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DECA’s Festival of Lights – November 24 from 5-6pm

 

THIS SATURDAY! Join us for the 7th annual DECA Festival of Lights in East Lynn Park on Saturday, Nov. 24, from 5-6 pm.

We have a stellar line up of entertainment planned:

…all leading up to the grand finale: turning on the lights in the park! We hear that Santa himself will be making another appearance this year for the little folks who’d like to visit the big man in red.

As always, this event is free.  If you can, please bring a non-perishable food item or a donation to Community Centre 55‘s holiday food drive. To add to the good feels, your donation will also qualify you for entry into our prize raffle! 

Thank you to our lead sponsor The Danny: Danforth Mosaic BIA. and to our other generous donors –  MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Juliette Fergus, Broker, Trust Realty, The Workaround, BMO Bank of Montreal (Woodbine & Danforth), and Celena’s Bakery! Shout out to Angela Wagner from umlaut design for the gorgeous poster.

This event is 100% volunteer-run, so thanks so much to everyone who has helped a lot or a little because it adds up to a whole lot of amazingness.

See you on Saturday!

The Danforth East Community Association (DECA) is a group of neighbours working together to make our neighbourhood better since we formed in 2007. Our events and initiatives are 100% volunteer-run and open to everyone. For more information, visit our website deca.to. We are always looking for volunteers and new ideas! Membership is $10/household, which helps to support our efforts.

PS – Our AGM and Community Party is next Monday, November 26 from 7-9 at Hirut. Stay tuned for details but save the date!<

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It’s a big week in #DanforthEast – check it out!

Eek! We have been neglecting our blog lately but the slate of upcoming events in this neighbourhood is so incredible that a blog post with all of them in one place is required! (Be sure to keep up with local news and events on our Facebook page or on Twitter?)

Read to the end because there are a lot of VERY COOL things! Support our local businesses and all the efforts reflected here!

queer east poetry (presented by DECA Pride) – Nov 15

Please join us for a night of queer words. (FB invite here)

Featuring: Margaret Christakos, Kirby, Kari Ross-Vance, & brandy ryan. Hosted by Kerry Manders.

Admission is FREE

  • beer and wine available for purchase, along with regular coffee shop fare
  • venue has a ramp and first floor accessible washroom

DECA Pride is an LGBTQ+ group supported by DECA. For more info, join the facebook group or send an email to be added to the email list.

Art Slam – Friday Nov 9

Fresh Paint Studio + Cafe, 1849 Danforth Ave (near Coxwell)

On Friday, November 9 from 7pm-10pm, eight artists will enter into a live art competition and create their artistic pieces for an enthusiastic crowd of art lovers. The theme for the evening is ‘Find Your Power’.

Artists will have one hour to create their pieces live and go from blank canvas to creative masterpieces.

When the hour is up and the brushes hit the floor, the audience will vote for their top two art creations. The top prize winners will receive a $100 gift card from Deserres and $50 gift card from Fresh Paint Studio.

The artwork that is created will also be auctioned off and partial proceeds from the sale of each piece will be donated to charity. For this event, they have partnered with Muskoka Brewery to provide the beer!

  • Proceeds from all beer sales will go to support SKETCH Working Arts for Homeless Youth.
  • The evening will also feature the musical vibes of DJ Marlove.

Admission: Pay What You Can (partial proceeds to SKETCH Working Arts for Homeless Youth).

Find out more: https://www.freshpaintstudio.ca/the-art-slam/

Neighbourhood Toy Store Day – Nov 10

So much happening at Silly Goose this weekend. This is Saturday’s event – keep reading to see what’s happening on Sunday! Save the tax all day and so many fun events.

Open Mic Night – Nov 10

Saturday Nov 10th

Saturday November 10, doors at 7, reading at 7:30. No need to register or RSVP, just come on down.

Firefly Creative Writing, 1898 Danforth Ave, unit 2. It’s fully wheelchair accessible and a short stroll from the Woodbine subway station.

$10 at the door will support their scholarship fund. If that’s too steep, they’ll gladly make an exception. If you can kick in a little more, scholarship-ees will thank you!

Come early to grab a seat or beanbag. If they overfill, they’ll need to close the doors.

Kids’ Book Reading & Signing- Nov 11

Make sure to visit Silly Goose Kids on Sunday from 3:00-4:30pm for a free book reading and signing with Heather Smith and Alice Carter, author and illustrator of Angus All Aglow.

The book is about Angus who loves sparkle. One day he wears his grandma’s necklace to school and get teased, but a little girl sticks up for him and shows him kindness and acceptance. Angus All Aglow is a gentle story of acceptance, generosity and friendship, and reminds us that it only takes one kind gesture to restore your sparkle, and returning the kindness can make you glow from the inside out.

Open Rhodes Art Show & Sale – Nov 10 & 11

Over 22 local artists showing and selling their art work in an open house/street sale format. Participatingouses will have “Purple Open Rhodes Signs”. This year we have International Artists from Japan participating.

