May 1


THIS WEEK’S IMAGE:  Forsythia Festival, Wellesley Park

CABBAGETOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS

OPEN HOUSES
Click here for more details about Open Houses in our neighbourhood.

A BIG WEEKEND
FRIDAY MAY 2 TO SUNDAY MAY 4

The Forsythia Festival
It happens on Sunday.  The Weather Network is calling for a sunny, warm day with a chance for “isolated showers”.  Wear your yellow clothes and enjoy the official launch of Spring in Cabbagetown with your friends and neighbours.  Here’s the Festival timetable:
·      10 am – meet at Riverdale Park, Sumach & Winchester
·      10:30 am - parade along Winchester, Sackville, Carlton, Sumach and Wellesley. 
·      11 am to 3 pm – Wellesley Park (east end of Wellesley Street).  Pony rides, entertainment with Sonshine & Broccoli and the Perry White jazz trio, Pizza Pizza’s bouncy castle, the Steam Whistle beer garden and hot dogs, hamburgers and pulled pork at the St James Town Steak & Chops bbq.  There’ll be a tree planting with ReLeaf, a demo by the Eagle Tae Kwon Do academy and major prizes in the raffle draws.

Jane’s Walk
On the weekend, over 130 walks happen across Toronto, many in our neighbourhood.  Local nature walks include a history of Rosedale Valley. Anti-poverty activist Gaetan Heroux is back with his special perspectives about Allan Gardens, rebuilding Regent Park and a poor people’s history of east Toronto. There are history walks about rebel mayors, the Ward, influential journalists and editors, and three centuries of Corktown.  Modern city builders will tell you about school gardens, parks, art and sculpture, noise pollution on the waterfront, the West Don Lands and Pan Am district.  Click here (and then scroll to Ward 27 and Ward 28) to find all of these and more local walks. 

Pam’s environment day
Councillor Pam McConnell hosts her annual environment day in Lower Sherbourne Park (south of the Esplanade at Frederick) on Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.  You can drop off unwanted household goods, paint, hazardous goods, computers and electronic parts.  If your garden needs compost, you can pick up a load here.  It’s all free. 

The Goodlife Toronto Marathon
On Sunday, thousands of runners will come thundering along Rosedale Valley Road, Bayview, Lower River, King, Sumach, Eastern Avenue and then Front Street.  Local roads will be closed from 8 am to 11 or 11:30 am.  Check here for the specifics about each street closure.  

CONTACT
Scotiabank’s huge photography festival takes place in various locations across Toronto from May 2 to 31, including Cabbagetown, Corktown, Riverdale, the Distillery and other nearby galleries.  For a full listing, click here.  
·      In Cabbagetown, Nigel Dickson’s work is at Jet Fuel (519 Parliament).
·      In the Distillery, Andres Marroquin Winkelmann is at the Corkin Gallery (7 Tank House Ln), Israeli photographers Deganit Berest and Shai Kremer are at Julie M Gallery (15 Mill St), ten photographers explore artifacts, architecture and culture at PROOF Gallery (15 Case Goods Ln) and eight photographers look out into the natural world at Arta Gallery (14 Distillery Ln)
·      Ian Brown’s photographs show deterioration and adaptation in Detroit at the Evergreen Brickworks (550 Bayview) and CAPIC’s group exhibition is at Todmorden Mills (67 Pottery Rd).
·      In Riverdale, Elaine Chan-Dow’s large images show the interiors of historic libraries at IX Gallery (11 Davies Ave), Nicolette Potter’s selection of nudes at Spazio Dell’Arte (400 Eastern Ave) and Graham French in Dimensions Gallery (732 Queen E)
·      In Corktown, Eric Weiner’s Remarkable Day is at Vistek (496 Queen E), Anna Keenan and Lucy Snyder are at Urban Gallery (400 Queen E), I HeART Regent Park is a group show in the main gallery at the Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas E), alumni, staff and students show their work at Inglenook Community School (19 Sackville St N), and contemporary Iran photographers are displayed at Queen Gallery (382 Queen E)

NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS

Kendall re-opens
Kendall’s store-wide reno is finally finished.  To celebrate, Kendall is having a rug sale.  Until May 18, you can buy one rug and get a second one for 40% off.  There`s lots of choice including new styles – click here to see wool, outdoor and rounds.  Team up with your family and friends to share the savings! (Sorry – this offer isn`t valid with discounted rugs or other promo offers.)  Open Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday 11 am to 5 pm. Kendall & Co, 227 Carlton.

