Vol. 6, Nr. 5 — In this issue:

• Coming events
• City snakes and ladders game
• Pizza days, campfires, suppers
• Lost souls in the park
• Garden parties
• Cob courtyard news
• Soccer, cricket, ultimate frisbee

GARDEN PARTIES EVERY SUNDAY:

Caitlin Shea was the founder of the park "garden party." But she was by no means the first gardener who gave her gifts of work and knowledge to the park - in 1993 mothers at the playground dug and planted the first little flowerbed, then in 1994 Rob Rennick helped us plant the first perennial bed beside the rink with the help of the Christie Pits L.A. gang (before there were any ovens nearby). The next year Margie Rutledge laid out and planted the herb garden, and Arie Kamp began his tireless digging of new beds and seeding of all the best flower seeds he plucked from flowerbeds all over the City. In 1996 we applied to Canada Trust for some native plant money, and when we got it, we were befriended by Gene Threndyle, who put in many days of work to help create all the native species gardens in the park, and a few years later to make the marsh garden with the fountain. Ben Figuereido planted the grape vines on the rink chain link fence. Annick Mitchell and her son Jake began the lush demonstration vegetable garden by the ovens.

From time to time a new gardener added another small area of plants. But many of those gardeners got busy with other things after a year or two. There was no steady group to work together until Caitlin showed up four years ago. She kept a lookout for other gardeners, and one by one, Reema, Jeremy, Catherine, and Klaudia joined her. At this time of year, one or several of the garden club dig and plant on most fair-weather Sunday afternoons. They call it the "garden party." They also build compost. This year they’re creating a new children’s garden by the oven, so that kids can pick their pizza toppings right out of the garden. They welcome old or new green thumbs at any level of participation — if you want to join in, pass by the gardens on a Sunday afternoon, or e-mail gardenparty@dufferinpark.caor leave a message at the rink house: 416 392-0913.

BEN'S MEMORIAL LILACS

Ben Figuereido, who lived in the apartment right next to the rink house, planted the grape vines by the rink fence and made himself useful as a park friend in many ways over the years. But as he got closer to eighty he had more and more aches in his body, and last December he took a step off his fourteenth floor balcony to finish his life.

Ben’s grapevines are going into leaf now. The park gardeners wanted to plant a memorial to Ben, who loved flowers. They settled on planting some lilacs near the bench where Ben used to sit, in front of the rink house. The Parks Department (which has helped the park garden friends with compost, wood chips, fencing, and plants every year) came through again. The west region park supervisor Brian Green bought two lilac bushes as Ben’s memorial. They’re planted now, and when they bloom, they’ll always remind us of Ben.

SNAKES AND LADDERS: CITY SECRETS GAME

It might be time to make up a new city politics game, a cross between Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders. If the game was introduced to the children at the park, that could become an effortless, fun way for kids to learn the secrets and foibles of municipal accounting — a useful skill for the future. There would be a City Playgrounds version, which would incorporate all the ups and downs of trying to find where the $4.8 million went that City Council specifically voted for playground repairs in 2000. Ladder: We asked the City directly. Snake: no answer. Ladder: We asked through the municipal "freedom of information" office. Snake: no answer. Ladder: We appealed the silence to the provincial access and privacy commissioner’s office. Snake: The city wrote us a letter to say it would cost us $12,900 for their staff to find where the money was spent. Ladder: We appealed for a fee waiver, saying we couldn’t afford the fee and besides, it was in the public interest to have a record. Long silence, then snake: a letter back on April 28: no fee waiver, it’s not in the public interest, and besides, where the records don’t exist as a list of expenditures, the City doesn’t have to make such a list. Ladder: we’re appealing the refusal of a fee waiver and the novel book-keeping idea to the province. We’ll see what the dice bring us.

The only problem with the game design is that there are usually two weeks to two months between responses (our playground questions began in October 2003). We were worried that such a slow-paced game might have trouble keeping the kids’ (or anyone’s) attention, until we hit on the idea of incorporating a sleuth component. During the long pauses, the kids could go to various city playgrounds and gather evidence of how many playgrounds were stripped of the fun structures because of the new playground risk rules (another game) that led to all this destruction. The players could chronicle those places where little or none of the $4.8 million was spent to put something new in place of what was removed. This part of the game would have a faster pace because many playgrounds are now rather dull and there would be no temptation for the kids to linger and play. They could stay on task. The little sleuths would then return to our park, where they would be given stickers to put up on a giant wall-newspaper map of the City.

We think the game has promise, but it still needs some work. Watch for developments in game design in the June newsletter.

THE COB COURTYARD

Georgie Donais applied to the Parks and Trees Foundation for $2500 to help build the cob courtyard wall, and the foundation has approved her grant. Wonderful. An earthen-walled courtyard will enclose the space to the northwest of the pool, creating an outdoor gathering place. It will be built with a sand-clay-straw mix known as "cob" or "monolithic adobe", which is mixed by foot and applied by hand.

