Posted on

Short and Long


O.k. I’ve got a long list of items and an awareness of short attention spans so I’m going to try to make these as short and sweet as a melty mint.

The final deadline to apply to be a vendor in the hugely popular and incredibly cool Danforth East Arts Fair is June 15th so act now to avoid disappointment!

Speaking of art and how freakin’ cool we are…The Art of the Danforth crew is well into organizing for spring 2012 and they need some volunteers…some now and some next May.  Right now Cindy needs a couple people to do 2-4 hours of internet research and/or 2-4 hours of walking the street to introduce ourselves to new stores.  In May 2012, they’re wondering if there are any adventurous souls/families who live close to Danforth who would offer up their front yards for art installations.  They would love to be able to offer curators a private residence as a potential installation site – dunno if they’d use it, but it potentially could be interesting.  If you are interested in either or both or none of those things, but want to talk to Cindy, contact her at info(at)eastdanforthcreative

Tomorrow is DECA’s Container Gardening Workshop from 2-4 p.m.  Don’t miss it. Don’t forget.  And don’t give me some lame excuse about your in-laws dropping over unexpectedly.  We’re also planning another full season of DECA Learns from canning to bicycles with some gardening thrown in for good measure. More on that in a future post.

Beatty Buddies daycare is a delightful little place in the basement of Earl Beatty Public School north of Danforth, east of Coxwell.  Earl Beatty is slated for full day kindergarten in 2012 and that is just one of the reasons why the daycare has formed a strategic planning committee.  The first thing it’s doing is a survey of you – the community.  So whether your kids are in university or in utero, please take a few moments to fill out the short survey.

Yes, the photo above is of a new place on the Danforth, east of Woodbine.

Yes, Target has announced one of its first Toronto stores will open at Shoppers World at Danforth and Victoria Park.

Yes, Goodlife is once again offering free memberships to teenagers for the summer.

Notes from the Community Police Liaison Committee

  • You can register your bike for free with 55 Division so in case it gets stolen, you could possibly, maybe, have a chance at, perhaps getting it back?
  • Bugaboo baby strollers are magnets for thieves and are being stolen all the time.  Lock them up.
  • Graffiti cleaners are heading out June 15 and 16 to remove graffiti in alleys, garages, mailboxes etc.  Contact Community Centre 55 at 416-691-1113 to suggest your unwanted graffiti location and they’ll try to send over a clean team
Rock On
Because your kids are lovin’ the rock and roll, you need to mark Wednesday, June 29th on your calendar and make your way to St. Brigid’s school yard for the Last Day Music Festival.  This year, featuring the pop sensation that is sweeping the pre-teen scene (seriously) Done With Dolls.  Also Chasing Sam, Colour Connection, Sugar Rush, Checkmate Sergei, Running From Jane, Marissa Dattoli and not just another cliche.  What are you going to do on the last day of school that’s cooler than that.  More details coming soon.
Thanks for sticking with me for the whole post.  Last but not least, DECA’s terrific Parks Team has scoured the neighbourhood for all things recreational and not so recreational and has come back with an amenities list that will amaze you.  The schools, the churches, the swimming pools, the services, the classes.  It’s fabulous.  Behind every one of those links was someone who walked the streets, make the notes, found the links and posted it.  Thanks to the Parks Team for a great piece of work.  Enjoy.
Posted on

The Big Hole & The Big Court Case

Below is the story on the court case about the Big Hole from today’s Toronto Sun….  And in case you missed it, here is yesterday’s story about how three jurors were excused for researching the story on the internet.

Businessman torched his store: Crown
 SAM PAZZANO, TORONTO SUN

Businessman John Magno masterminded a plot to burn his Woodbine Building Supplies store on Christmas Day 2001 to solve his financial problems, a Superior Court jury heard Tuesday.

In his opening to the jury, Crown attorney Derek Ishak alleged that Magno,  fraud artist Sam Paskalis and Adrian Roks ochestrated a arson that would enable Magno to collect a $3 million insurance claim and help him build condos on his 2055 Danforth Ave. site.  The plot backfired when the gas fumes prematurely ignited. It resulted in a devastating blaze that killed Tony Jarcevic, 22, and left Paskalis clinging to life in a medically-induced coma. He is now permanently disfigured, said Ishak.  The inferno required 170 firefighters and 40 fire trucks and prompted the evacuation of more than 50 families.

