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News 2006
News 2006
- February
- April
- June
- July
- August
- September
- Special Events In September
- Yoga With Dufferin Mall Youth Services
- Free Prenatal Yoga And Campfire In The Park
- Friday Night Supper Dinner Dance
- Annual Neighborhood Street Fair
- Pugalug Gathering
- Pow Wow
- Notice Of Public Meeting About Community-Built Composting Toilet
- Public Meeting About Community-Built Composting Toilet
- St Annes Church Flower Event
- One Time Only Wrestling Show
- Special Events In September
- October
- November
- December
February
posted February 13, 2006
Laura Berman Photographic Exibit: Seasons at Dufferin Grove
February 24 - March 11, 2006 in the Rinkhouse
Karl Bechmann will be playing jazz piano at the show opening - Friday Night Dinner in the rinkhouse on February 24.
See Laura's website at www.greenfusephotos.com
April
posted April 4, 2006
Friday April 7, 2006: Easter egg decorating at the rink house, 4.30 to 6 p.m.
Park friend Belinda Cole will be hosting this. Tables will be set up in the rink house, with a good supply of hard-boiled eggs, paints, Easter-egg dyes, drying racks, tongs, and magic markers. Park staff will help, by providing mini-pizzas, juice, and cookies to keep the egg-decoraters’ strength up. Donations are welcome to cover the cost of materials. This event is early this year, but the eggs will keep very well in the fridge until Easter Sunday. For more information call the park at 416 392-0913.
posted April 4, 2006
Sunday April 9, 2006: Eighth annual Matzo bake at the park outdoor bake oven, 2 – 5 p.m.
Park friends Emily Paradis, Sarah Fowlie and Zio Hersh will be hosting this. From Emily:
"Celebrate Freedom! Bake Matzo! Bring the whole family to a celebration of liberation!
We provide: koshered wood fire oven, kosher matzo flour all the way from Montreal, implements used only for Passover baking, and 18 minutes to make your matzo. You provide: elbow grease, joy. Pay What You Can – suggested donation $10 per family. Games! Crafts! Freedom Stories! Queer! Straight! Jewish! Jew-ish! For info call or email Sarah and Emily at 416-588-4025 or sfowlie@sympatico.ca.
Park staff will help at the ovens, keeping them very hot. A huge thanks also to Alan Carlisle for bringing the park its oven wood (unpainted, untreated skids) donated by Downtown Lumber on Ossington.
June
posted June 8, 2006
Dancing In The Park, Step One
Tuesdays and Wednesdays,4 to 6 p.m.
Many of the people who work at the park have other “hats” that they wear as well. Park staff Eroca Nicols, as lots of park friends know, is a dancer currently studying with Ballet Creole. When park staff Ted Carlisle, who is also a DJ, presented a DJ on Ice day at the end of February, lots of people danced (on the ice, with or without skates). That was so much fun that Eroca began to plan with Ted, for summer dancing in the park.
So this is the summer to try it. Eroca says there are so many wonderful group dances/ line dances/ square dances in all the cultures of the world, and she wants to introduce some of them in the park, with the help of park kids. So the park is offering free children’s dance classes every Tuesday and Wednesday all summer long at the park. Then on one Friday each month (July, August, September, maybe October if the weather is still good), Eroca and Ted and will host a D.J.’d dance on the rink pad, for everyone, after Friday Night Supper. The dance class kids will teach everyone (adults too) who want to learn the traditional group dance of that month and then Ted will spin all sorts of other music too.
The sessions are:
- Tuesdays:
- Ages 5 and under, 4:00pm-4:30pm.
- Ages 6-8, 4:45pm-5:30pm
- Wednesdays:
- Ages 9-12, 4:00pm-4:45pm.
- All Ages Dance/Instrument Jam 4:45pm-5:45pm
From Eroca:
All classes will be in front of the playground gazebo. Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring water to class. Thanks to all who came to the first week of classes, And for your patience with the age group/schedule experiment. If anyone has kid friendly instruments (maracas, tambourines, percussive noisemakers of any kind) and would like to donate them please contact Eroca or drop them by during the All Ages Jam on Wednesday between 4:45pm and 5:45pm.
