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Cookbook Swap

Recently switched from paleo to vegan? Find you don’t make sushi from scratch like you thought you would? Bring your unwanted cookbooks to the market this Thursday and trade them in! Stop by the D.E.C.A. booth and see what has been shared in the Cookbook Swap!

A Basket Full of Learning

One of the best things about our farmer’s market is how every generation shows up, every Thursday, to pick up this week’s basket full of fruits and veggies, say hello to friends and neighbours and take part in whatever fun activity is on tap that week. From seniors to newborns, we’re one friendly bunch!

One of our favourite things is watching young children learn about the market and what it stands for: healthy, locally sourced foods, community building, engagement, and connection. Taking your little this week? Here are some fun ways to help them engage and learn while at the market:

Give them a few dollars to spend on their own: With $3 in hand, a child can learn a lot about making choices (apple or pear? Or I’ll treat dad to his favourite, plums?), communication (interacting with our farmers and merchants) and responsibility (whoa, I have THREE dollars to spend! All by myself!). Watch as they confidently make purchases and figure out why buying local is best.

Touch, smell, taste: A great activity for toddlers, park it on a blanket at the market, take out the fruit and veggies you just bought, and explore the wonderful summery goodness together! Touch, smell, and bite! Bonus learning involves teaching the names of the different goodies you bought.

Please and thank you: Did you accidentally bump into someone? Want to show gratitude to one of the vendors? As your children watch you interact with others in the market, they’ll pick up on your cues, such as polite manners and thankfulness for the wonderful things we’re provided at the market—and the people who make it happen!

Dinner planning made fun: This one is great for older kids—help them understand what it means to get dinner on the table every night. Get your kids to be the meal planners! Work together to come up with a meal that you make solely using what you buy at the market. Bonus points for cooking it up together!

Everyone belongs: Our market is at the heart of our community. It’s a chance for us to gather, connect and relationship build. Encourage your littles to do the same! Together, say hi to a vendor, ask their name and where they’re from. Say hi the next week, and let them know how you used those carrots you bought from them. Maybe encourage them to bring some bubbles or hit the swings after and make a new friend. It’ll empower your kids to start recognizing they’re a big part of their community and that they have a voice in it!

Wellness Booth:

Our Wellness booth will be Audacious Willow Pilates.  Enjoy 15 minute 1-on-1 Stability Ball sessions with Harjit a Pilates instructor at Counterbalance Studio Pilates. No previous ball or Pilates knowledge is required as we’ll start with exercises at your level. You’ll feel energized, stretched out and improve your plank!

We’ll see you at the market!

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 1 – October 19 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.

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 1 – October 19 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.

The holiday weekend is here and the first week of July starts out with a bang (literally, there will be fireworks) and keeps the excitement going with the first concert in the “The Danny Loves Music” series this summer.

Come celebrate Canada’s 150^th anniversary and East York’s 60^th anniversary at Stan Wadlow Park this Saturday, July 1! The day starts with a parade beginning at 10 a.m. at Dieppe Park and ending at Stan Wadlow Park. Throughout the day there will be live entertainment, food vendors, and carnival rides. Of course the day ends with a spectacular fireworks display you won’t want to miss.

This Wednesday, July 5, the Skydiggers are playing from 6 to 9 p.m. at East Lynn Park to kick off “The Danny Loves Music” concert series. Organized by the Danforth Mosaic BIA, this is the first of four concerts featuring local musicians happening at East Lynn Park every Wednesday this July. The concerts are free and there will be both food from local restaurants and drinks from local breweries and cideries so you are sure to be satiated when you leave. Whether you dance to the music or sit on the grass to listen, come on out and enjoy the fun!

It’s here, it’s here, it’s officially here — summer is finally here! The summer solstice is passed; the school year is almost over; and now it’s time for sun, heat, and outdoor water fun! Summer is the time of year where pools are best enjoyed outside. On a hot humid day there is nothing quite like diving deep underwater to finally feel relief from the heat. Even better is when you take a break from splashing with your friends and the hot, humid air feels comfortable again….until, of course, the sun dries you off, heats you up, and you are ready to jump back into the water all over again.  Fortunately, whether you want to fully dunk yourself, get your feet wet, or feel a few sprinkles, there are many fun, water-play places in our DECA community.