Magno, 51, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, arson and second-degree murder charges.  Ishak and co-counsel Anna Tenhouse alleged that Magno and his brothers bought the Woodbine Building Supplies (WBS) building and land in 1998.  Financial problems dogged the Magnos, court heard.

WBS owed its parent company more than $500,000 and a former employee $40,000. In September 2001, Magno decided to demolish WBS and build condos. Inventory was hauled to the Magnos’ warehouse at 111 Sunrise Ave. and prior to Christmas, the bulk of that inventory had already been moved.  The mounting financial pressures forced Magno to concoct a plan to torch his property, alleged Ishak.  In July 2001, Magno had befriended Sam Paskalis, a fraud artist, whom Magno had bailed out of jail.

Magno, Paskalis and his close friend Adrian Roks created a plan to burn down WSB so that Magno could collect a $3 million insurance policy, alleged Ishak.  Paskalis and Roks recruited some friends to execute the arson scheme. They picked Christmas Eve since the store closed early that day, court heard.  Magno was the last to leave the store with Paskalis behind to send the plot into motion, said Ishak.  In the early evening, the remaining conspirators hauled away leftover merchandise as their reward for their participation.  Both the sprinkler and alarm systems were disabled. A half hour after midnight, the fire was lit but it roared uncontrollably. Tony Jarcevic — who had taken courses in fire protection — was killed.  The trial continues Wednesday.

Small Business Workshops

Elizabeth Verway is offering a business training series of workshops for small business owners.  Elizabeth has been mentoring small business owners in this community for 14 years through the Office Mentors.  There are four workshops in the series:

  •  Business Communications (June 6)
  •  Cash Flow & Money Matters (June 13)
  • Networking and Sales Strategies (June 20)
  • Planning for Business Growth (June 27)

Workshops will take place near Coxwell and Danforth.  The full series is $100 to community members and free to BIA members.  Call Elizabeth Verwey to register 416-463-1713

The Danforth East Arts Fair

The Danforth East Arts Fair will be held at East Lynn Park on September 17 and 18, 2011. The application deadline is June 15th.  If that’s your bag, baby, you might want to think about being an exhibitor at the Beach Studio Tour in October.  If you would like to open your home to visitors or just want to know more, contact info@beachstudiotour.ca or 416- 691-5195

Posted on

So Much To Say

Apologies dear reader, I’ve been neglecting you.  Always something else that needed to be done.  No matter, there is lots to tell you about today.  I’m going to give you the news in this post and then send out another post in the next few days with a bunch of Danforth Gems to tell you about.  Don’t let the length of this post discourage you.  If you need to take a break and go make a cup of tea in the middle, do so, but make sure to come back and read all the way to the end.  Trust me, you won’t want to miss the last section.

Danforth East Arts Fair – September 17/18

Coming soon to a park near you: the third annual Danforth East Arts Fair. On Sept. 17 and 18, East Lynn Park will transform into an outdoor gallery where artisans from near and far will display and sell their wares.  The first application deadline for artists’ applications is April 30, so get cracking. Download your application at www.deca-arts.caThis volunteer-run, juried arts fair sprang out of an idea that a resident put forward at one of our meetings back in 2007. You see what happens? Action, people. It’s amazing what a few committed, created citizens can do.

You may remember the iron ukuleles from last fall’s arts fair. Or the skull rings. Or the gorgeous oil paintings. Or the beautiful harp music wafting through the park as people wandered down the path. Maybe you enjoyed a slice of pizza under the sun as you watched all the activity.

If you’re interested in helping out this year, drop the arts fair folks a line at deca.arts@gmail.com. And put Sept. 17 and 18 on your calendar now. Whether you’re helping out or enjoying the show, you wouldn’t want to miss it.

DECA’s Business Revitalization Team and Cozy Cafe and Bakery

Stephen Caissie photo

By guest DECA diarist, Catherine Porter

The Cozy Cafe’s anniversary party/ community celebration was a huge success — both for the lovely sisters Vera and SzaSza, and for those of us lucky enough to drop in, eat and dance.   At one point, I looked up at my two kids dancing in front of my neighbour, musician extraordinaire, Chris Bennett, and I thought: damn, we are lucky to live here.

The sisters figure about 300 people came to their party, given the jugs of coffee they went through. It was so crammed when I arrived, I could barely make it through the door. There was great food, of course, great music, and as promised, at the end of the party, the sisters and the Ontario Folk Dancing Association led some Serbian and Jewish folk dances around the store.