To find out more or to sign up, call the park at 416 392-0913 and leave a message, or e-mail Eroca at staff@dufferinpark.ca.
posted June 14, 2006
Rummage Sale & Community Fair
HUGE RUMMAGE SALE
&
COMMUNITY FAIR
SATURDAY JUNE 17th
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
DUFFERIN GROVE PARK
(South of Bloor)
>> Books, toys, clothes, dishes, and much much more !
>> Craft tables
>> Food tasting
>> Drumming Music by: Nkrumah’s Squad
>> Tai Chi in the park
ALL FOR A CHARITABLE CAUSE IN SUPPORT OF
WORKING WOMEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
posted June 8, 2006
The Third Annual Cooking Fire Theatre Festival
Wednesday, June 14th – Sunday, June 18th, 2006
From director Kate Cayley:
“We are pleased to announce the third annual Cooking Fire Theatre Festival, a weeklong performance extravaganza celebrating theatre, food and public space in Toronto's Dufferin Grove Park. Companies from Toronto, Victoria , Halifax and New York City will present original work that promises to delight, provoke, and inspire. Each evening, Toronto's Number Eleven Theatre will lead the audience from site to site throughout the park to see performances ranging from an ancient Japanese folktale to a modern cowboy musical, from grand spectacles to intimate puppet pieces.
Delicious organic meals will be served to the audience over cooking fires and from Dufferin Grove Park's two wood-fired outdoor community bake ovens. Dan DeMatteis, who cooked at the park in years past but now works for Jamie Kennedy, will be back just for that week to work with the park cooks. Building on the success of the last two years, this year's Cooking Fire Theatre Festival will offer the experience of enchanting and challenging theatre, wonderful food and the beginning of summer.”
The schedule:
Zuppa Circus Theatre (Halifax) Open Theatre Kitchen: all possible futures – 6:30 PM
In a kitchen in the desert, a couple desires a child so deeply that they imagine one into existence. Equal parts human, part onion, mischief and mythology, the child transforms and threatens the life they have made. Presented by celebrated Halifax company Zuppa Circus, this new piece is a generous, wild theatrical feast celebrating a relentless appetite for the world. www.zuppacircus.com
Drama of Works (New York City) On the Backs of Fishes – 8 PM nightly
Part two of their epic puppet drama Warrior, On the Backs of Fishes tells the story of Jingo, the warrior empress of Japan, and uses marionettes, rod puppets, overhead projections and storytelling. On the Backs of Fishes won an award for Original Adaptation at the World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague. Drama of Works is an experimental puppet company, and company-in-residence at New York City's HERE Arts Centre. www.dramaofworks.com
Theatre SKAM (Victoria) Billy Nothin' – 8:30 PM nightly
Trapped in a world of leather chaps and cowboy boots, five Wild West characters collide, encountering murder, metamorphosis, and mayhem alongside a meta-whore who may or may not have the answers to set them free. This cowboy musical, presented by the wildly popular BC company, is a quintessential Western with more twists than a lasso. www.skam.ca
Stranger Theatre (Toronto) Käthe Kollwitz – 9:45 PM nightly
A new piece using marionettes, shadow puppetry and toy theatre, based on the life and work of German printmaker and sculptor Käthe Kollwitz, her depiction of life in working class Berlin, and her struggles as a pacifist in Nazi Germany. www.strangertheatre.ca
Performances begin at 6:30 PM every night and dinner is served from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Admission is pay-what-you-can ($10 suggested contribution).
posted June 8, 2006
Dufferin Grove Park Summer Craft Fair
Sunday June 18, 11 – 4 p.m.
DUFFERIN GROVE PARK SUMMER CRAFT FAIR Sunday June 18, 11 – 4 p.m. organized by Gladstone Ave. resident Abbey Huggan. She writes:
“we’ll have a variety of crafts and art on offer at this event: all *hand-made* by the person who is selling them, and with a priority for people whose craft is not their profession (at least not yet).”
If you fit that description and you want to sell at the fair, you can contact Abbey by e-mailing her at abbeyhuggan@yahoo.ca.
Wed June 14 - Sun June 18, 2006
The Cooking Fire Theatre Festival is returning for the third year, from June 14 - June 18, 2006 at Dufferin Grove Park. See material from last year: Cooking Fire Theatre Festival, 2005. And they now have their own web address: www.cookingfire.ca, which will soon be brimming with information about the event.
posted March 19, 2006
Day of Delight Returns for 2006 (Fourth Season)
Sunday June 18, 2006
David Anderson of Clay and Paper Theatre has confirmed that Day of Delight will return to the park this summer on Sunday, June 18, 2006. We'll post more information as we get it.
