Once again the Pumpkin Parade’s Chief Organizing Officer, Heather Bean, deserves a huge DECA thank you for her role in coordinating the whole event this year. She was the mastermind behind everything from permitting to promotion and from candles to clean up. We are all very grateful for her to taking on this work!
Here is a special shout out from Heather to all those involved in making the night happen:
A big thank you to all the volunteers and city staff who helped us with the Pumpkin Parade on November 1. Tak Bui’s poster art was cheerfully spooky, and Jeff Kraemer was our postering champ. We’re grateful to Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon for helping with permitting and the local businesses who offered social media promos, as well.
Our pumpkin haulers were the stuff of pumpkin parade legend–done in half an hour; that team included Paul Haines, Mark Rullo, Elaine Biagi Turner, Chris Bond, Jevon Vandenberg and his father-in-law Mr. Vandermeer, Corinne McCabe, Stephen Wickens, Matt Bickerton, Judah Hetinger, and Andrew Duffy. Thanks to Tyran, our youngest volunteer. And extra thanks to Molly Donovan and Tanya Koivusalo for lighting pumpkins throughout the parade *and* staying on for cleanup.
And finally, I want to thank whoever brought those two beautiful big pumpkins at the west end of the walk to welcome everyone to the parade! They were admired all night long.
Here are a few pictures courtesy of Stephen Rabjohn. Enjoy!
The holidays are right around the corner, and DECA’s third annual tree lighting holiday festival will be held in East Lynn Park (date TBD) and we need help hanging the lights!
Sign up for shifts this weekend, Saturday or Sunday (November 8 & 9) for an hour between 10:00am and 2:00pm by clicking here: http://vols.pt/LM9C1Q – thank you!!
And while we’re on the topic of the holidays, if you are thinking about starting your shopping early this year, start with our amazing local shops along the Danforth. Most of us heard the sad news that McCormick’s Imports is closing down after 13 months on Danforth, west of Coxwell. It’s a loss for the neighbourhood and one that we do not want to repeat. Our dollars matter, and choosing local businesses makes a real difference in our community.
On that note – a few announcements…
Neighbourhood Toy Store Day – November 8
Celebrate Neighbourhood Toy Store Day this Saturday, November 8 at our favourite neighbourhood toy store! Silly Goose Kids will have events, games and prizes and no tax all day long.
Big News from LEN – November 6
What is the news? We don’t know but we’re dying to find out. This is the message that Christal and David sent out this afternoon:
LEN has a big announcement and would love to have you join us for some sparking beverages THIS Thursday (TOMORROW) between 5 and 7 PM.
We can’t say anymore right now- but sincerely hope you can make it to help us celebrate!
LEN is located at 698 Coxwell Ave (just north of Danforth). Like them on Facebook to keep up with all of their news, contests and specials and hopefully to find out what the big news is!!
We have lots of fun coming up and we could use some help!
Pumpkin Parade – Saturday, November 1
Saturday night’s forecast is cold, but clear for our fifth annual Pumpkin Parade under the stars in East Lynn Park. It gets underway at 6:30 p.m., but feel free to drop your pumpkin off any time after 5:30pm. Volunteers for clean-up are still very welcome; join us at the pumpkin-tossing afterparty at 9:00pm.
Holiday Festival – Hanging lights, November 8 & 9, 10:00am-2:00pm
We are hanging lights in East Lynn Park for the upcoming Festival of Lights event – please join us! Sign-up to help hang the holiday lights in the trees and along the fence at East Lynn Park. We need all the help we can get!
Here’s the sign-up. Click the link, enter your email address to get into the page and sign up for a shift! http://vols.pt/LM9C1Q
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THANK YOU SO MUCH to our Chief of Pumpkins, Heather Bean, and to our Queen of the Lights, Angela Madich for organizing these two wonderful community events. You = super awesome.
We’re delighted to have Mrs. Darling join us this week for a fun kids craft activity at 4:30 p.m.
Our Community Booth guest will be SuperSheroAmy! She’ll be at the market promoting Habitat for Humanity GTA Women Build initiative. Come by her booth to take a pic with her, sign a stud, meet & tweet, donate & advocate ! Apparently there will be prizes and more !
Your Market – Get Involved!
Our market is fortunate to have so many committed volunteers that help each week. But we’re always looking for more people to help out. There are many different ways to get involved. First, we need volunteers to be stationed at the DECA booth each week trying their best to answer random questions, being a smiling face to neighours and helping the market manager with setting up and taking down the DECA tent and table. Later in the year we could use a few extra hands closer to 7:00 p.m. to help with taking down of the tents and tables as it starts to get dark early.
