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Art Walk Opens This Weekend!

Art Walk April 23 – May 2, 2010

Along Danforth between Greenwood & Woodbine

Listings now available

Now online at www.artofthedanforth.com you’ll find the list of participating artists and where you can find their work, plus a downloadable brochure you can print at home.  Printed brochures will be available on the street Friday April 23 – you can pick them up at LucSculpture Studio & Schools (663 Greenwood), participating stores or at our information tent in the Coxwell Parkette, Sunday the 25, May 1 & 2, noon – 5.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WHEN

April 23 – May 2: Art in Stores & Street installations.  Community planter decorating – you can decorate one too!

Saturday April 24:

10am – 1 PM:  Community Clean Up: get outside and clean up the neighbourhood!

Noon – 5 pm @ Red Sable, 1765 Danforth – create a painting to contribute to the Home & Habitat display (activity)

1-2 pm @ Coxwell Parkette  – Volunteer BBQ  and unfurling of The Pillow Project by Laura Brown

1pm:  1783 Danforth – BOXZART by SOL EXPRESS L’Arche Toronto (dance)

Sunday April 25:

11 am @ East Lynn Park – DECA Make A Joyful Noise Parade

12     noon – 3 pm @ Coxwell Parkette – Portraits in the Park by Stephen Caissie

12  noon – 5 pm @ Red Sable, 1765 Danforth – create a painting to contribute to the Home & Habitat display (activity)

Saturday May 1:

10 am – 6 pm @ East Lynn Park – The longest free-standing sculpture in the world, with Jerry Silverberg

(family-friendly interactive activity)  & Mark Sepic’s Junkestra

12 noon, Coxwell Public Library   – Ghosts of the Danforth (Charlotte Mundy & Patrick Power)

1 & 3 pm, Coxwell Public Library  –   The Box Company (David Carbert & Simon Madore)

12 noon – 5 pm @ 1275 Danforth:  Graffiti art demonstration by Yannick Bihan – 1275 Danforth

12 – 6 pm:  Studio Tours:

Anthony Jim @ 177 Wolverleigh Blvd (Historical Buildings in Pencil)

Mark Sepic @ 159 Chisholm Avenue  (Backyard Junkestra)

1 – 4 pm:    IFA by Gomo George (roaming)

2 pm  – Dance demonstrations by the SPACE , 1324 Danforth

3 pm @ 10 Feet Tall, 1381 Danforth –  Feeling Good by SOL EXPRESS L’Arche Toronto (dance) 3:30 pm  @ Cafe Tangiers, 1385 Danforth – Tales from 1001 Arabian Nights – Family storytelling in traditional dress

by Youssef Bouiahadj and Ismail Fatty

Sunday May 2:

12 noon – 6 pm:  The Junkestra at East Lynn Park

12 noon – 5pm @ Coxwell Public Library   (alternating)

The Box Company (David Carbert & Simon Madore)

Ghosts of the Danforth (Charlotte Mundy & Patrick Power)

12 noon & 2 pm:  Live painting performance by Annie Si-Wing Tung @ 1275 Danforth

12 – 5pm:  Studio Tours

Heather Bell Denison @ 48 Woodington Ave (Silverworks)

Anthony Jim @ 177 Wolverleigh Blvd

Mark Sepic @ 159 Chisholm Avenue

1-4 pm:     IFA by Gomo George (roaming)

1 pm – Graffiti art demonstration by Yannick Bihan,  1275 Danforth

2 pm  – Dance demonstrations by the SPACE, 1324 Danforth

6-9 pm: closing night party for artists & friends, LucSculpture Studio 663 Greenwood

For the most up-to-date schedules and display list, please visit our website:  www.artofthedanforth.com

STILL NEED A FEW GOOD PEOPLE….

To volunteer with installation and providing on-site volunteer assistance during the 10 days.  If you have some spare time – especially in the next three days during the daytime, drop us a line and let us know.  We can put you to work lifting & hammering stuff or walking the street connecting with the people in the walk.

See you on the Danforth!

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Cozy Bakery and Cafe

Oh the joy of being on maternity leave while our neighbourhood finally gets the cafes and bakeries we so richly deserve.

There’s fabulous True Brew soups and sandwiches.  There’s Celena’s Bakery where I understand the croissants are made in heaven.  There’s the all-organic fair trade folks at Guru Coffee.  And now, there is the Cozy Bakery and Cafe. (O.k. the sign on the southwest corner of Danforth and Woodbine still says Coffee Coffee but the new sign is coming!)