Jully
Back II Basiks, Photographer: David Hou
posted July 10, 2006
Dusk Dances 2006 (seventh season)
Tues July 11 - Sun July 16
Community Dinner at 6:30, Band Starts at 7:00 Dance starts at 7:30
Dancer: Angela Del Sol
Designer: Nigel Skinner
Photographer: Gary Mulcahey
Dusk Dances 2006 - Toronto Season CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Dufferin Grove Park: July 11 - 16 It takes a village to run Dusk Dances... We are looking for volunteers for the Dufferin Grove Park season of Dusk Dances. If you would like to help out for one night, from 5:30pm -9:30pm, please contact our Park Co-ordinator, Molly Johnson, at jollymohnson@hotmail.com or on 416 536 0042. Visit www.duskdances.ca
Dufferin Grove Park, July 11 - 16
On Dufferin, south of Bloor
Featuring opening band Grupo Capoeira Mâles; new dance commissions from Nova Bhattacharya/Louis Laberge-Côté, Little Pear Garden Collevtive and Lucy Rupert; plus works from Montreal's Roger Sinha and Solid State.
Hosted by Lisa Ann Ross Band starts at 7pm, Dance starts at 7:30pm
Pay-What-You-Can
See a review in the July 12 Toronto Star: Red shorts in the sunset. (But note that the show only runs to July 16 at Dufferin Grove Park).Post-show artist talk-back: July 12
Reel Dance Screenings and DJ Zahra: July 13, 14 and 15, after the dance (www.movingpicturesfestival.com)
Info-line: 416 504 6429 ex 41
“Gather to the sound of live music at twilight and stroll between dances that dot the grounds like whimsical new forms of greenery.”
Toronto Life Dusk Dances is also touring to regional Ontario centres in 2006 - Kingston, Manitoulin Island, Chatham, Haliburton and Deep River. Fore more information, visit www.duskdances.ca.
Dusk Dances is generously funded by Ontario's Trillium Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council and Canadian Heritage.
See a Picture Gallery from the 2004 season.
posted April 1, 2006
Cooking Fire Theatre Festival announces its line-up for 2006. Read more >>.
Digest of Events Planned Early
posted February 14, 2006
Dusk Dances Returns for 2006 (Seventh Season)
July 11-16, 2006
The ever popular and wonderful Dusk Dances is coming back to Dufferin Grove Park July 11-16, 2006. See a picture gallery from last year. Produced by Corpus.
posted March 19, 2006
Clay and Paper Theatre Returns for 2006 (Eleventh Season)
July 19 - August 20, 2006
Clay and Paper Theatre, with its amazing puppets, is presenting a new play this year (Luís de Camões in Dufferin Grove Park) from July 19 - August 20, 2006, Tuesdays to Sundays at 7:00pm, beginning Wednesday July 19.
From the Clay and Paper Theatre website:
Narrated by the one-eyed adventurer, soldier and poet himself, Luís de Camões in Dufferin Grove Park will sing the praises of the Portuguese who have come to our community. It will fill the park air with the songs of the Fado. Gigantones and Cabeçudos (giant puppets and big head puppets) will recall and connect the Portuguese parade tradition with ours, and the smell of the barbequed sardines will mingle with the smell of fresh corn bread baked in the Dufferin Grove Park bake oven, itself inspired by the village ovens in Portugal. Read more >>
posted March 22, 2006
ART CAMP IN DUFFERIN GROVE PARK (Second Season)
JULY 31 TO AUG 4, 2006
Back by popular demand, the art camp for kids interested in making papier mache sculptures and hanging out laughing! This year's theme is "Funny things are everywhere." Aspiring artists will build and paint their ideal pet using papier mache and mixed media. Course also includes drawing and painting in the park. The day includes an hour for lunch and a swim break. Campers can take advantage of the pizza oven on days it is open, otherwise bring a lunch. Last year the campers made large wearable monster puppets and paraded across the park on the last day (see photos). The teacher is Ottawa-based multi media artist Erin Robertson, sister of Dewson St. resident Kate Robertson, and aunt to Madeleine and Isabelle. Email Gabrielle at feligab@yahoo.ca or call 416-534-5317 if you have any questions and to register. If someone is interested but can't afford the cost please contact us.