ArtHeart’s special evening
ArtHeart Community Art Centre (585 Dundas E, Suite 210) is having an evening full of great food from Toronto’s new food trucks and great music by emerging musicians and artists.  Wear your favourite jeans.  Bring your friends.  Renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky will be a featured guest.  It’s a fundraiser – tickets are $150. Volunteers who wish to help with fundraising are needed.  Local businesses can make an important contribution with their gifts.   May 6, 6:30 to 9:30 pm, Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas E).  Contact emma.metivier@gmail.com

Welcome David Blackmore
The Cabbagetown BIA has hired an experienced organizer to be its new coordinator.  David Blackmore has served recently at both the Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre and UforChange.  Best wishes, David – the BIA needs to regain its energy and its role as an important community group

Cabbagetown Festival
There are rumours running around that the BIA is about to delegate the organization and management of its Cabbagetown Festival activities to Lido Chilelli, the Executive Director of the Beaches International Jazz Festival.  If this is true, it’s a good idea.  Festival participants will undoubtedly welcome someone who knows how to run the show and it’s also time for someone who brings new ideas.  (Two suggestions for you Lido – bring back the parade and ignore the whining about the cost.)

Regent Park in Regent Park
Photo: Jack Landau
The new central park in Regent Park is being built now and it should open in the early summer.  Urban Toronto has a comprehensive photo essay about the park and each of its elements.  Click here to read about it.  

Winchester Square Garden
Photo: Victoria Hadden
The garden is a joint project between Central Neighbourhood House and the neighbourhood residents. It`s designed for people who want to plant and grow food in the boxes in the parkette.  It was a success last year and this year’s efforts are a great sign for more success.   Gardeners from Aberdeen Avenue and Ontario Street were out last weekend to prep the boxes and plant their first crop.  They did all of this after pitching in on Aberdeen and Ontario to sweep the streets and lanes in the city’s Clean-up Day.

Community yard sale
Cabbagetown South Residents have plans for a big neighbourhood-wide yard sale.  Residents living between Parliament and Sherbourne, from Carlton south to Shuter are included.  Bring your stuff out to your own front yard on Saturday May 24 from 9 am to 3 pm.  If you have plenty of goodies but no space, then the front yard at Central Neighbourhood House (349 Ontario) is available for you.  The association will be advertising the event with signage and on websites and blogs.  If you want to join and to be part of the advertising, please register by May 20.  It`s free for all eligible residents.  To sign up, click here.  

Summer dance programs
The School of CCDT has three summer programs for young dancers ready for registration.  From June 30 to July 18, Sun Dance (for ages 8 to 20) is offered with the Royal Academy of Dance and it’s the only summer program in the world to combine RAD ballet and Limon Modern. Ignite (ages 15 to 22) is a six day choreographic residency with TOES for dance.  It’s offered from July 21 to 26.  From July 28 to August 1, Summer Arts (ages 4 to 8) has an exciting mix of creative dance, arts and music.  For more detail and registration forms for each program, click here.

RESTAURANTS & CLUBS

Dinner for a cure
The Irv (195 Carlton) is hosting a fundraising event to help with a cure for ALS.  Tickets are $49.99 and they include an appetizer, a prime rib dinner, dessert and a pint of The Irv’s light ale. It’ll be a fun night with a silent auction, raffles, live entertainment and appearances by NHL legends Johnnie Bower and Bernie Nicholls.  Saturday May 3 from 6 pm.  Call (647) 350-4787 or email regan@theirvpub.ca

Duncan Fremlin & Whiskey Jack
Whiskey Jack makes a matinee appearance on Saturday afternoon from 5 to 8 pm at The Flying Beaver (488 Parliament).  Dan Sharp is a Whiskey Jack fan and Duncan Fremlin likes to quote him to describe the band, ``sometimes bawdy and whimsical, often laugh-out-loud absurd and always mercurial``.   $10/advance tickets and $15/door. Have dinner along with the show - dinner patrons get priority seating for the performances.  Call Heather at (647) 347-6567 or buy advance tickets online.