I have written a couple columns about the Cozy Cafe, and the generosity showered upon it by our east end hood. (Not to plug them, but in case you want to read the background here they are:  http://tinyurl.com/3ca2ced, and http://tinyurl.com/4sltfet. Okay, that was plugging them….)

It’s quite a story, really — that a stranger would offer to renovate your store for free, that a strange flooring company across town would offer to give you the flooring for free, that a customer with a furniture company would throw in two $600 tables for free, that a designer would sketch out a brochure and a photographer snap the photos of it, and that locals would drop off cheques, only because we all love this place and want it to thrive and keep serving us food and laughter.  This type of stuff doesn’t happen much.

So, for the record, a few people need to be thanked:

*Chris Bennett and Lucas Stagg from Twelfth Fret played at the party, which was wonderful.

* Local east ender Alex Zamayoa  and Mi Casa Furniture for the tables

* DECA member Steve Caissie for the photos

* Thomas Giannousopoulos for the brochure design

* the DECA Business Revitalization Team for weeks of work on the store, from the frosted window, to painting, changing the store layout and lining up artists to show their work there.

For those of you who don’t know about us, the Business Revitalization Team has now helped transform six stores along the Danforth, starting a couple years ago with Plank Road Market. Our tagline is: “If one smashed window can bring a whole neighbourhood down, what can one smashing window do?” By improving the look of a few stores along the strip, we hope to draw new stores to the area and fill the Danforth in.

The Cozy Cafe was our latest business. If you have another business in mind, which is a gem in the rough, let us know! Email me at catherine_porter@rogers.com

Our team consists of stagers, designers, business branders, real estate agents and schleppers like me who are sick of waiting for a change to come to the Danforth, and want to do something about it. Our rules are simple: it has to be a store with the right stuff but the wrong look. It has to be a store we want to see prosper in the hood. (So, no questionable massage parlours.) The owners have to be people we want to spend our free time with — nice. We supply the expertise and some of the leg work, the owner supplies the basic supplies.

Empty Storefronts

At our last DECA meeting (minutes to come soon), we talked a lot about empty storefronts.  We all hate them.  What can be done about them?  We’re thinking we’d like to try and find out.  Why are they empty is the first question.  Taxes, disinterest in maintaining the commercial space when the residential is rented, absentee landlords are a few of our thoughts.  Then we’ll try to figure out what might be done about it.  This article  from Open File is great place to start thinking about it.  Be sure to read the comments too.  If that inspires you to want to get involved in this little project, send me a note – natasha.granatstein(at)gmail.com

Dealicious – Today’s Menu – $25 for $50 worth of food – until midnight tonight (Thursday)!

First – check out the latest local dealicious.ca deal from a store called Today’s Menu.  Located at Woodbine and Gerrard, it offers deliciously prepared meals cooked by chefs on location, with the unbeatable convenience of either delivery OR shopping at. Meals are made fresh daily and quick/flash frozen to lock in flavour: all you have to do is heat and serve.

East Lynn Farmers’ Market

Are you a musician interested in busking at various Farmers’ Markets across the city this summer?  We’re looking to fill 4 spots per week (Sunday 10-2pm, Tuesday 9-2pm, and Thursday 9-2pm and 3-7pm)  If you’re interested, please contact Diana at diana.mymarket@gmail.com

Community Clean Ups This Saturday

Make sure you get yourself to one of the many community clean ups that are happening in our neighbourhood this Saturday.

  • Earl Beatty School 10 am – noon with the Earl Beatty Community Centre, school and eco team
  • Danforth Avenue 11 am – noon – Clean eastward with the Danforth Mosaic BIA – meet at the corner of Coxwell and Danforth
  • On your street.  In your nearest park.  Wherever you see a public spot that could use a little TLC.

All Candidates Meeting – Wed April 20, 2011 

The good people at the Beach United Church and Neighbourhood Link are hosting an all candidates meeting for the federal candidates in Beaches East York on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.  140 Wineva (north of Queen) from 7-9 p.m.  They’re even offering light refreshments – how fancy.

Were you the victim of a break and enter?

In the last few months there has been a rash of break and enters in Division 55 from the Beaches up to Danforth Ave. Police have arrested a couple and allege that they are a husband and wife who integrated themselves into their neighborhood in a normal, friendly manner then set out to rob their neighbours.  Much of what they allegedly store is now available to be claimed. If you or anyone you know has been a victim of a robbery in the last few months call the police at 416-808-5500 to describe your stolen items and then you can set up an appointment to view the goods and hopefully reclaim what was stolen.

