That’s a wrap!
Thank you for coming out to the 11th Annual Danforth East Community Arts Fair … and what a fair it was! Rain or shine (and we had our share of both over the two-day event) the community spirit and amazing talent of our #DanforthEast neighbourhood was clear for all to see!
First and foremost we have to give a shout out to our volunteers! The fair, and DECA itself, would not be possible without the volunteers that bring it to life. Volunteers are the heart and soul of all that DECA has accomplished over its 12-plus years, and remain vital to the continued growth and development of our community.
Look at this amazing organizing committee!
The goal of the Arts Fair has always been to animate our community, bringing everyone together to support local artists, restaurants, and businesses. So our second super big thank you goes out to all of our local sponsors for helping us make that goal a reality – Trust Realty Group, our local DeSerres, Create Art Studio, Small Business People Inc.,& Melissa Peretti Imagination + Design.
And thirdly, to all our musicians who filled the air with sound – Pete Eastmure, Sidecar78, Ben D’Cunha and Bass player Artie Roth and Kristen Lindell, Shannon Butcher, Jeremy and Jenn, and Rick Miller & Friends – and all the local businesses that entertained the little ones – Fresh Paint Studio, Common Threads, Silly Goose Kids and DeSerres – Thank You!
And last, but certainty not least, thank you to all the restaurants and food establishments that kept everyone going – Celena’s Bakery,East of York, Taste the Tornado, Cumin Kitchen, Sweet Serendipity Bakeshop, and Mark’s Pizza, and The Pop Stand.
And now the awards.
First up, The Tracey Jacobs Best in Show Award
#DanforthEast lost a true community minded artist earlier this year when Tracey, who co-owned Silly Goose Kids with her partner Shamie, passed away after a long and difficult battle with breast cancer at the age of 51. As many in our community know, Tracey didn’t just co- own and operate the best toy store ever (!) she was a creative force who never stopped giving to our community. Tracey spent countless hours volunteering at the Arts Fair and our weekly Farmers’ Market, opened the doors of her store to help innumerable volunteer operations as a drop off location and, of course, always created the most magical and educational window displays that inspired a whole street to dream big. This year we were honoured to have Tracey’s partner Shamie help us present the inaugural Tracey Jacobs Best in Show award to Gotamago, a fabulous local shop that specializes in original watercolour and ink illustrations designed and printed in Toronto.
Best New Artist Award
PottsieCo. and her beautiful Kimonos! A close contender for the People’s Choice award, this was this artisans first show! We feel like there will be many more to come!
Best in Fine Art Award
Dave Rheaume and his beautiful vintage urban scenes!
Best Artisan Award
Alexander Kastulin (Akart) and all his delicate and intricate work in the language of ceramics!
People’s Choice Award
Nathan Nunn and his amazing pencil/ink/acrylic /digital prints – the people love those cats! This award comes with a free both at next year’s Art Fair – congrats Nathan!
As always, DECA is always looking for volunteers to help run our events and to bring to life new and exciting ideas! Membership in DECA is only $10 annually/family and helps us run events throughout the year. For any questions, email:info@deca.to.
Coming Soon:
Federal Election Candidates Meeting, Beaches-East York Riding: Date tbd – further details coming soon!
Public Board Meeting: Oct 22 @ The Workaround, 2080 Danforth Ave, from 7-9pm
Festival of Lights: Saturday, Nov 30 in East Lynn Park from 4-5pm