Have you ever wondered what the farmers do on Thursdays before coming to the East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market? I’ve been wondering about this so I decided to stop by the Bio Vision tent to ask the bearded man about his day. Here is the first edition of the Thursday-in-the-life of an East Lynn Park farmer.
Henricus Verhoeven of Bio Vision FarmLast Thursday Henk’s day started ridiculously early. He was up at 4:30 a.m. Henk and his wife Jin operate a biodynamic farm called Bio Vision Farm just west of Orangeville. That morning they had some chickens that needed to be taken to the “plant”. But by 7:30 a.m. he was back at his farm for breakfast with Jin and then off to start his daily chores. This includes tending to the baby chicks, feeding the animals, changing water, etc. At 10:00 a.m. the couple started packing for the two markets they attend on Thursdays. After lunch, they drove to Mississauga to set up for the first market where Jin spends her Thursdays. Then Henk came over to our neck of the woods to set up at East Lynn Park. From 3-7:00 p.m. we know where he was. (He was selling us some lovely summer sausage.) And as you can imagine, his day didn’t end at 7:00 p.m. By the time he finishes packing up from East Lynn Park, picking up Jin, driving home and unpacking, it’s usually 11:00 p.m.
That’s a looong day. Be sure to stop by and thank Henk for choosing our market to sell at. Or better yet, thank him by buying something nutritious and delicious from one of his coolers.
This week will be fun! There’s a soccer activity with Canada First Academy at 4:00 p.m., crafts with Melissa at 4:30 p.m. and the magic show at 5:30 p.m. The movie will start as soon as it’s dark enough, around 8:30 pm. A huge thank you to Mary-Margaret McMahon, Councillor for Ward 32, for not only sponsoring this event but popping the popcorn for the movie!
Wellness Booth
Nana Jokura of Accept Wellness will be offering free 10 minute consults on how you can improve your health with naturopathic medicine. The Accept Wellness Naturopathic Community Clinic offers compassionate rates & high quality care so that you can feel your best and get the most out of life.
As we head into a couple of days of heat advisory, a small reminder to please check on vulnerable neighbours, take extra care with kids and pets, and please please please water your trees. Buckets full of water for the trees please. (If you have a moment to spare, please water some trees at a park or in a schoolyard!)
And now for the news…
Merrily, merrily is here to stay!
Another one of our pop-up shops has just become a permanent store on at 1854 Danforth (beside Oaks ‘n Acorns) – congratulations to Merrily, merrily! If you haven’t been yet, they are a go-to for new, nearly new and handmade goods for babies, kids and even moms-to-be. It’s a lovely shop, and they have even more stuff for sale online: www.merrilymerrily.ca.
Could this get any better? Yes! They are a consignment shop, so every purchase puts money in the pockets of your neighbours as well as these local mompreneur owners. Win-win! And don’t forget the summer pop-up promo on until August 31 with current and former pop-up shops, which will save you the tax at Merrily, merrily (click here for more info on the promo).
Gentle reminder: Permanent stores are only permanent as long as we support them. SHOP LOCAL!
Speaking of awesome local shops…
Face to Face Games is celebrating their 1st Birthday!
This Tuesday, August 18 please visit Face to Face Games to enjoy 10% off everything in the store and buy-one-get-one-free lemonades all day long.
2077a Danforth (above Pizza Pizza, @ Woodbine)
Face to Face Toronto’s awesome cafeA few things you should know about this amazing shop:
It is packed every night. Packed.
They have an amazing cafe full of fresh, healthy and very affordable meals, snacks, coffee and their signature house-made lemonade and iced tea. Seriously. You need to try it.
The owners want the space to be as much a neighbourhood drop-in as a shop. There are games on hand available to play for free (they have games for all ages) and they encourage people to bring along their favourite game from home to play as well. No catch, just a sincere interest in wanting to be a place where people gather.
Go there on a date, with your friends, with your kids, or go theire by yourself. You’ll love it!
Board games to Board meetings…and who doesn’t LOVE a good Board meeting?
