School’s (Almost) Out for Summer!

In a matter of weeks the school bells will ring one last time for the 2012-13 school year. But before then, the schools invite families and neighbours to join them in some good old fashion fun. Check out this listing of fairs and events at some of our local schools.

Earl Beatty Fun Fair – May 25th

Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl Beatty! This year, the 9th annual Earl Beatty Public School Fun Fair will be held on May 25th from 10 am to 3 pm The event is a partnership between the school, the Earl Beatty Community Centre, and Beatty Buddies Daycare. It is a day of family fun including a ball hockey tournament, inflatable games, face painting, kids raffles, a ­­barbeque, and a bake sale. It is our hope that we will build on the success of last year and raise even more funds to help bring much needed resources into our children’s classrooms and playground. Earl Beatty is located at 55 Woodington Avenue.

Old School Community Festival at Earl Haig – May 30th

Jump! Jump! Rejoice! They’re takin’ it back to the old school! Earl Haig is hosting their community festival on May 30th from 3:30-7 pm. Glitter tattoos. Food. Crafts. Music. Lot’s of old school fun. The school is located at 15 Earl Haig Avenue, just south east of Danforth & Coxwell.

Family Fest at Gledhill – May 31st

Come together, right now, over at Gledhill Junior P.S. The Gledhill School and Community Association will be holding their annual Family Fun Fest on Friday May 31st from 3:30 to 6:30 pm in the schoolyard. On the docket this year are bouncy castles, pony rides, a petting zoo, carnival games, crafts, face painting, books and music! Gledhill is located at 2 Gledhill Ave, just north of the Danforth.

Fun Fair at St. Brigid’s – May 31st

We’ll have Fun! Fun! Fun! St. Brigid’s Catholic Elementary School is hosting their annual Fun Day celebration on Friday, May 31st from 5pm – 8pm! There will be loads of games, a bouncy castle and giant slide, popcorn, ice cream, raffles, and food trucks too. They hope you can support them and have some fun as well! St. Brigid is located at 50 Woodmount Ave., very close to Woodbine and Danforth Avenues.

Fun Fair at Secord P.S. – June 8th

Come on baby, learn about fire! Secord Public School will be having our Fun Fair on June 8th, from 11am to 4pm. There will be the customary bouncy castle, but also games, cotton candy and an appearance by a fire truck. Secord P.S. is located at 101 Barrington Ave.

Last Day Music Festival at St. Brigid’s – June 27th

Hey Kids, Rock and Roll, Rock On! St. Brigid’s School 7th Annual Last Day Music Festival will be held on Thursday June 27th in the school yard. Doors open at 6pm. This year will feature 9 amazing rock bands. Admission is $5 for adults, kids under 11 $2. All money is being donated to different causes and charities. Rain date Friday, June 28. Rock on!

Ear Haig

gledhill Secord

earl haig

Bonus points if you get all the musical references in this post.

Santa Explores the East End & Police Matters

Santa Explores the East End

There will be loads of holiday fun this weekend. Earl Beatty (55 Woodington Ave) is hosting a Holiday in the ‘Hood event with a craft sale, bake sale and pictures with the man himself, Santa. Fun starts on Friday at 3:30 until 8:00 p.m. and runs on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

And the very next day Santa will be at the 6th Annual Centre 55 Santa Clause parade. Parade starts at 1:00 p.m. and runs along Kingston Road. Check out the website for more details.

Police Matters

According to recent Division 55 stats, major crime is down in our division. Yeah! Police are being vigilant with jaywalkers and unsafe pedestrians so be careful when crossing the street. This is also the time of year when spot-checks will be ramping up so be sure to arrange transportation from those holiday parties accordingly.

Toronto Police Service is also looking for individuals to participate in upcoming focus group. Check out the flyer below for the particulars.

All singers and players are welcome to a weekly music jam at Hirut restaurant at 2050 Danforth, half a block west of Woodbine. Players and listeners can drop in anytime on Saturdays between 2 and 6 p.m. Call 416- 551-7560 for more info.

National Grilled Cheese Day.

Today is an American holiday celebrating grilled cheese sandwiches. The Toronto Star featured the best five grilled cheeses in the city and one of them was right here at our very own True Brew Cafe.

“Silvia Marga, the restaurant’s chef and owner layers seven-grain bread with creamy goat cheese, sliced tomato, Costco pesto and chopped green onions before warming it in a panini press.”