The show is always held on the second weekend in November for two days. Saturday, Nov 10th and Sunday, Nov 11th from 1:00 – 7:00pm.This year, we are raising funds for the East End Children’s Centre. There will be a raffle and any donations are greatly appreciated. Several pieces of artwork of participating artists will be raffled. Artist Raffle will be conducted by local officials Sunday November 11th at 6:30 pm.

Save the date!

DECA’s Festival Of Lights – Nov 24 from 5-6 (email us if you want to volunteer – we are always looking for helpers!)

DECA Annual General Meeting – Nov 26 (evening) details tbd

DECA meet & greet info sessions – Nov 14 (2pm) and Nov 22 (10am) – details tbd

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Neighbourhood Toy Store Day and other local shopping news!

This weekend!

Now, we all know that Silly Goose Kids is an amazing store. Recently, this was verified by Now Magazine readers who named them one of the best Toy Stores in the city! (Many, many of our beloved locals earned nods in the city-wide “Reader’s Choice Best of Toronto” – click here for all of the winners)

The fact that this awesome little store manages to undertake many community events only makes us love them more. Join Silly Goose Kids this Saturday, November 18 for Neighbourhood Toy Store Day where they will be offering 15% off all day along with exciting events, giveaways and activities including a visit from the Gruffalo himself!! (So excited…er, I mean, my kids will be so excited…).

See you there at 2054 Danforth, just west of Woodbine from 9:30am-6:00pm.

 

Another shopping event is happening at the Nooks!

Shop for all of your holiday gifts at the EVERYTHING IS UNDER $50 POP-UP Market on November 18th from 11am-6pm. This is the perfect pop-up to shop for everyone on your list! Featuring a curated selection of hand-made, local and artisanal good (again, ALL UNDER $50! You can’t go wrong!). 2005 Danforth Avenue

Check out their Facebook event for more info.

Add A Little Purr To Your Life: Wag on the Danforth Cat Adopt-A-Thon this Saturday!

Adopt! Adopt! Adopt! Please Toronto Cat Rescue on Saturday, November 18th from 10am – 4pm for an adopt-a-thon with Wag on Danforth! Kittens and cats will be waiting for you in-store to adopt them and bring them home.

*** Special Adoption Fees at the event only! Our adoption fee at the event only is $100 (vs. the standard $175 adoption fee) for cats and kittens over 8 months of age, and $175 for kittens under 8 months of age – payable by cash only. Our fee includes: spay or neuter, vaccination (receive a rabies vaccination, if age appropriate) and includes 6 weeks of free pet insurance. For City of Toronto residents, the adoption fee includes a mandatory City of Toronto cat license that is valid for one year.

Wag is a family-run shop located in the East end of Toronto at Danforth Ave. & Woodbine Ave., Wag is easily accessible via car with street parking or TTC (Woodbine station). 1918 Danforth Ave / (647) 349-8263

Next weekend!

The Danforth Mosaic BIA is hosting an all-day local shopping celebration next Saturday, November 25 concurring with DECA’s 6th Annual Festival of Lights from 5-6pm. Here’s what they have to say about the event:

Make the Holidays special by shopping, eating and playing on Danforth East this Holiday Season!

Join the Businesses of The Danny BIA on November 25, 2017, for Shop Local Saturday – a great opportunity to explore and discover the great businesses that are in this neighbourhood that have everything you need to make your holidays special!

You’ll Love What You Find Here! There will be buskers moving through the neighbourhood between Jones & Westlake from 2pm-5pm to entertain you while you explore our local businesses.

Here’s the Facebook event for more info

One more thing…

Are you coming to our Annual General Meeting & Party on Monday? Hope you can make it, but if not, please do sign up to be a member of DECA. It takes 5 minutes, costs $10/household (per year) and you will feel great about supporting our 100% volunteer run community association. Here’s the link!

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Upcoming DECA Events

First of all, thank you to everyone who came out to the Pumpkin Parade at East Lynn Park on November 1st and especially to the volunteers who tossed pumpkins in less-than-ideal weather to help us restore the park at the end of the night.

The Pumpkin Parade was the first of four November DECA events. Here is the low-down on what else is coming up!

DECA Pride cinq-à-sept | November 9 |5-7pm

Bringing together East End LGBTQ+ folks and allies, DECA Pride is hosting a casual get together at Local 1794 from 5-7pm. Light snacks provided. Meet at the back!

Click here to join the DECA Pride email list and here to join the Facebook group.

DECA Annual General Meeting & Party | November 20 | 7-9pm

It’s our last official #DECAde event – the Annual General Meeting & Party! Come to Hirut Café and Restaurant to eat delicious Ethiopian food, listen to some live music, meet your neighbours, renew your membership or join DECA and celebrate another great year of community-building. Cash bar. Board elections and formal remarks will be short, starting at around 8. Facebook event is here.

Stay tuned for our recommended nominations for next year’s Board. Spoiler alert: change is afoot!