Posted on

Call For Artists
 

The Danforth East Community Association (DECA) invites artisans to participate in the third annual Danforth East Arts Fair, to be held Sept. 17 & 18, 2011. This outdoor arts and crafts fair is held in East Lynn Park, a bustling community hub located on Toronto’s Danforth Avenue between Coxwell and Woodbine.

The show provides artists with a unique opportunity to showcase and sell their work. Our vibrant community is filled with new families, established homeowners and creative folks who are eager to support local artists.

To apply, download the application. The early deadline is April 30, 2011. Given the success of last year’s show, we strongly encourage artisans to apply ASAP.

Applications are reviewed and selected by a jury. We expect to select approximately 50 exhibitors this year.

Questions? Visit www.deca-arts.ca or email deca.arts@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook!Spread the word — please forward this information widely!
Posted on

Thank You

Congratulations to our amazing team of volunteers, led by the unshakable Mary Cowan, on a very successful Danforth East Arts Fair this weekend.  The vendors were happy, the shoppers were happy and  most importantly, a whole bunch of people either came from near and ran into their neighbours while enjoying a beautiful afternoon at the park or they came from far and discovered our amazing little neighbourhood.  A more exhaustive list of thank yous to come.  But let me send out the biggest thank you to you – for coming out – and making is a success.  See you there next year – same time – same place.

DECA All Candidates Debate

We’re in the midst of pulling together a few all candidates debates for the municipal election.  We’re still confirming the final details so watch this space for more information.  In the meantime, the Beach Metro News and Community Centre 55 are hosting a debate for Ward 32 (south of the Danforth) at the St. John’s Norway Church at at Woodbine and Kingston Rd. from 7 – 9:30 on September 23rd.  Questions can be sent in advance to editor@beachmetro.com.

Also, we thought you’d like to know that as a ward 32 candidate in the upcoming municipal election, Mary-Margaret McMahon has resigned her seat on the DECA executive.

Save The Date

DECA’s 2nd annual Community Cocktail Party is tentatively scheduled for Monday, November 15th at Melanie’s Bistro.  Last year’s party was rockin’.  No kidding.  Apparently we (o.k. with Melanie’s superb help) know how to throw a party.

Graphic Designer Wanted

Are you a graphic designer who can volunteer a wee bit of time to DECA to design a little poster?  Let me know at natasha.granatstein@gmail.com

Thanks.

Posted on

Danforth East Arts Fair – Little Ra’s

The Danforth East Arts Fair is this weekend!  Yes, this weekend.  I know you don’t want to think about Christmas, but you will be so happy if you bring along your list and do some of your shopping right here while you’re still without your winter coat. While you’re there, check out Little Ra’s for the little ones in your life.

Many a parent has dreamed of kids’ clothing that’s well-priced, but still tough enough to withstand disintegrating popsicles, tempting mud puddles and, that most formidable foe of all children’s clothing, growing kids. So, too, did mother of two Heather Tormey. A lifelong sewer, she spotted a void in the kids’ clothing market, and started her line Little Ra’s after her daughter was born.

Her aim? To make stylish, logo-free duds that aren’t worn by every kid on the playground. Tormey, a loyal Danforth East-er, uses non-traditional fabrics while staying kid friendly.

Her designs can be worn in different ways as kids grow — a long dress becomes a shorter dress becomes a shirt, for example. (A friend’s 18-month-old and Tormey’s three-year-old recently wore the same dress); many are reversible for maximum style (and spill) mileage. Her kids serve as informal quality control — the clothes get “laundered and run through the park to death,” Tormey says.

Little Ra’s, which sells to buyers across North America on Etsy, creates primarily girls’ clothing, but is expanding into boys’ wear, including star-emblazoned capes and tees for budding superheroes and casual pants. (The name, for those not up on their mythology, comes from a being with a different kind of superpower — Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun — and invokes children’s sun-like place in her family).

Look for some of Little Ra’s fall offerings at the Danforth East Arts Fair, including a tweedy plaid cotton coat with an exuberant, fuschia printed lining, cozy, dark-hued pinafores and her perennially popular kimono-style wrap top. Then head for the swing sets: “Little Ra’s,” says Tormey, is for kids “who like to play in dirt, and look good doing it.”

Check out Tormey’s clothing at her Etsy store; her wares, which range in price from $20 to $30, will be for sale at the Danforth East Arts Fair in East Lynn Park on Sept. 18 & 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.deca-arts.ca