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News 2006 - Fall

posted December 10, 2006

Annual Rink Clubhouse Craft Fair

Sunday Dec.10, 11 am to 4 pm

Handmade items for holiday gifts made by neighborhood artisans, on sale in the market tents in front of the rink house, with a campfire and hot cider. Organizer: Abbey Huggan: abbeyhandmade@yahoo.com. Also some daybooks and calendars will be for sale, with a part of the proceeds going to the park.

posted November 29, 2006

Winter Craft Fair Sunday December 10, 2006

posted November 11, 2006

PLANNING FOR THE DECEMBER 10 CRAFT FAIR:

From neighbourhood crafter Abbey Huggan: “Calling all Dufferin Grove craftspeople and artists! No previous craft fair experience necessary! Come out and brave the weather and sell your wares under the new market awnings around the rinkhouse... table rates will be very reasonable.”

You can contact Abbey at abbeyhandmade@yahoo.com if you want to participate.

posted November 11, 2006

PARK EVENTS IN RAINY OCTOBER

Canadians, including newcomers, can handle the weather. There seemed to be rain almost everyday this past October. But here’s what still went on:

October 1: the Farmers’ Market Tasting Fair: a cloudy day but only one shower. There were as many recreational eaters as last year, and the money raised went toward buying some excellent market tents. Liz Martin donated $70 to the park from sales of her Street Food book. Everyone cooked enough delicious food , but not a scrap was left over. The gifted conductor of this “orchestra” was market manager Anne Freeman.

October 28: Night of Dread. The seventh annual community parade and celebration seemed doomed by rain and high winds. The rain stopped an hour before the parade and almost 300 people came out, many in wonderful costumes. A police car lost a muffler coming into the park, but otherwise the parade went off perfectly. Afterwards the fire twirlers and the musicans performed in the park, the fears were burned without torching any people, the soup and bread were served from the park oven, and then everyone went home. The rain began again fifteen minutes later.

Organized by Clay and Paper Theatre, with David Anderson as the parade master. David was optimistic all day long, never discouraged, but afterwards he admitted he was as shocked as everyone else, that the event worked out so well again.

October 29: Purewawa festival: This was a first-time festival organized by musician Chie Yamano and many friends, for a Japanese charity called Japan-Heart. From Chie: "Japan-Heart is an organization, led by one doctor, Hideto Yoshioka, who is dedicated to providing life-saving medical care to under-privileged children living in remote villages in Myanmar. We have chosen Japan-Heart for this year’s charity, as it is a small organization that is actively saving lives one child at a time. Money donated goes directly to the source, as little is needed for administration." Despite bitter winds that knocked out power elsewhere, the friends put on their festival, with a story tent, food, and beautiful music. If the wind had knocked out the park power too, it would not have been a problem, since the music sound system was run off a solar panel mounted on top of a shiny green bus parked on the basketball court.

Nasty weather often makes events friendlier. People gathered around the campfire, or danced to the music on the basketball court. The old man who often plays his mouth organ in the park, for the park staff and the squirrels, spent most of the day at the festival. He walks with two canes, but on that day he used the canes to steady himself as he swayed to the music. Music crosses the Japanese / Portuguese divide, and the age/youth divide, just as easily as it crosses other barriers.

At the end of the festival Chie found that despite the bitter weather, she had collected over $500 in donations for the Japanese doctor who works with kids in Myanmar.

posted October 28, 2006

Night Of Dread Call for Volunteers

Clay and Paper Theatre still needs volunteers for our seventh annual Night of Dread this Saturday October 28th in Dufferin Grove Park!

We need:

  • organizational people
  • set-up helpers
  • helpers to put it all away
  • puppet and mask “dressers”/ distributors to assist in the distribution and

retrieval of costumes on the day

  • parade wranglers (helping us get everyone in the right order)
  • performers
    • stilt walkers
    • giant puppet operators
    • rod puppet operators
    • “Death on a Broken Car” pushers

There will be Clay and Paper people working on preparations at the Rink House in Dufferin Grove Park every afternoon from 1 to 5 o'clock until the Night of Dread.