And sticking with the Toronto Star, it called our little neighbourhood a real estate hot spot.

Calling All Gardeners! 

Interested in growing your own food this summer? Applications are now being accepted at a brand new community garden project at The Church of the Resurrection on Woodbine and Milverton Blvd, affectionately known as The Rez. The Rez has generously offered their prime gardening space to community members to have their own individual plot within the garden.  The Garden at the Rez committee is excited to be creating a local gathering place where people can grow food and beautifying a space that can be used for community events.   For more information about getting involved check out the www.gardenattherez.com website or email Miranda at gardenattherez@gmail.com.

Jane’s Walk

DECA’s very own amateur (but extremely interesting and knowledgeable) urbanist, Steven Wickens is leading the Other Danforth Jane’s Walk starting at 10 a.m. on May 5th at Wise Guys at 2301 Danforth. Steve has been doing these walks for the last few years and the reviews are always terrific. Here’s a taste….

For many Torontonians, the Danforth is the main street of Riverdale or a place to eat Greek food. But that image covers just a small strip of this storied street, formerly known as the Second Concession, the Danforth Plank Road and The King’s Highway No. 5. Danforth east of Pape, often referred to as the “Other Danforth,” wasn’t really developed until the 1920s, after the Bloor viaduct opened. The Other Danforth has always tended to be blue collar and gritty.  And while it has seen hard times, especially in the past four decades, the area is almost certainly about to see a wave of gentrification, investment and development.

Community Clean Up

Join the Earl Beatty Community for the annual Community Clean Up Day on Saturday, April 21st from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the front of the school and from there teams will scour the area around the school and community centre: north to Milverton, south to Danforth, west to Coxwell, east to Glebemount and the streets in between. We also tidy the school yard, our nearest green space.

The city suggests bringing small bags from home to participate, but rakes, brooms and dustpans are helpful and wearing garden gloves is suggested. Hope to see you there. And if you have another local clean up to mention, post it here on the blog or send it to me and I will.

Send Us Your Bell Boxes!

Or at least the pictures of your Bell Box.  Do you know of a Bell electrical box that could use some art? We’re trying (trying!) to see if we can’t get some art on to these boxes.  It would make them less likely to be vandalized and more likely to be pretty.  First, we need your help to send in a picture of your box and its location. They should be in this neighbourhood, but they don’t necessarily have to be within our formal boundaries.  So send  your pics to natasha.granatstein(at)gmail.com.  Thanks!

Pumpkin People

Thank you Pumpkin People for helping make the 2nd annual Pumpkin Parade particularly pretty and perfectly peculiar. And thanks to Ron Grimes for these pics.

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Hats off to Heather Bean who couldn’t organize it this year because she was busy having a baby.  She did, however, get us started with a very thorough how-to guide.  Then Anita Schretlen and Sarah Kiriliuk took that guide and created a community event that was both kick-ass and magical.

Then, of course, there was the fabulous poster, designed once again by Tak Bui.  Thank you Tak!  And finally, the heroes who showed up after it was all over and hauled all those pumpkins into the pool so the good folks from the City of Toronto could come and pick them up the next morning.  Thanks to Melissa Peretti, Jason Pytel, Leo Gonzalez, Paul Haines, Joel Redmond, Beth Binnington and Sean Webb.

Farmers’ Market

Did you know that NOW Magazine voted the East Lynn Farmers’ Market the best farmers’ market for the Danforth area?  Well, now you do.  Did you also know that Ron Wilford wrote a paper for his course on Local and Global Food Systems about the East Lynn Farmers’ Market? Well he did. I present it here for you reading pleasure.  East Lynn Farmers’ Market

Opening and Closing

This neighbouhood has come a long way in terms of getting a decent cup of coffee.  We have a ways to go in terms of local pubs, especially now that Ten Feet Tall has closed . If you were a fan of Taps and Tales, you will be interested to know that it is being re-invented by a new owner (Hot House Cafe) as ‘Morgan’s.

The House That Went To The OMB

If you live near Coxwell you, no doubt, remember that this BIG house was the subject of an OMB hearing after the developer continued building even when the City refused his permit applications. Well, he’s apparently (I say apparently because I really don’t know) taken down what needed to be taken down and now has it on the market. How much?  Would you believe, almost a cool million?

Earl Beatty and Toronto Star

Word went out this week that ‘hard’ balls such as footballs and soccer balls are now banned from the Earl Beatty school yard. How do I spell kerfuffle anyway?