If you haven’t been in to the Cozy Bakery – you really should.  Every morning the sisters Vera and Savicia, who used to own a cafe in Niagara on the Lake, are making fresh breads (treat your family to french toast using that egg bread and I promise you it will be a good day), cinnamon buns and pastries.  Then there is the home-made soup (soon to be jarred and waiting for you to take home for dinner) and lasagnas (they make their own pasta).  Much of it is organic.  Much of it is vegetarian.  All of it is 100% natural – no short cuts.  They also do ‘savoury pastries’ which I have yet to try but am very intrigued about.

The owners are delightful and the space is plenty big enough for strollers etc.  Drop by the DECA Make A Joyful Noise Parade this Sunday to taste some of their wares!

By the way – the owners are having some difficulty with parking.  They’re using street parking, feeding the meter and moving the car.  If you have a parking spot that you can spare (even some of the time) at the north end of Moberly or somewhere in that area, contact Mary-Margaret McMahon at spargy@rogers.com.  There could be some delicious treats in it for you!

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Green Is The New Black

Community Clean Up Days

T’is the season for community clean ups.  Me and my brood will be at Earl Beatty.  Where will you be?  (A tidbit from me to you: for my son’s last birthday I bought a few long-handled grabbers at Dollarama that would be ideal for picking up litter if you’d rather not bend up and down endlessly.  The young children found them a little difficult to squeeze -though very appealing- but an older child or adult wouldn’t have any trouble.)

You can usually bring your own gloves (though there are usually some available too).  Bags are supplied.  And – in my experience there are usually some treats for your labour.

Saturday, April 24th

Earl Beatty and surrounding streets- 10 a.m. @ the school (Sponsored by the eco-team, the Earl Beatty Community Centre and the school.)

Danforth Avenue – 10 a.m. @ the Coxwell Parkette at Danforth and Coxwell (Sponosred by the Danforth Mosaic BIA)

Taylor Creek – 11 a.m. @ end of Rexleigh Dr.(sponsored by the Taylor Creek Green Group)

Stan Wadlow Skate Park – 1 p.m. @ skate park (sponsored by Team East York Skateboarders)

Keystone Keeners – The neighbours living on Keystone Ave. are hosting their annual Rally in the Alley to clean up the alley and generally have an excuse for a party.  Guess what?  You could do that too.

Ecoartvan

Every Saturday in April and May the Ecoartvan will be visiting libraries all over town to offer a free hands-on art and environment education program.  The van will be at the S. Walter Steward Library on Saturday, April 24th from 1 – 4 p.m. (170 Memorial Park Ave. – just north of East York Civic Centre).

Topham 10

The Topham Park EcoTeam is trying to get solar panels installed on 10 homes in Ward 31 (north of Danforth).  With a LiveGreen Toronto grant of $50,000, they can offer about $4,500/home to help reduce the costs.  So far they only have two homes and are looking for eight more.  Contact Neil Rankin to learn more at tophampark@ourpower.ca

DECA Bikes!

Who knew there were so many avid cyclists in the neighoburhood?   Saturday, March 27th was our first ever DECA Bikes Tune-Up workshop. Cyclists learned the tricks of the trade for tuning up their bikes, met with other cyclists, and were treated to bicycle shaped cookies and juice all for the low fee of paying what you can.

We knew it was going to be a great day when there was a queue at 11 am!  THANKS to all our dynamite DECA Bikes members for helping out.

Next Tune Up workshop is Saturday, May 1st 11 am – 4 pm. Contact Jamie Thiers jamiethiers@gmail.com for more information or to join DECA BIKES.

Reskilling – Soap Making

The Reskilling workshops DECA & ETCAG (East Toronto Climate Action Group) have been offering since last July have been going gangbusters!

We had to run four soap making classes to meet the demand of keen, sudsy soap makers.  Thanks to the fabulous Amanda Montgomery (Simply by Amanda) and her protégé Jazzy Joanna for all their knowledge.  Look for their products at Better Bulk.

Stay tuned for a beeswax candle making class and a bread making class.

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DECA Make A Joyful Noise Parade

On Sunday, April 25th at 11 a.m. join us at East Lynn Park for the DECA Make A Joyful Noise Family Parade.

Kids are invited to wear a costume or a crazy hat and bring their favourite instrument to join the parade!  (Any old shaker or coffee can will do – we’ll also have a few extra shakers for those who need it.)

