Blog

Sometimes an emoji is just an emoji! This week at the market we are excited to finally welcome back Warners Orchards with all their delicious peaches and other stone fruits. The market will also have a ton of fun things happening!

Kids’ activities this week include a return of the Strings for All Instrument Petting Zoo and a new guest, Face Painting with Sarah!

In our Community Booth Woodgreen Community Services  will be on hand to showcase what they do for the unmet needs of people in our neighbourhood.

Our Popup Vendors for this week are especially exciting! We’ll have sweet treats from Mortimer Bakeshop, nut butters from Wholesome DeeLights  and sandwiches from everyone’s favourite neighbourhood butcher, Royal Beef!

Spotlight on Kidpreneurs

Back in 2022, financial literacy advocate, author, and all-round good neighbour Clifton Corbin was inspired by a program for kids starting up at Leslieville Farmers’ Market. He reached out to the program organizer who generously shared her materials to start the East Lynn Farmers’ Market Kidpreneur Program, and it took off!

We are now halfway through our third Kidpreneur season. Each week, we have 2 different entrepreneurs signed up, selling everything from jewelry to handmade chocolates to personal portraits. Kids give a portion of their profits to a charity of their choice (animal rescues, hospitals top the list) in addition to the $10 table fee that goes toward DECA’s market activities.

This week’s kidpreneurs are really exciting. We are happy to welcome Plants by Naytay and Rainbow Reaxx Art. Here are their goals for the week:

Rainbowreaxx Art (second year!): I want to share my art with people. 

Plants by Naytay: I want more people to be introduced to the benefits of plants, and how they can purify the air. Also how they can change a whole room’s look. they’re cheap, easier to care for than you think, and can be a fun hobby for all ages. Plants are like people. their roots tell a bigger story than their leaves. My plants’ roots and foliage are flawless and pest-less, and receive much better care than big box stores. they are truly unique and won’t die in 5 minutes.

Whether you’re just there for the fresh, verified-local food or you want to spend an afternoon soaking up the vibes in the park, we look forward to seeing you on Thursday, 3-7 pm!

Our Kidpreneurs this week are RG Designs handmade bracelets and Sophia’s Acrylic Wristlet Keychains — make sure to check them out!

As always, we would love to have more volunteers to help the market happen:

Volunteer Signup

Our ‘instrument petting zoo’ is designed to give kids the opportunity to try out most of the instruments we offer at LSM in a low stress and engaging environment. We bring a violin, guitar, ukulele and foam cello, as well as musical colouring pages and markers. Our staff are on hand to assist kids (and adults!) in how to hold the instrument properly and make sound, as well as answer any questions about music lessons and LSM that market goers may have.

Our Community Booth this week will have Master Gardeners on hand to answer all your questions. And don’t forget to visit our Kidpreneurs, “The Dark Side” Chocolates and “K’s Jewels”

Finally, we are still looking for volunteers who can help make the market happen! Please sign up here:

https://danfortheastcommunityassociation.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=87381

And now, the fun stuff! To celebrate the return of corn to the market, we have some special kids’ activities lined up, including button-making with DECA volunteers, activities with Pegasus Dance Studios, and paper crafts and robots with the Toronto Public Library Danforth-Coxwell Branch.

And speaking of kids, we will have our second week of market Kidpreneurs. Swing by and pick up some treasures from Hooked Crochet or grab a baked treat from Brownie Girl!

In our Community Booth, Community Fridges TO are making their monthly visit to the market and inviting you to drop off market food, non-perishables, or personal care items.

Our Popup Vendors this week are Flaming Serpent Hot Sauce and Wholesome DeeLights Nut Butters!   Our Rotating Vendors are Bata Maple Syrup, Just Shut up and Try it fermentations, and Fairweather Brewery.

And of course, we will have corn from Son-in-Law Produce, alongside all the other vendors that you know and love.  See you at the market!

It’s been a pretty bang-up season so far this year — thank you for coming out and enjoying local food and local company!

This week is about living a little greener — you can get your bike tuned up with our friends at 32 Spokes, visit with the Clean Air Alliance and talk about their local initiatives, and meet the Green Neighbours Network, a non-profit organization that connects and collaborates with neighbourhood green groups and supports initiatives for sustainability and climate action. They are promoting their research project Caterpillars Count, which investigates insect populations and biodiversity in the Beaches-East York riding. They’ll have an educational kids activity that emphasizes the importance of insects, resources for adults on recognizing invasive species in the garden, and information on how native species and pollinators contribute to a healthy ecosystem. Find them @gnntoronto

In the kids tent, we will have Create Art Studio running an activity for the kids, and DECA volunteers doing glitter tattoos.

Our Local Business Popup Vendors this week are One Last Thing and Farmer’s Sodas. Make sure to come by for a great snack and a hand-crafted bevvie!

Our Rotating Vendors this week are Bata Maple Syrup and Just Shut up and Try It fermentations. Our brewery is Great Lakes Brewery.

Our Kidpreneur tent will start July 11 — stay tuned for that lineup!