In the summer, Monarch Park Outdoor Pool is the place to be. With a large pool and change rooms, a water slide, and plenty of room to sit surrounding the pool this outdoor pool is a great place to beat the heat. Plus, there is a separate entrance to a warm wading pool with jets for the littlest water lovers. Not quite in the DECA boundaries, but too much fun to exclude, Kiwanis Outdoor Pool is another outdoor pool option nearby. The pool and change rooms are smaller than Monarch Park, but it also has a water slide, trees for lounging in the shade, and it is a bit shallower than Monarch Park Pool. Also, just outside the pool area there is a great splash pad for kids of all ages.

If you aren’t quite ready for full submersion in a pool, or you have lots of little ones with you, try the wading pools and splash pads in the area. Painting the wading pools at both East Lynn Park and Stephenson Park is organized and funded by DECA, so we always get excited when it is time to play in the water. East Lynn Park has a great wading pool with sea creatures painted on it and trees nearby for shaded rest areas. The water is frequently cold, but somehow the kids never seem to mind and it is particularly popular on Thursdays during the Farmer’s Market. Stephenson Park has a wading pool with beautiful whales on the bottom painted by local illustrator Tak Bui. There is even a legend naming all the whale species on the adjacent shed. The Stephenson Park wading pool has more sun than East Lynn Park which means there are fewer shaded areas to rest, but the water is a bit warmer. The sun exposed wading poolat Oakcrest Parkette is warmer than the rest and has the advantage of being in a smaller, quieter park. If wading pools aren’t your thing, don’t forget about the splash pad at Gledhill Park. Gledhill Park is a small, fenced in park most appropriate for younger kids, and the splash pad reflects this fact. A dragon and a flower that spray water are hours of entertainment, and there is lots of shade for those who need a break from the water fun.

On those summer days when swimming outside isn’t an option, don’t forget about our neighborhood indoor pools. Main Community Centre and Earl Beatty Community Centre both have nice pools that are open to the public and always a good way to get in some water time.

Now it’s time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some sunshine and water-play fun in the DECA ‘hood.

Outdoor pools

Monarch Park, 115 Felstead Ave

Kiwanis Outdoor Pool, 375 Cedarvale Ave

Wading pools

East Lynn Park, 1949 Danforth Ave

Monarch Park, 115 Felstead Ave

Oakcrest Parkette, 30 Oakcrest Ave

Stephenson Park, 61 Stephenson Ave

Splash Pads

Gledhill Park, 125 Gledhill Ave

Kiwanis Outdoor Pool, 375 Cedarvale Ave

Indoor pools

Early Beatty Community Centre, 455 Glebeholme

Main Square Community Centre, 245 Main Street

Toronto’s First Creative Writing Studio on East Danforth

“There’s really nothing else like this in the city.  Our hope is that even if you’ve never taken a writing class, you’ll feel at home in our studio from the minute you walk through our door.”    ~Chris Kay Fraser (founder and writing coach)       

This Thursday, June 29th from 5 – 10 p.m. Firefly Creative Writing will be celebrating the opening and launch of their dedicated writing studio at 1898 Danforth Ave.  Remarks will be made at 8 p.m. and the first inaugural lighting of their street-facing sign at 9:30 p.m.

Firefly, a team of seven women writers, offers writing workshops, retreats, one-on-one coaching and creative workshops. They have helped over 2,000 participants share their stories over the past 12 years and have a shelf to showcase published works by writers who have taken courses with them.   (Source: Newswire.ca)

Stop in to see their beautiful studio space and to say hello.

To learn more about Firefly Creative Writing, visit fireflycreativewriting.com

For further details about the event or follow-up inquiries, please contact Ailsa Bristow at ailsa@fireflycreativewriting.com

The Handwork Deparment: Late Night Shopping Event

While you’re visiting Firefly’s launch and celebration,  pop in next door to see The Handwork Department.  They’re hosting a late night shopping party! Stop by from 5-9 p.m. to get 15% off all Canadian made vintage goods by Westclox, Kodak, Corningware, and many more great Canadian brands!  (This Thursday, June 29th)