Please drop by to offer your services, or to sing, or to dance a jig. For info call or leave a message at 416-537-9105

David Anderson

Clay and Paper Theatre

email: claypaper@sympatico.ca

website: www.clayandpapertheatre.org/news.html

posted October 18, 2006

Park Events in October

posted October 18, 2006

NIGHT OF DREAD Saturday October 28, 5.30 to 9pm.

The seventh annual community parade and celebration. Assemble from 3 p.m. on, parade leaves the park at 5.45 pm. Black and white dress code. (I.e. don’t come as Batman unless you really have to). Organized by Clay and Paper Theatre, with David Anderson as the parade master.

This is the annual parade that everyone gets to be in. Between 800 and a thousand people gather by the rink and basketball court and then parade along Bloor, south down to College, and then back to the park. There are performances and bonfires at the park, wonderful bake-oven food (from 3.30 on), and music.

This year, there’s also a new attraction: tarot readings. Deirdre Norman, convenor of The Women of Winter Outdoor Shinny Hockey Tournament, is a professional Tarot consultant. She’ll be raising money for the next tournament by offering mini-Tarot reads at the Night of Dread. $10.00 for 10 minutes. Deirdre calls this “Night of Dread plays Shinny,” and she says: “When the veil is thinnest and spirits walk the earth, see what the cards have to tell you!”

For more information, or to help make masks, wear a giant puppet, or bang a drum, call 416 537-9105, or visit www.clayandpapertheatre.org, or e-mail claypaper@sympatico.ca.

posted October 18, 2006

PUREWAWA FESTIVAL Sunday October 29, 12 noon to 7 pm

Check out the Information poster and the festival map (both PDF).

From organizer Chie Yamano:


Information Poster

Festival Map

“There will be a colourful mix of music, art and performance for every one of all ages! Clowns, aerial performers and more circus fun! There will also be healthy food, information booths, creative activities and a range of informative workshops designed to foster healthy families, communities and creativity!

At the peak of the festival will be the candle ceremony of HOPE where as a community, we focus our intention towards manifesting a peaceful future for generations to come. We urge you to participate in this ceremony, which is planned to take place at 5:00 pm. Candles will be offered for purchase on the day, in support of the ceremony. All proceeds generated from the sales of these candles will be donated to this year’s selected charity, JAPAN-HEART. Japan-Heart is an organization, led by one doctor, Hideto Yoshioka, who is dedicated to providing life-saving medical care to under-privileged children living in remote villages in Myanmar. We have chosen Japan-Heart for this year’s charity, as it is a small organization that is actively saving lives one child at a time. Money donated goes directly to the source, as little is needed for administration.“

Artists participating:

Jerome Godboo on Blues harp/
Rachelle Elie, Clown Comedy, A Girl In The Sky Productions, Aerial Performance/
Richard Underhill on Sax, Samba Allegua, LIVE Brazillian percussion/
Shugamai Johnson, Vocalist, Telefunk Sound System, LIVE electronic breaks and beats/
Yoshi & Chie, LIVE Sitar and Digeridoo/ Tomolennon, LIVE painting/ Djs: Lex, Task & Violet/
+ more

Special Events In September

posted September 12, 2006

Yoga with Dufferin Mall Youth Services
Every Thursday, 4:30 pm to 6 pm - Studio @ Bloor/Gladstone Library 4:30-6:00pm- If the weather is good we’ll go to the park

It is open and free for youth (12-24), no registration is necessary. They usually meet in the middle of the park.

posted September 12, 2006

Free prenatal yoga and campfire in the park
Friday September 22, 4-5:30pm, followed by a campfire at the park

Join the drop-in program from Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto for pre/postnatal yoga led by First Nations yoga instructor Rhianna Keon. Yoga happens from 4-5:30pm, followed by a campfire at the park. We will be making bannock over the fire. Please wear comfortable clothing.