There will also be some yummy treats from Cozy Bakery and Cafe (in the formerly named Coffee Coffee location).  Spread the word – the more the merrier!

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Danforth Gems

So many gems to share today…

Nutralicious Kitchen

A few people (thanks to Kathy and Miranda) have written to let us  know about a new takeout counter at Woodbine and Lumsden called Nutralicious Kitchen.  Menu items include delicious sandwiches, pizza, salads, daily hot table (for dinner), juice bar and more.  It’s all prepared by Chef Tony – a board certified nutritionist, master herbalist practitioners and a certified personal trainer with a degree in holistic health.  Check it out at 1231 Woodbine or call 647-341-8646.

Creartive Cakes

If you’re a fan of those TV cake decorating shows like Ace of cakes and Cake Boss (or even if you’re not) you should really take a walk over to Creartive Cakes at 2207 Danforth.  Today when I walked by owner, Ji Youn, had a hamburger cake and a nachos cake in the window along with the gorgeous wedding cakes and adorable birthday cakes.  I see she’s also done a replica of the Ontario College of Art Building (above).  Ji is very very nice and she also sells ready-made beautiful and delicious cupcakes.

True Brew Cafe

True Brew is a nice little spot just east of Woodbine on the north side.  Susan bakes her goodies every day and is now carrying bagels along with the lunch sandwiches and soup.  According to the facebook page, True Brew is soon to open on Sundays and is considering staying open later on Fridays and Saturdays.

Elite Music Academy


One of our DECA members (a professional actor and musician) was telling me about the Elite Music Academy at 2007 Danforth (just west of Woodbine).  Her son is taking drumming lessons there and loving it.  She tells me the teacher is excellent.  As it happened the manager walked by and told me they offer lessons starting around age five and also offer music camps in the summer.  They offer lessons in everything from voice to guitar, to Greek Bouzouki and everything in between.  This location is a second location.  The HQ is at Danforth and Jones.

Chicken’licious

And finally – from Renee…

I have a recommendation for a new restaurant on the Danforth called Chicken’licious – at 2789 Danforth Avenue. (416 691 9800).  My family and I ate there on the long weekend, and it was very good! I had the chicken souvlaki on a pita, my husband had the chicken shwarma, and our kids split an order of the yummy chicken wings.  All in all, very good, reasonable prices and very friendly service.  This is a location that has not been successful for other restaurants in the past few years, and I would love to see this one survive!  They also have great deals on full roast chicken dinners, and offer free delivery for orders over $15.

Careerfit Mom

If the opening of a few new bakeries in the neighbourhood (to say nothing of ice cream season) has got you looking to increase your caloric activity, Beth from Careerfit Mom is beginning a stroller fit class in East Lynn Park on Monday mornings and a group fit class at Taylor Creek on Monday evenings.  She’s also offering a new play fit class for parents and kids on Wednesdays.  Find out more at www.careerfitmom.ca

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Show Some Love

I’m delighted to pass along an invitation from Paola Girotti from Sugar Moon Spa for the ‘Show Some Love’ fundraiser this Saturday in support of Toronto East General’s Child Development Centre.

‘It means a lot to me to hold this fundraiser as my son Elias was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. He was born at 32 weeks at Toronto East General and we had amazing care from the neo-natal unit right through to the Child Development Center. We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful hospital in our neighbourhood and would like to “give back” to all the wonderful staff for their support. Come and join us for a fabulous evening.’— Paola Girotti

This Saturday, April 10th at 8 p.m. $10 at the door

Location: Sidewalk Cafe (look for the orange balloons) 1344 Danforth Avenue, Toronto (416) 465-2012

Lots of prizes to be won: 50/50 draws and more!

Coffee Coffee

This just in from Pat on the new cafe at Danforth and Woodbine…

“I just got back from Coffee Coffee and OMG!!!!!!  It is GORGOUS!   The name doesn’t do it justice. I had thought it was somehow linked to Pizza Pizza, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s modern and beautiful inside–spacious and airy– and instead of ceiling tiles they use burlap coffee bags adorned with the logos of fair trade coffee. Really neat. They do all their own baking and try to use organic ingredients where possible. They have breads and strudels, killer cinnamon buns. Today for lunch they’ll have lasagna and soup–it wasn’t out yet when I was there at 10. I think this is their first day open and it will be exciting to see their full product line. I spoke with Vera, who owns Coffee Coffee with her sister. Very friendly and professional.  I can’t believe that after all these years of no bakeries in this neighbourhood suddenly we have two!”