JULY 31 TO AUG 4, 2006
AGES 9 to 12
COST: $130 for the week
DROP OFF: 9 a.m.
PICK UP: 5 p.m.
Gabrielle Langlois
Photos from 2005 Art Camp | |
 |
 |
Special Events In July
posted July 4, 2006
Councillor Adam Giambrone SUMMERFEST
Saturday July 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hot dogs, lawn sale, free city compost. By the basketball court. To book a lawn sale table call the Councillor’s office at 392-7012. Toronto Fire Services will be sending their community outreach fire truck (may be called away to respond to an emergency).
posted July 4, 2006
“Portugal 2004” girls’ soccer fundraiser CAR WASH, rummage sale and BBQ
Saturday July 8, 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m
in the dead-end street by the rink house across from the Dufferin Mall lights. This group does an excellent job on your car.
posted July 4, 2006
DUSK DANCES
July 11 – 16. Band starts at 7pm, dance starts at 7:30pm. (Dinner at the oven from 6.30 to 7.30)
New works from Toronto artists Nova Bhattacharya and Louis Laberge-Côté; William Lau; and Lucy Rupert and choreographies from Montreal’s Roger Sinha and Solid State.
Opening band: Grupo Capoeira Malês
Artist Talkback: July 12 after the performance
The Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video and Dusk Dances Inc. present Reel Dance in Dufferin Grove Park: July 13, 14 and 15 following the performances.
posted July 4, 2006
Clay and Paper Theatre: Camões, the One-Eyed Poet of Portugal
Wednesday to Sunday, July 21 to August 13, 7:30 p.m.
Previews: Wednesday July 19 and Thursday July 20.
Opening Night: Friday July 21.
Camões, the One-Eyed Poet of Portugal is the fourth show in Clay and Paper Theatre’s program they call “Building Local Stories”, following The Resurrection of Fornax, The Ballad of Garrison Creek, and Gold all of which were written by Larry Lewis and directed by David Anderson.
From director David Anderson: “On the northwest corner of College and Crawford stands a sculpture of Luis Vas de Camoes. Many local Torontonians know that statue, but few who are not Portuguese know that he is the national poet of a nation of poets, the greatest and most beloved poet of Portugal. We hope to correct this omission. Narrated by the one-eyed adventurer, soldier and poet himself, Luis de Camoes in Dufferin Grove Park will sing the praises of the Portuguese who have come to our community. It will fill the air with the songs of the Fado. Gigantones and Cabecudos (giant puppets and big head puppets) will recall and connect the Portuguese parade tradition with ours, and the smell of the barbecued sardines will mingle with the smell of fresh corn bread baked in the Dufferin Grove Park bake oven, inspired by the village ovens in Portugal. This is a collaboration between David Anderson, Nuno Cristo, Aida Jordao, Mark Keetch and Larry Lewis.”
posted July 20, 2006
Reviews
Now magazine review, July 20, 2006
Eye Weekly Arts Week review, July 20, 2006
Toronto Star review, July 22, 2006
All Clay and Paper shows are weather dependent. Go/No-Go decisions will be made daily around 6pm. If in doubt call Clay and Paper Theatre at 416-537-9105 just before the events for information. Local forecast.
posted July 4, 2006
ART WORKSHOP for kids aged 8-12 with Gillian Tremain
Wednesday July 26, 2 - 5 p.m. at the rink house.
Gillian writes: “Marbling on paper and fabric : Come and explore this fascinating and beautiful art medium, probably first done in eighth century Japan. Classic marbling (or marbleizing) is a method of decorating paper or fabric through the manipulation of floating colours. The water-based colours are applied to the surface of a gel-like liquid and are then manipulated with combs and sticks; the print is ready to be "pulled". The children will be able to produce vivid patterns with relative ease once the basic technique has been mastered. They will see how colours in different combinations react differently to each other; I think they will also see very quickly what wonderful things they can create when there is a constant element of surprise. I'll need a minimum of 6 kids, maximum of 10 for the class to go ahead. Cost will be $30 plus a $10 materials fee, payment in full by cash or cheque the day of the class. Please wear appropriate art-making clothes! Excellent snack included, and if the weather's good, the class will be outdoors on the grass..”