DECA’s Festival of Lights | November 25 | 5-6pm

For the past five years, DECA has organized a tree lighting event at East Lynn Park to celebrate the festive season and this year promises to be the best one yet!

Rumour has it that Santa himself has cleared his schedule to visit us.

Watch this space for the beautiful poster to come, and in the meantime, save the date!

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Festival of Lights: Nov. 26

Annual East Lynn Park Festival of Lights!

deca-festiv-lights-2016
Thanks to Angela of Umlaut Design for the beautiful poster

It’s coming soon–the annual DECA Festival of Lights! Mark your calendars for Saturday, Nov. 26, from 5-6pm. As always, we have a stellar line up of entertainment planned from The S.P.A.C.E. and Pegasus Studios dancers, to the amazing skateboarding and LED artist Fire Guy, to the sweet sounds of the East End Music Project Choir to sing along with before we officially turn on the holiday lights at East Lynn Park.

Be sure to bring a non-perishable food item for Centre 55‘s holiday food drive. Last year,  you and your neighbours collected one full bin of food for local families; this year, the goal is to fill two bins! Not only will you feel good by helping out, you’ll be entered into a raffle for a prize generously donated by The Nooks.

This year we are so lucky to have many generous donors whose support has helped put this show together. Thank you so much to Trust Realty Group, our local branch of the BMO Bank of Montreal, Sugar Moon, Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon, The Nooks and Celena’s Bakery.

Thank you too to all the volunteers who have donated their time to make this a fun night. We could still use some more hands to help us at the end of the night though, so email volunteer@deca.to if you can spare some time to help us clean up.

Finally, we won’t be serving hot drinks (though if the weather keeps up you won’t need one!) so be sure to stop by your favourite local coffee shop before the show to get your hot chocolate.

 

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Festival of Lights wants YOU! Volunteer mtng Oct. 5

Volunteer Meeting Monday, Oct. 5

Remember last year’s amazing Festival of Lights? We packed what seemed like most of the hood into East Lynn Park for a fantastic night of entertainment and lit up the park’s trees.

Zero Gravity Circus Fire Artist wowing the crowds.
Zero Gravity Circus Fire Artist wowing the crowds at last year’s festival.

Our fabulous Fesitival lead, Angela, is back but needs our help to make this year’s event better than ever. You can sign up for a little or a lot–there’s something for whatever amount of time you can spare. Hang some posters, string some lights, hand out some treats.

Angela is holding the one and only meeting at her place this coming Monday, Oct. 5, 8 pm. RSVP to at Events@DECA.to and she’ll send you the location info. Can’t make the meeting? No problem. Just pick a job from below and claim it by emailing us at Events@DECA.to.  Details below courtesy of Angela (who is both efficient like that AND understands that your time is precious).

Lighting Lead: Time Commitment Approx. 10 hours max.

  • Attend October 5 meeting to plan the event.
  • Work with DECA to secure a team of approx. 10 volunteers to put up holiday lights prior to the event on one weekend in November. It will require a rain date in case of poor weather.
  • Attend and manage the light installation on both ends of the park. Approx. 4 hours.
  • In the Spring (i.e end of April or early May) work with DECA to secure a team of approx. 10 volunteers to take down the lights and store them in the shed. Approx. 2 hours.

*If anyone is interested in volunteering for the light installation only, you can sign-up now. We need 10 volunteers.

Food Collection & Distribution Lead: Time Commitment Approx. 10 hours max.

  • Attend October 5 meeting to plan the event.
  • Work with food vendors. Approx. 1 hour
  • Pick-up supplies. Approx. 1 hour
  • Work with DECA to secure a team of approx. 12 volunteers to set-up and distribute food on the day of the event. It will be 3 volunteers x 2 tents x 2 hours. Each team will be able to sign-up for an hour or two hours to serve.
  • Set-up and tear down at the event. Attend and manage the light installation on both ends of the park. Approx. 4 hours.

Poster Hanging: Time Commitment Approx. 2 to 3 hours

  • Pick-up approx. 100+ posters and hang them up in stores, parks etc. across the neighbourhood between Monarch and Main in mid-November.
  • Coordinate poster hanging helpers (unless you want to do it yourself–think of the exercise opportunity!)

Entertainment Lead: Time Commitment Approx. 6 hours

  • Attend October 5 meeting to plan the event.
  • Talent has already been booked. On the day of the event you will be the key onsite contact to meet talent and provide directions as required. You will be responsible to ensure talent has whatever they require to perform and that entertainment flows smoothly. Approx. 4 hours.

November 28th (the big day!) – Set-up and Tear Down & Servers

  • 2 hours (1 pm to 3 pm) x 6 volunteers – Set-up three tents (2 food/drink and 1 DECA), includes tables, banners and lights.
  • 2 hours (6 pm to 8 pm) x 6 volunteers – Tear down three tents and accessories. Do a park clean-up.
  • 1 or 2 hour shifts for food/drink servers – 3 volunteers x 2 tents x 2 hours = 12 people
  • 10 volunteers for 1 to 2 hour shifts over a 4 hour period to hand lights in November.