The first stage, beginning June 11, is digging a foundation trench and filling it with gravel and then "urbanite" (chunks of cut up sidewalk rubble). Georgie writes:

"Check out the Cob in the Park display if you are at the Thursday market, and add your name to the list if you would like to be involved. Upcoming activities include digging the foundation trench, and cutting, moving and mortaring the foundation urbanite. Sounds like fun? I thought so! "

MATERIALS LIST: Georgie’s also sent a list of materials needed (besides straw, clay, sand, gravel and used concrete): If you have any of these adding clutter to your garage or basement, unused, here is your chance to get rid of them, and contribute to the project at the same time. Or, if you dare, you could mark them clearly with your name and just lend them to the park for this project.

Tools: shovels, mattocks and pulaskis and grubhoes; hand tampers; wheel barrows; blue tarps; 5 gallon pails; carpenter’s levels; garden forks; hoes; old, course-tooth handsaws, and machetes; rope; measuring tapes; plaster’s trowels and tools; axes and hatchets; hammers, squares, saws, chisels, drills, chalk lines, block planes, files; crowbars, masonry trowels, cold chisels, 2-3 pound hammers, sledge hammers; paintbrushes

Hardware & Glass: used kitchen sinks (one double sink, and two single sinks, a bathroom sink or two); associated faucets; coloured bottles, bottles with unusual shapes, clear jars and wine bottles

Wood: plywood (large and small pieces); dimensional lumber (2x4s, 2x6s, etc.); cordwood, seasoned; uncut logs.

For more information on this project, you can contact Georgie at cob@dufferinpark.ca or leave her a message at the rink house 416 392-0913. How many people these days get to build any kind of shelter? This wall curves into an alcove with an overhang, contains niches and windows, wraps around our public health washing station for the food cart. It needs people to squash clay with their feet so it can be mixed with straw and shaped by hand — exactly the same way people built shelter in Africa, in medieval England, in the early prairie settlements in the west. Park staff Bianca Morgan, just back from Kenya, will be the backup for Georgie, the food cart will be on the site, there will be help with child care — this may be the most memorable park summer yet.

PIZZA DAYS AT DUFFERIN GROVE PARK

Sundays 1-3 PM	15 May through 4 September
Tuesdays 12-2 PM	24 May through 30 August
Wednesdays 12-2 PM	6 July through 31 August

We provide enough dough, tomato sauce, and cheese for a kid’s-sized pizza at a cost of $2.00. You’re welcome to bring other toppings from home, and you can forage for herbs and cherry tomatoes from the community garden. We also sell juice boxes and chocolate chip cookies for 50 cents each, and organic, fairly traded coffee for $1.50 a cup. This is a very nice way to meet your neighbours….

BRINGING A BIG GROUP?
From the park staff:

The purpose of Dufferin Park’s pizza days is to provide a place for kids and adults in the neighbourhood to meet each other, have a good time, and share a healthy and affordable lunch outside in the park.

Generally, we discourage groups of twelve or more from coming to the drop-in pizza day hours, both because it is difficult to plan for and accommodate such numbers of people, and because pizza days were never intended to be a party service.

The staff are willing to accommodate larger groups under certain circumstances, however. If you call a week or two ahead of time, (416.392.0913) we can usually set up early or stay late on a regular pizza day:

Sundays 12-1 PM or 3-4 PM	15 May through 4 September
Tuesdays 11 AM-12 PM or 2-3 PM	24 May through 30 August
Wednesdays 11 AM- 12 PM or 2-3PM	6 July through 31 August

There are additional costs with such arrangements, due to the longer staff hours and so on. We charge an additional $36.00 for groups up to forty on top of the individual pizza costs. That means if you make 30 pizzas it will cost you $60 for materials, plus the $36 surcharge for a total of $96.

If the times listed above don’t work for your group, we can sometimes make other arrangements, but of course, when staff are scheduled for a specific event (instead of just staying an extra hour or two) costs are higher than those listed above.

POINTS TO REMEMBER…

1. Parks have no walls: You can't throw an exclusive, private party in the park, even if you have booked the oven for an extra hour. If some people see that the pizza oven is in use and want to join in the fun, we think you should include them. It's like making unexpected visitors feel welcome at your house. You can collect money from them for their pizza, since as the host of the party, you are ultimately responsible for the cost of the food. These add-ons don't come along very often, but if someone does want to try out pizza-making, please show them the hospitality of the park.

2. Weather: Since everything happens outside, pizza days will be cancelled in the event of a downpour. This holds true for both the drop-in hours and private bookings. Call ahead if it looks like it might rain --416.392.0913.

3. Costs: Pizza days are not a big cash cow for the park. We don’t make a lot of money on good days, and often we are lucky if we break even, after the staff are paid and the supplies paid for. You can pay more if you feel like it -- all the money gets put back into making the park a good place.