To register, please e-mail Gillian at gillyt@ca.inter.net or call 416-532-0773.
posted July 4, 2006
DUFFERIN MALL YOUTH SERVICES (DMYS) SUMMER-IN-THE-PARK SERIES
Yoga in the park
every Thursday, weather permitting, 4:45-6:00.
It is open and free for youth (12-24), no registration is necessary. They usually meet between the Basketball court and Soccer field.
Theatre in the park
And here’s a schedule of youth-oriented outdoor park theatre performances from DMYS program supervisor Wolfgang Vachon:
Friday, July 7th at 1:00, in the yurt, “Trans Cab”.
“Toronto is home to Canada’s largest trans community. It is also home to one of the largest homeless populations in the country. “Trans Cab” was created by homeless and formerly homeless transgendered and transsexual individuals based upon their experiences navigating Toronto’s shelter system. Drawing upon diverse theatre styles, Trans Cab allows multiple voices to interact- including the audience- in a way that does not lose the integrity of the production.”
Monday, July 17th also at 1:00pm: Toronto Playback Theatre.
“Toronto Playback Theatre is dedicated to listening to people's stories and transforming them spontaneously into theatre. Their mission is to provide organizations with dramatic, audience-interactive performances and programs that build trust, deepen dialogue and generate opportunities for personal and professional development. Playback Theatre aims to create a ritual space where every voice and any story - however ordinary, extraordinary, hidden or difficult - might be heard and told. The Toronto Playback Theatre is committed to a theatre that values community, service, and the possibility of personal and social transformation through art.”
Monday August 14: Mixed Company Theatre: Under Pressure
...a newly developed work addressing the current trend of rising STI and HIV transmission rates among youth. This Forum Theatre production explores sexual pressures and consequences from a variety of perspectives as we observe five highschool students in their struggles with image and popularity, love and friendship, betrayal and trust. Under Pressure explores relationship negotiations and encourages students to find their own voices amidst the complex pressures faced in high school today.
Forum Theatre is issue-based and interactive and purposely presents the worst case scenario to prompt audience participation. Audience members intervene in the story, acting (as a spect-actor) in the play to create a positive alternative ending. The first part of the play is 30 minutes in length followed by the 45-minute facilitated educational program of audience interventions and topic discussions. A trained Forum Theatre facilitator (the Joker) prepares and encourages the spect-actor to replace the actors on stage and to change the story in a constructive way.
About Dufferin Mall Youth Services
Dufferin mall Youth Services program supervisor Wolfgang Vachon says that staff from the agency will be in the park throughout the summer and into the fall to connect with youth. Their services are: “culturally sensitive counselling, community support, and programming for youth age 12-24 and their families. DMYS was conceived and established as a joint community, mall, and business initiative to meet the needs of families, youth, businesses, and individuals striving to improve their communities. We are located inside Dufferin Mall in Suite 103, down the hall from HRDC and beside Abrigo. For more information call 416 535 1140.”
Regular Events in July
posted July 4, 2006
STORYTELLING IN THE YURT, with Kate Cayley
Every Wednesday afternoon 1 – 2 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m., starting Wednesday, July 12.
Everyone is welcome to come and hear stories from all around the world, with new stories each week. As the summer progresses, drama and puppetry may also be part of the Wednesday afternoons. Kate is a former staff member at the park, and is now the artistic director of The Cooking Fire Theatre Festival. She told stories by the wading pool and at pizza days for many years.
For information about the yurt, see the yurt picture gallery.
posted July 4, 2006
DANCING IN THE PARK FOR CHILDREN, with Eroca Nicols
Every Tuesday and Wednesday,4 to 6 p.m.
Park staff Eroca Nicols is a dancer, as lots of park friends know. Eroca says there are so many wonderful group dances/ line dances/ square dances in all the cultures of the world, and she wants to introduce some of them into the park, with the help of park kids. So the park is offering free children’s dance classes every Tuesday and Wednesday all summer long at the park.
The sessions are:
- Tuesdays:
- Ages 5 and under – 4:00pm-4:30pm.