Winemaker`s night at Gilead Café
Every Wednesday night through to June 25, Gilead is holding a special Winemaker`s Night.  Curated by Jeff Connell, local winemakers will present their wines and each meal will be designed to match them.  Tawse Winery is the featured guest for next week, Wednesday May 7.  Reservations at (647) 288-0680. 

Cyril`s cooking classes
Cyril is now planning Merryberry`s next round of Tuesday night cooking classes.  He`s looking at two themes, ``Mighty quinoa`` and ``Cooking with tea``.  He`s asking us to express our preferences – drop by the restaurant (559 Parliament), call him at (647) 348-0411, contact him on Facebook or email him at cyril@merryberry.ca

Joanne Kates Top 100
Kates`s list of outstanding Toronto restaurants is the bible for foodies.  Two Cabbagetown venues have reappeared there:  F`Amelia (12 Amelia) is number 38 on the list and Kingyo (51B Winchester) is 72.  Congrats to both.  Check out her full list here.  

Mother`s Day
It`s time now to make reservations for Mother`s Day, Sunday May 11.  Restaurants are preparing their brunch and dinner menus.  There`ll be more info available next week so watch here for help with your plans.
F`Amelia (12 Amelia)  is offering two different three-course menus – one for kids ($17) and another for grown-ups ($35).  For adults, appetizers include arugula salad, zucchini soup or beef carpaccio.  The entrees are green risotto, spinach, zucchini, wild onions & parmigiano reggiano, or pappardelle with thyme and rosemary braised rabbit, honey mushrooms and black kale, or linguini with mussels & clams, chili oil, lemon juice and garlic oil or cavatelli with wild mushrooms, panchetta and fresh marjoram.  For dessert, there`s tiramisu, lemon tart, or honey and pine nut tart.  For kids, there`s a fruit plate to start followed by cavatelli with butter & parmigiano reggiano or tomato sauce and 2 scoops of house made gelato - choice of vanilla, chocolate or Stracciatella.  Reservations at (416) 323-0666
Photo: Toronto Life
Paintbox Bistro (535 Dundas E) has planned an all-you-can-eat brunch for $25 and a champagne bar.  For your reservations, call (647) 748-0555.
Dominion on Queen (500 Queen E) has booked the Wintergarten Orchestra from 4:30 pm.  It`s a big band jazz experience.

CLUBS & PUBS – DAILY LISTINGS

THURSDAY MAY 1 TO SUNDAY MAY 11

Contact info
Alice’s Place, 554 Parliament St, (647) 931-9088
Dominion on Queen, 500 Queen St E, (416) 368-6893, www.dominiononqueen.com
The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St, (647) 347-6567, www.pubaret.com
Gilead Café & Wine Bar, 4 Gilead Place, (647) 288-0680, http://www.jamiekennedy.ca/
House on Parliament, 454 Parliament St, (416) 925-4074, www.facebook.com/pages/House-on-Parliament
The Irv, 195 Carlton Street, (647) 350-4787, https://www.facebook.com/theirvpub
The Local GEST, 424 Parliament St, (416) 961-9425, https://www.facebook.com/thelocalgest
Merryberry, 559 Parliament, www.merryberry.ca
Mill Street Beer Hall, 21 Tank House Ln (Distillery), (416) 681-0338, Facebook and http://toronto.millstreetbrewpub.ca/
Paintbox Bistro, 555 Dundas St E, (647) 748-0555, www.paintboxbistro.ca
Stout Irish Pub, 221 Carlton St, (647) 344-7676, www.stoutirishpub.ca
Under the Table, 568 Parliament St, (647) 351-1533

If there's a cover charge or tickets are sold, we’ve listed the prices. Otherwise, the event is free.