4. Timing: Because our ovens are used for many things (baking for the Thursday farmers’ market, Friday Night Suppers, etc.) we may not be able to work around your schedule. For the same reasons, please do your best to keep your pizza-making within the times stated above. Chances are, you'll have a very good time.

TO FIND OUT MORE OR BOOK A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE OVEN, CALL THE PARK AT 416 392-0913 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR MAYSSAN.

LOST SOULS AT THE PARK AND THE FEAR OF STRANGERS

Any big city has lost souls, and they sometimes come to parks (or even try to live there). We remember Mimo, an older Italian man who used to stuff cardboard down the men’s toilet because Jesus told him to, and who even took down his pants at the playground water fountain once so he could wash his privates (it’s hard to keep clean if you’re homeless, harder if you hear voices). On that occasion the staff chased him away fast (after getting him to put his pants back up), and as for the toilets, we had to keep the men’s washroom locked for two summers because it was so expensive to have the plumber here every week. Eventually park friend Judy Simutis helped track down Mimo’s story, and we discovered that some restaurants on College Streets had been giving Mimo food and shoes and blankets for years, which is why he was so lively despite his lostness.

Finding out more often leads to a solution. We were able to connect Mimo with mental health workers Walter Brierley and Moira Hynes, who worked with great ingenuity and compassion to get Mimo into a shelter and, later, into a retirement home in the Beaches that seems to suit him well.

Every few years the park seems to get one or two new lost souls. Being strangers at the beginning, they often worry people. Sometimes the police are called for strange behaviour, but the police can’t usually do much about it, other than taking the person out for an hour or a day. The park staff are equipped to follow up over the long term, however, and so are some park friends. If a park stranger frightens or concerns you with strange behaviour, try to find a park staff person. They’ll find out more about the person, and see if there are ways to fix any problems the person may be causing. If you have a cell phone, you can also call the rink house — 416 392-0913 — or park friend Jutta Mason at home — 416 533-0153. Dufferin Grove Park is solid enough that it can carry a few lost souls at a time, with some good effort.

CAMPFIRES AT THE PARK

The park has a year-round fire permit, so gathering around a campfire with your friends is pretty easy. These are the rules: if you want to borrow the permit, you need to have a little campfire training session with one of the park staff, during staff hours (staff always stay late on Wednesdays and Thursdays, if daytimes are no good for you). It takes about 15 minutes to go over everything. At that time you can also let the staff know where you plan to have the fire (there are three possible fire sites).

You need to bring your own firewood but we can usually give you some kindling if you
like. We'll give you two pails of water and a shovel, which have to be returned to the rink house at the end of your fire.

The person who signs the permit takes full legal responsibility for any injury -- there's a waiver that you'll have to sign. (But people are pretty smart about fires — in 11 years of frequent park campfires, we’ve not yet had an injury.) We ask you for a donation of $10, just to cover staff time. To book, call the park at 416 392-0913.

PICNIC TABLES, AND FRIDAY NIGHT SUPPER

You can't reserve picnic tables for your campfire or your family party, but there are a lot of tables all over the park, and everybody moves them around to where they want them. The only tricky time is Friday nights because most of the tables get taken over to the oven for Friday Night supper. These suppers begin again on June 5, which is actually a SUNDAY — the day of Laura Repo’s Little Folk Festival. After that the suppers are every Friday night all summer long and into September except if the weather is bad. There will be more information about the suppers in the June newsletter, or go to the "ovens" area of the web site

COMMUNITY SOCCER AND OTHER SPORTS

The soccer field is mostly taken up by children’s organized soccer, but from Saturday at two p.m. to Sunday at dark, it’s available for community use (no fee). You can book it with your friends as long as you’re willing to let stragglers into the game (a bit like shinny hockey in the winter). There’s also talk of ultimate frisbee, cricket, and even (over near the playground) thoughts of sand volleyball. If you want to get in on any of these games, call the park at 416 392-0913 and leave a message, or visit the "sports" area of the park web site.

FARMERS’ MARKET, EVERY THURSDAY FROM 3.30 P.M. TO 7 P.M.

From market manager Anne Freeman: "We are on weather watch at the market these days, looking ahead to that perfect moment when the ground has dried up enough and the grass has grown in enough and the leaves are open enough to launch the full outdoor market season. Until then, there will still be a combination-market, with many vendors inside, and some hardy ones along the west side of the rinkhouse." There’s a weekly market news e-mail that’s sent out late Wednesday. If you want to get on it, e-mail market@dufferinpark.ca.

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Newsletter prepared by: Jutta Mason; Illustrations: Jane LowBeer

Website:Henrik Bechmann, Joe Adelaars,

Park phone: 416 392-0913; street address: 875 Dufferin Street

E-mail: dufferinpark@dufferinpark.ca

Park photographer: Wallie Seto

Printing: Quality Control Printing at Bloor and St. George