- Ages 6-8 – 4:45pm-5:30pm
- Wednesdays:
- Ages 9-12 – 4:00pm-4:45pm.
- All Ages Dance/Instrument Jam 4:45pm-5:45pm.
From Eroca: “All classes will be in front of the playground gazebo. Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring water to class.”
To find out more or to sign up, call the park at 416 392-0913 and leave a message, or e-mail Eroca at staff@dufferinpark.ca.
Friday Night DJ Dance
The first dance is on Friday July 28, starting at 7.30
Park staff Ted Carlisle is also a DJ. So one Friday each month (July, August, September, maybe October if the weather is still good), Eroca and Ted and will host a FRIDAY NIGHT DJ DANCE on the rink pad, for everyone, after Friday Night Supper. The dance class kids will teach everyone (adults too) who want to learn the traditional group dance of that month and then Ted will spin all sorts of other music too. The first dance is on Friday July 21, starting at 7.30.
posted July 4, 2006
BIKE MAINTENANCE CLINIC near the farmers’ market and/or the playground
Every Thursday, 2 to 6 p.m.
Park friend Issie Chackovicz brings his tools and also his educational material about the CAN-BIKE courses he teaches. He does on-the-spot bike maintenance, with explanations. If your bike is squeaking, the handlebars are crooked, the brakes are loose, the gears don’t work right – Issie can get your bike back in shape while your kids play in the sandpit, or while you walk the dog, or come to shop at the market. He’ll charge for the work and the parts; the explanations, of how to do it yourself the next time, are free. That might get some squeaky bikes back into good condition fast, for all those busy people who can’t fit in regular maintenance trips to the bike shop.
Issie is a nationally-certified CAN-BIKE instructor. He writes: “The CAN-BIKE PROGRAM is a set of courses on all aspects of cycling safely and enjoyably on the road. The orientation is toward recreational and utilitarian use of the bicycle rather than toward competition. The CAN-BIKE courses are organized on age and 3 levels - basic, advanced and instructor. I teach all the levels including bike maintenance.”
Issie says the Can-Bike approach works for people who
(1) want to learn to ride a bike, or
(2) who already ride a bike in the city but would like to learn how not to get run over by a truck.
Issie says he can teach anyone, child or adult, to ride a bike in half an hour. That’s just getting moving. After that comes riding in your neighbourhood, then riding on main streets, than riding safely in the urban jungle. The courses are offered at various Parks and Recreation locations but Issie says there couldn’t be a better location than Dufferin Grove, with the large surface of the rink for doing figures-of-eight, and then the local-traffic-only protection of the block between the park and St.Mary’s High School. Contact: issie.chack@sympatico.ca.
August
Special Events In August
posted August 2, 2006
The Toronto Humanist movement – WORKSHOP
Saturday August 5th (2-4pm) in the rink house:
"Being an activist in the real world." [website: www.humanistmovement.ca]
posted August 2, 2006; updated August 10, 2006
Mantler
“All Caps” open-air FREE CONCERT
Saturday August 12, 2-7 p.m. In the Garrison Creek hollow by Dufferin Street.
Organized by Ryan McLaren. There will be eight youth bands, playing a great variety of music, from rock to jazz to punk music (family friendly). The Toronto Public Space Committee will have a table there, and so will “Who Runs this Town.” That’s Dave Meslin’s group, which organized the “Toronto Idol” candidate-for-City Council contest. We’ve invited the winner, and any other candidates for the upcoming municipal election this year, to stroll around during the concert and talk to young people about the issues.
See the website - www.allcaps.ca
The bands:
Neil Haverty - www.myspace.com/neilhaverty
Proof of Ghosts - www.myspace.com/proofofghosts
The Diableros - www.myspace.com/thediableros
I Can Put My Arm Back On, You Can't - www.myspace.com/icpmaboyc
Mantler - www.myspace.com/mantler
Stop Die Resuscitate - www.myspace.com/stopdieresuscitate
The Lolo Project - www.myspace.com/peterproject
See a story about this in the Toronto Star: Under-age and under-served
posted August 2, 2006
Clay and Paper Theatre SUMMER PERFORMANCES:
Camões, the One-Eyed Poet of Portugal.
Wednesday to Sunday, July 21 to August 13, 7:30 p.m.