See the Neighbourhood section.

posted September 7, 2006

Friday Night Supper Dinner Dance
Friday September 8, 6 pm to 9 pm

After supper there’s dancing with Eroca Nicols and the kids from her summer dance classes. Special guest: a teacher of traditional Arabic circle dancing.Then Park DJ Ted Carlisle will play disco, soul, funk, and old-school hip hop. On the grass beside the basketball court.

 

Friday Night Supper

Eroca and dancers

See the Picture Gallery.

 

posted September 7, 2006

Annual Neighbourhood Street Fair
Saturday September 9, On Havelock Street and Dufferin Grove Park, 10am to around 9pm
10 am fantastic lawn sale
clean out the basement and browse for bargains. At the park fence along Havelock Street.
12 noon free hot dog lunch on Havelock Street
courtesy of Councillor Adam Giambrone.
2- 4 pm celebration tea
for a special person from the neighborhood
4.30 pm kids’games
games for kids with prizes, also stilt-walking, juggling, tumbling for kids with park staff Eroca and Sandy
6.30 pm potluck dinner and $2 pizza
by the park bake-oven. Join your neighbours, bring plates, cutlery, extra pizza toppings.
7 p.m. cakewalk
Decorate a cake in the most imaginative way you can think of, walk it around so everyone can admire it, then share it for eating.
7.30 p.m. after-dinner dancing with a live band
“Gordon’s Acoustic Living Room” On the basketball court. Donations welcome to defray the cost of the band.

See the Picture Gallery.

posted September 7, 2006

Pugalug Gathering
Sunday September 10, 2 to 4 pm

The Pugalug rescue group is having a pugalug gathering at Dufferin Grove Park. There will be t-shirts, wristbands, and plush pugs for sale to raise funds for more rescues (they say they’ve rescued 29 pugs since October 2005) and for a veterinarian medical fund.

posted September 17, 2006

"Honouring our children" pow wow
Saturday September 30, 6 am, 12 noon to 5 pm

vendor at pow wow

Native Child and Family Services will be presenting their annual “Honouring our Children” Pow Wow at Dufferin Grove Park again this year. This event is a very popular, very colourful occasion with many craft vendors, dancers in beautiful costumes, free food and a big “give-away” of donated goods at the end. However, having over a thousand people in the park all afternoon can lead to some problems. Last year these problems led park staff to the idea that perhaps the pow wow would be better located at a regional park like Christie Pits, which is set up with internal roads for all the vehicles. It has no adventure playground area, and therefore no loose parts like tipi poles, rocks, wooden pieces, pails, and shovels that can become weapons if there are too many kids packed into the playground together.

However it appears that the pow wow will not be moving up to a regional park like Christie Pits this year. Instead, Tino Decastro, the Recreation supervisor of this area, will assign 5 or 6 recreation staff to be at the playground this year to supervise. Park staff Mayssan Shuja and Native Child and Family Services staff person Beverly Fanjoy are collaborating directly on how to make the playground work better for this event.

City: No kids allowed

posted September 7, 2006

Notice Of Public Meeting About Community-Built Composting Toilet
Tuesday September 12 2006, 6.30 p.m by the Cob Courtyard

This is the public meeting about the community-built composting toilet for the playground area. The meeting is on site, near the cob courtyard. The food cart will be there and the park staff will entertain the kids, so their parents can address the regulatory obstacles to building the toilet. If it rains, the meeting will be in the rink house.