Second, we have a number of neighbours who cook dinner for our farmers each week. That’s right! We don’t let the people who bring us food each week go hungry on their drives back to farm country. This involves cooking 15-20 meals of your choice in your kitchen and bringing them to the market. A small honorarium is provided. We are looking for a few volunteers for these specific roles in July and August. So if it’s something you’d like to try, send us an email (events(at)danfortheastcommunityassociation.com).
Also, we’re always looking for people with photography skills to take pictures of the market to be used online and in other promotional material and graphic design skill to help us make a few posters each year to advertise our special events. Finally, we have so many generous individuals and businesses who donate their talents for the weekly children’s activity. If you have a talent or idea to contribute or know someone who does, let us know.
If you’d like to contribute in any of these ways, or have an idea for something else that will add to the volunteer magic that makes our market so spectacular, please let us know by emailing us.
The famous Sprately Sandwiches.
Wellness Booth
Nana Jokura, ND from Accept Wellness, is getting the neighbourhood to stick out their tongues again at the Wellness Table. The Free Tongue and Pulses Diagnosis (normally done before acupuncture) gives a snapshot of what might be out of balance with your health. Learn about how naturopathic medicine and acupuncture can help with sugar cravings, mood swings, better sleep, land fertility. She’ll be at the market from 3-7:00 p.m.
The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 5 – October 9 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting theEast Lynn Market Facebookpage
Another submission to the photo contest! Just beautiful! Thanks for submitting Stephen. To see more photo’s from Stephen Caissie, check out the full album on Facebook.
Did you know that some of the produce for sale at the market are grown by Toronto high school students? School Grown is run out of Toronto non-profit organization, Food Share. Their goal is to increase food literacy in youth by hiring high school students to run urban market gardens. Students learn in a classroom throughout the year, then get practical experience during the summer managing the garden, selling at markets and delivering to restaurants. The proceeds from sales are reinvesting into ongoing food literacy projects throughout the city. Be sure to quiz the students on exactly which genus and species the pepper your buying belongs to.
Red rocket, tiburon poblano, islander bell & sweet carmens
This week we have guests from the David Suzuki Foundation and Toronto Water attending. We also lined up a sunny 23 C day for you, your friends and family to enjoy a stroll through the market or to stay for a picnic.
On August 22nd we’ll be having our annual Movie Under the Stars night. Want a hint at what the movie is? It’s Princess Bride! OK, I suck at giving hints. (We also told you last week, but someone else wrote that post.) The movie won’t start until the sun goes down around at 8:45 pm, but we’re looking for a handful for volunteers to help make popcorn from 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm. If you or someone you know is interested, send me an email. It’s simply inconceivable to watch a movie in the park without popcorn!
The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. between June 6 – October 17 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the newEast Lynn Market Facebookpage.
Can you believe it? There is less than two months to to before the opening of the East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market! While the first day of the market will be June 6th, we will hold the official Grand Opening Celebration on June 13th. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details.
But… what we can tell you is to expect to have all the face painting fun and crafting with Mrs. Darling like in previous years. Plus exciting plans are coming together that include a fresh approach to the festivals and more prepared food so you can grab dinner and do your shopping at the same time!
If you’re looking to get involved this year, here are a few ways you can help out:
Musicians: I think we can all agree that having live music each week significantly adds to the community vibe that exists at our market. We’re looking for talented musicians who like help create that atmosphere by entertaining market-goers with their musical talents. There is a modest stipend ($25) available and musicians are encouraged to open their cases for donations.
Cooks: Did you know that someone from our neighbourhood cooks a full dinner meal for the farmers each week? Pretty cool, eh? We have yet to hear of another community doing this for their farmers. If you have culinary skills to share, we’d love to have you. There is a $20 stipend available to help defray the cost.
DECA Table Volunteers: Can’t play music? Can’t cook? Want to help but are short on time? No problem! Can you sit in a chair and smile? We’re looking for volunteers to sit at the DECA info table for one of two shifts per Thursday? (There is also some set-up or take-down involved) Help answer questions about DECA and the market. Don’t worry, we’ll give you all the answers!
If you have other ideas on becoming involved please don’t hesitate to connect with us by emailing Shelley . We’d love to hear from you! Or perhaps you are or know a local business that would like to sponsor an event? We’d really love to hear from you!