Camões, the One-Eyed Poet of Portugal is the fourth show in Clay and Paper Theatre’s program called “Building Local Stories”, following The Resurrection of Fornax, The Ballad of Garrison Creek, and Gold all of which were written by Larry Lewis and directed by David Anderson.
From director David Anderson: “On the northwest corner of College and Crawford stands a sculpture of Luis Vas de Camões. Many local Torontonians know that statue, but few who are not Portuguese know that he is the national poet of a nation of poets, the greatest and most beloved poet of Portugal. We hope to correct this omission. Narrated by the one-eyed adventurer, soldier and poet himself, Luis de Camões in Dufferin Grove Park will sing the praises of the Portuguese who have come to our community. It will fill the air with the songs of the Fado. Gigantones and Cabecudos (giant puppets and big head puppets) will recall and connect the Portuguese parade tradition with ours. This is a collaboration between David Anderson, Nuno Cristo, Aida Jordao, Mark Keetch and Larry Lewis.”
The Bairrada Churrasqueira (at College and Rusholme) send their cook up after the show to grill delicious Portuguese sardines, served with corn bread, at the cob courtyard. Pay by donation (all proceeds go to Clay and Paper Theatre). They also give lessons in how to eat the sardines (peel them off the bone, bit by bit).
posted August 2, 2006
Something brand new at Dufferin Grove: WRESTLING SHOW.
Thursday August 24, 7 – 9 p.m. On the rink.
There will be various wrestling acts, such as the Italianos versus Motor City Assassins, Magnus the Punisher versus Big Daddy Hammer, and many others. There are also midget wrestlers (Farmer Pete versus El Tigre) and lady wrestlers (Ladies’ Champ LuFisto versus Sexxxy Eddie). The finale may involve quite a bit of ketchup. This is a fund-raiser for a dog-adoption shelter called “adopt a dog - save a life.” By donation.
This is a chance for Dufferin Grove to get even more diverse than it already is. For that one evening, the skateboarders will have to yield their place to the wrestlers, on the pleasure-skating side of the rink.
Produced by www.strangleholdwrestling.com.
posted August 2, 2006
FRIDAY NIGHT DJ DANCE
Friday August 25, 7 to 9 p.m.
with DJ and park staff Ted Carlisle. On the grass beside the basketball court. Eroca Nicols will teach a traditional dance of some kind and after that Ted will spin all sorts of other music too.
posted August 2, 2006
CHILDREN’S THEATRE
Friday August 25 and Saturday August 26, 8:30pm
A new theatre company called the “Maboroschi Orchestra” presents shadow puppet show, The Man with the Wolf in his Belly. 8.30 p.m. by the playground gazebo. Livia Berius and Stuart Wiber are both recent graduates of the National Theatre School in Montreal. They’re touring this show, adapted from a story by German Saravanja, to various parks this summer (including our sister park, MacGregor). Dufferin Grove is their last stop. The show lasts half an hour and then kids are welcome to come backstage and see how shadow puppets work. Admission is free and donations are welcome.
posted August 2, 2006
DANCE
Sunday September 3, 4 p.m. on the basketball court
The annual get-together of the Morris Dancers. Organized by John Parkinson. On the basketball court. This event is a party for all the various Toronto Morris Dancing groups, plus some out of town groups. It’s always held on Labour Day weekend. The groups come together at Dufferin Grove after they’ve danced all over the city. They have an “ale” inside the rink house along with pizza at the oven and lots of park oven bread and herb butter. The point of the get-together is so that groups can show off their latest dances to one another. They welcome anyone else who wants to watch, and they are generous about sharing their food. They’re not allowed to share the ale, though.
REGULAR SUMMER AFTERNOON PARK ACTIVITIES IN AUGUST (FREE)
Arie's morning glories climbing the
chain link fence by the rink house
posted August 2, 2006
DANCING IN THE PARK FOR CHILDREN.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon,4 to 6 p.m.
Park staff Eroca Nicols is a dancer, as lots of park friends know. Eroca says there are so many wonderful group dances/ line dances/ square dances in all the cultures of the world, and she wants to introduce some of them into the park, with the help of park kids. So the park is offering free children’s dance classes every Tuesday and Wednesday all summer long at the park.
The sessions are:
- Tuesdays:
- Ages 5 and under – 4:00pm-4:30pm.