Yes! Kids allowed after all

posted September 13, 2006

Results of Public Meeting About Community-Built Composting Toilet, September 2006

Tuesday September 12 2006. Issues resolved the next day...

cob stomp with no fence

Since it rained, the meeting was held in the rink house instead. We now know that 95 adults and a whole lot of children can crowd into the rink house if necessary. The complainants who had called for the meeting didn't come, but City Parks manager Sandy Straw came, and so did her Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, and so did Recreation supervisor Tino Decastro. City Councillor Adam Giambrone was the moderator. Children as well as adults talked about wanting to help build the cob structure, wanting to have a toilet by the playground, and wanting to do something better with the environment. Georgie Donais answered questions about the way the toilet works. Many people asked the City staff and the councillor to go back to City Hall and find a way to remove the blocks to the project. They said they'd try.

They were as good as their word. Early Wednesday morning Georgie went to the Park supervisor's office for a meeting with architect Martin Liefhebber. They looked at the plans and the architect said they needed only very minor changes for him to certify them. The Buildings Department said they would fast-track the approval as soon as the certification reaches them.

Peter Leiss said that when the foundation hole is level with the ground, the project would be categorized as no longer a construction site but an art project. That means that children can help again and the fence can come down. Later, when the roof goes in, the fence will go back up briefly until that bit of construction is finished.

See also Meeting The By-Law Blues and the editorials David And Goliath and David And Goliath Two. See the Main Composting Toilet Project page.

September 13, 2006

Pictures from the meeting (pictures by Wallie Seto)


Part of the crowd

One of the speakers
 

posted September 15, 2006


St.Anne's Church
St. Anne's Church flower event
Saturday and Sunday, Sept.30 and Oct.1, Gladstone and Dundas

The Garden Club of Toronto celebrates its 60th anniversary of community involvement at St. Anne's Anglican Church. [See map.]

This National Historic Site is Canada's only Byzantine Anglican church and houses the sole collection of religious art by members of the renowned Group of Seven. The front garden will be restored to complement St. Anne's unique design and a Floral Carpet will lead you into this beautiful church where floral artistry will enhance the rich interior.

There will be seed packets for children to take home.

The church will be open to the public on:

Saturday September 30th, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday October 1st, from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Some of the stained glass and art inside St. Anne's church.

 

posted September 6, 2006

ONE-TIME-ONLY WRESTLING SHOW

At the end of August there was a real pro-wrestling show in the park, on the rink pad. When the organizer first approached park staff with his dog-shelter-fundraising proposal three weeks earlier, the staff asked around among park users and found surprising enthusiasm for the idea. The park skateboarders were particularly excited, since they like a challenging spectacle.

Opening the park to many different people’s events is one of the ways the park has become so lively. And not everyone likes theatre and dance. So the park staff agreed to make this a jointly-run event (the lead time would have been too short for a City permit). They made conditions – no tickets, only pay-what-you-can donations, family orientation, event over by 11 p.m., no loud amplified music. All was agreed to.

On the day of the wrestling, this arrangement fell apart a little. Park staff Eroca Nicols had to stand beside the money person all evening to make sure that payment was voluntary. Negotiations about the amplified music settled on only amplified announcements, no music – but those announcements could be heard inside every house in the neighborhood. The show started an hour late.

Still, there were lots of neighborhood people who came, and lots of new people too, who don’t usually use the park. The rink house changeroom, so often full of dancers or parade marshals or theatre people outside of rink season, was full of wrestlers waiting for their slot. There were moments of good fun.

At the end it wasn’t so good. The last fight involved throwing chairs and smashing fluorescent glass tubes over wrestlers’ heads. One of the two final wrestlers, not a young man, had been seen drinking earlier. At the end of the match, he was lying on the floor of the ring, knocked out, and the blood was more than ketchup. When it was over, the spectators left, the rink lights went off, the ring was disassembled and trucked away. The “loser” refused to go to the hospital, after he came back into consciousness, but hobbled to a truck, groaning, leaning on his escort. The “winner” of the final match, who was also the organizer of the whole show, had to clean up almost solo. At the end he was bundling the sound system into his rented van in the dark, groaning from where the flying chairs had hit him, while the park staff swept up the broken bits of fluorescent tubes. Show business sure looked unappealing that night! And now we really know that pro-wrestling doesn’t fit into the park.


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