THURSDAY MAY 1

Dominion on Queen
7 pm, Wee Folk Club, $10
Flying Beaver
7 pm, Pubstumpers Trivia League hosted by Cajo, no cover
9:30 pm, Karaoke with Cajo, no cover
Local GEST
9 pm, Open mic with Porter

FRIDAY MAY 2

Dominion on Queen
9 pm, The Caribbean Jazz Connection with Joaquim Nunez Hidalgo
Flying Beaver
7 pm, One & done comedy show, $5/advance & $10/door
9 pm, Paul Bellini “Liar, liar, pants on fire”, no cover

SATURDAY MAY 3

Dominion on Queen
9 pm, Toronto guitar icon Paul James with a full band
Flying Beaver
5 pm, Whiskey Jack (unplugged), $10/advance & $15/door
9 pm, Emily Raquel sings
The Irv
9 pm, Bob Irvine Fund for ALS cure, Dinner for a cure, $49.99
Paintbox Bistro
8 pm, Quinn C Martin & Cole Zeldin, “Ameriquinn Hustle”, $20

SUNDAY MAY 4

Alice’s Place
4 pm, Karaoke
Dominion on Queen
3:30 pm, Dirty Dishes
Flying Beaver
7:30 pm, Barb Scheffler with Scott Pietrangelo. “Songs in the key of love”,  $15/advance & $20/door
Local GEST
4:30 pm, Sunday jazz with Sherie Marshall, Artie Ross & Mike Cado
Mill Street Beer Hall
1 pm, Jazz brunch with Tyler Yarema

MONDAY MAY 5

Stout Irish Pub
7:30 pm, Nerd Night pub quiz

TUESDAY MAY 6

Dominion on Queen
8:30 pm, Hot Club of Corktown “Django Jam”
9:30 pm Screen Composers Guild
Stout Irish Pub
7:30 pm, Nerd Night pub quiz

WEDNESDAY MAY 7

Alice’s Place
9 pm, Karaoke
Dominion on Queen
8 pm, Corktown Ukele Jam
Flying Beaver
7 pm, Legendary comedian Karen Williams with a benefit for “The Healing Place”, $20/advance & $25/door
Gilead Café
Meet the winemaker at Winemaker’s Night with Tawse Winery
The Local GEST
7:30 pm, Trivia night

THURSDAY MAY 8

Dominion on Queen
9 pm, Richard Smyth & Donna O’Connor, double CD release party
Flying Beaver
7 pm, Pubstumpers Trivia League hosted by Cajo, no cover
9:30 pm, Karaoke with Cajo, no cover
The Local GEST
7 pm, A night of art & music with Jeff Barnes & Noah Zacharin and art by Adam Connolly & Jony Somoza
Paintbox
8 pm, TripHop pianist Denis Shingh, $10

FRIDAY MAY 9

Flying Beaver
7 pm, Canadian Music Week three-way event with singer song writers Dominique Fricot, Sarah Hiltz & Mike Celia,  pwyw

SATURDAY MAY 10

Dominion on Queen
Brunch, Dixon Hall Fundraiser
8:30 pm, VBlues with the Chaser Band
Flying Beaver
7 pm, Amber McLean’s Pubaret debut, pwyc
8:30 pm, The Pink Turf welcome party
The Irv
9 pm, Frank Ryan’s vocals and acoustics
Local GEST
10 pm, DJ Mike Reid “Half way to Halloween party”
Paintbox
6 pm, dinner. Two sets, 8 & 9:30 pm, JPEC’s piano plus, “The Nearness of You” with Joe Sealy, Cindy Church & George Koller, $20

SUNDAY MAY 11

Alice’s Place
4 pm, Karaoke
Dominion on Queen
4:30 pm, The Wintergarten Orchestra
Local GEST
4:30 pm, Sunday jazz
Mill Street Beer Hall
1 pm, Jazz brunch with Tyler Yarema