- Ages 6-8 – 4:45pm-5:30pm
- Wednesdays:
- Ages 9-12 – 4:00pm-4:45pm.
- All Ages Dance/Instrument Jam 4:45pm-5:45pm.
From Eroca: “All classes will be in front of the playground gazebo. Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring water to class.” To find out more or to sign up, call the park at 416 392-0913 and leave a message, or e-mail Eroca at info@dufferinpark.ca
posted August 2, 2006
BUILDING WITH CLAY
Tuesday afternoon, 1 to 3 pm by the wading pool
with Kate Cayley.
posted August 2, 2006
STORYTELLING IN THE PARK
Wednesday afternoon, 1 to 3 pm
...with Kate Cayley. Near the playground. Everyone is welcome to come and hear stories from all around the world, with new stories each week. As August progresses, drama and puppetry may also be part of the Wednesday afternoons. Kate is a former staff member at the park, and is now the artistic director of The Cooking Fire Theatre Festival. She told stories by the wading pool and at pizza days for many years.
posted August 2, 2006
COB-BUILDING
Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 3.30pm
with Georgie Donais, Jenny Cook, and lots of others. Help build a park bench that looks like an old tree; find out how to make an earth-bag foundation; and (later in August) make a little composting-toilet enclosure with bas-relief sculptures. For more information: cob@dufferinpark.ca. See the dufferin park cob courtyard subsite for details about cob.
posted August 14, 2006
See a review of this project in the National Post: Park goes arty with compost toilet
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posted August 13, 2006 7 a.m. by the cob gardens | |
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posted August 2, 2006
TRADITIONAL CAMPFIRE COOKING
Thursday afternoon, 1 to 3 pm
with park staff Anna Bekerman. By the cob wall. Cook scones, fritters, dovladas, tortillas. Children too.
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Anna cooking blue corn pancakes at the Saturday afternoon campfire: | |
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posted August 2, 2006
Thursday Stories For Children
Thursday 4-5 pm at the farmers’ market
Stories for children with April and Daniel.
posted August 2, 2006
BIKE MAINTENANCE CLINIC
Thursdays (except NOT Aug.10 and 17), 2 to 6 p.m. near the farmers’ market.
Park friend Issie Chackovicz brings his tools and also his educational material about the CAN-BIKE courses he teaches. He does on-the-spot bike maintenance, with explanations. If your bike is squeaking, the handlebars are crooked, the brakes are loose, the gears don’t work right – Issie can get your bike back in shape while your kids play in the sandpit, or while you walk the dog, or come to shop at the market. He’ll charge for the work and the parts; the explanations, of how to do it yourself the next time, are free. That might get some squeaky bikes back into good condition fast, for all those busy people who can’t fit in regular maintenance trips to the bike shop.
posted August 2, 2006
STILTWALKING
Friday afternoon, 1 to 3 pm (except August 4):
with park staff Sandy Gribbin. Sandy does physical theatre when he’s not working at the park. He has four pairs of stilts for kids who want to try being taller.
posted August 2, 2006
Saturdays
Those are just lazy afternoons, but there’s often a surprise activity of some kind, since the park staff have many talents. You can also borrow a volleyball, chess and checker pieces are set up, and once in a while there’s croquet.
posted August 2, 2006
BEACH BLANKET BINGO
Sundays 1 to 3pm
That’s the time for Eroca Nicols’ BEACH BLANKET BINGO. Everyone welcome.
posted August 2, 2006
DUFFERIN MALL YOUTH SERVICES (DMYS)
Yoga in the park
every Thursday, weather permitting, 4:45-6:00.
It is open and free for youth (12-24), no registration is necessary, between the basketball court and soccer field.
Dufferin mall Youth Services program supervisor Wolfgang Vachon says that staff from the agency will be in the park throughout the summer and into the fall to connect with youth. Their services are: “culturally sensitive counselling, community support, and programming for youth age 12-24 and their families. DMYS was conceived and established as a joint community, mall, and business initiative to meet the needs of families, youth, businesses, and individuals striving to improve their communities. We are located inside Dufferin Mall in Suite 103, down the hall from HRDC and beside Abrigo. For more information call 416 535 1140.”
September
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.
October
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
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
November
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.
December
posted November 29, 2006
Winter Craft Fair Sunday December 10, 2006
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.