sunshine and summer

Three sure signs of summer: 1) the scorching 30 degree + temperature on Monday (coincidentally the first official day of summer), 2) school lets out this week and 3) our amazing East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 3-7:00 p.m.

IMG_4516

If you haven’t yet made it out to the market, this is the week to go! Here is a line-up of things to see and do:

  • PlayFit for Kids: Oaks ‘n Acorns and CareerFit Mom are joining forces at the market!  They’ll be running PlayFit activities for families including obstacle courses, parachute play, and games to get your heart pumping and happy endorphins flying! This activity kicks off at 4:30 p.m.
  • Origin Wellness: Enjoy a complimentary chair massage and chat with a naturopathic doctor from Origin Wellness between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. Meet Karen Seymour, RMT and Sarah Grammaticos, ND, to discover how they can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
  • DesignNook Crafts: Kids can join the talented team from DesignNook between 4:00 and 6:30 p.m. to create some crafts to officially kick-off summer!

And we be remiss if we didn’t mention the final showdown that is expected at the market this week. The Table Tennis for Tuition ping pong tournament, a fundraiser for a joint DECA and Scadding Court Community Centre student scholarship, wraps up this week.  We have already awarded the first recipient of the scholarship to Chantelle. You can read more about her in a previous DECA Diaries post or come meet her in person at the tournament this week. The final match will be played around 6:00 p.m. and the fun continues until we’ve crowned our DECA champions. It’ll be a great night so come cheer on the finalists. Donations to the scholarship fund are also welcomed.  Check out some of action shots of players over the weeks below courtesy of Stephen Caissie.

 

Finally, mark your calendar for next week as DECA celebrates PRIDE at the Market on June 30th. In addition to all the usual market fun, Silly Goose Kids will be leading a Pride-themed craft. Hope you can join us! Learn more about DECA Pride at https://deca.to/pride and watch for details in next week’s blog post.

See you at the market!

pp1
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
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Action shots courtesy of www.stephencaissiephoto.com
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Danforth East (Community) Arts Fair – THANK YOU! #DECAF

In case you missed it, the Danforth East Art Fair ran for its 7th year a couple of weekends ago. (Here’s the wonderful poster to remind you!)

DECAF 2015 mailer

This is one of the larger events that DECA organizes in East Lynn Park each year, and it takes an entire team to bring 65 of your neighbourhood artists together for the weekend.  Our volunteers spend countless hours of their own time to pull off this extraordinary community event.

DECA would like to thank Melanie Ramsay, Melissa Peretti, Julie Glick and Shauna Rempel who continue to take on the challenge of the Arts Fair year after year, and who do it so successfully.

Thanks also to returning volunteers Corinne McCabe, Fernand Ciraco and Dana McCullough (of local Ciraco Framers fame), Dan and Jane Davis-Munro, Jodi Shanoff, Anita Schretlen, Sheri Hebdon, Alison McMurray and Linda Ballantyne.

This year we had a few stand out NEW volunteers. A big shout out to Caroline Starr, Janice Peters, Erica Schaub and our two student volunteers, Sydney Burns and Julian Morris. All of these volunteers came out just to see what was going on, they didn’t know each other, they didn’t know DECA, they just wanted to meet their neighbours and help make our community better. And it was fun!

If you have any interest in volunteering for next year, please send an email to volunteer@deca.to

Thanks also the Arts Fair sponsors:
Bosley Real Estate
Canine Social Company
Toronto Honda/Kia

Here are some great pics from this year’s fair from snapd beach/danforth