DECA Board Meeting
This Tuesday, August 18 will be he next DECA Board meeting. Do you want to join us? We are trying something new this time, and will spend 7:30-8:30 with no formal agenda to give us a chance to chat with anyone who chooses to join us. Come and say hi and have a beverage with us (not on us)! If you want to stay for the actual meeting, you’re welcome to do so but you don’t have to. We thought this might be a better way engage with potential volunteers and others than our usual meeting-only approach.
If you want to come, please RSVP by clicking here and we can provide the details. (We do this so that we know who is coming and can ensure that we meet in a big enough space to accommodate!)
And last but not least…
Free Movie for Teens at Danforth/Coxwell Library: Insurgent
Next Wednesday (Aug 26) for teens 13+ including free popcorn and door prize!
And it’s Movie Night this week at the Market: How to Train Your Dragon 2!
As scheduled, the weather will be great for tomorrow’s East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market. August is a great time to visit farmers markets because so much is in season and the farmers that visit us at East Lynn Park do not disappoint!
Come have some fun this week with Shakespeare in the Park from 3:30 to 4:20 p.m. and then with the gang from Silly Goose Kids at 4:30 p.m. Scroll down more to see what’s planned for next week’s movie in the park night with Mary-Margaret McMahon.
Origin Wellness will be the market wellness booth this week. Erin and Yvonne love how supportive the Danforth East neighbourhood has been during their first year as clinic owners. By offering complimentary chair massage from 3:00pm to 6:30pm, these two ladies want to show you that receiving regular massage therapy treatments is a fantastic way to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Erin Kell Whithead, RMT & Yvonne Moir, RMT
The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 4 – October 15 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 or by following us on Twitter.
We’re ready for another market day and we hope you are too!
For those needing a tune-up, Ward 32 Spokes will be on hand providing light tune-ups.
Kids Activities:
Join Lisa and Jane from Pegasus Studios and get your invitation to attend a Fairy Circle Dance Party, part of the Danny’s Urban Fairies events. Stay a while and dance with them! Dances for preschoolers and for the older kids repeat the dance we learned a few weeks ago, The Funky Cowboy. Fun begins after 5:30 p.m.
The Music Room, a home teaching studio of local freelance violinist Timothy Leung, will be at the market with violins to try out. Their school, located in the Woodbine-Lumsden area caters lessons for all ages (from 5 to 65 and beyond) and levels (beginners to advanced). Tim can also travel to your home for lessons.
Wellness Booth:
This week’s wellness booth will feature Counterbalance Studio Pilates. They will be offering two half hour classes on qigong practice and 3D movement (3:30 .p.m. and 4:15 p.m.) Qi Gong is an ancient practice working with the energy lines of the body and 3D movement is a gentle workout emphasizing whole body connections. We will be at our table the rest of the time to be able to answer questions.
The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 4 – October 15 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 or by following us on Twitter.
Are you an artist between the ages of 13-17 years old?
The Danforth East Art Fair is looking for two young artists who would like to sell their art at our event (September 19-20th). The Youth Booth gives young artists an opportunity to bridge the academic world of artistic study with professional practice. You will get the chance to present and sell your art in an open market, giving you the opportunity to network with established artists in the community as well as develop your personal portfolio for continuing education. You can download the Youth Booth Application 2015and mail, or email your application back to us before the August 15 deadline.
Keep your eyes peeled in your mailboxes for DECA’s Past and Present Pop-up Summer Savings!
Our former and current pop-up shops joined forces to offer you some great deals over the summer, all conveniently included on a postcard. Bring your card into these participating businesses for discounts and savings until the end of August.
You didn’t get a card in your mailbox? Visit any of our past and present pop-up shops and grab one for yourself (until supplies last.) And while you’re on the Danforth, don’t forget to pop into all the other businesses along the way. Support our great local retailers this summer.
p.s. The same card can be used at multiple shops, so take advantage of saving at more than one location. If you manage to use your card at all five locations, send us a note –we want to hear about it!
With the help of WoodGreen Community Services, DECA’s Pop-up Shop project activates empty stores with vibrant businesses to help increase foot traffic along the Danforth. To date, we have hosted 28 Pop-up shops in 11 storefronts.
