May 14


This week’s image: building a new pool in Wellesley Park

CABBAGETOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD REVIEW

OPEN HOUSES
There’ll be an open house at 6 Wellesley Cottages on Saturday.  For details, click here.  

LOCAL NEWS

Memorials for Scott Hunter
On Friday May 15, visitation (2 to 4 pm) and the funeral service (4 pm) for Scott will take place at the Cattel, Eaton & Chambers Funeral Home, 53 Main St, Dundas, Ontario. Later that evening, a celebration of Scott’s life will happen at An Sibin Pub (709 Queen E, Toronto) – open for the public from 10 pm.

Digging up Parliament Street
Enbridge has started construction to repair and replace a gas pipe under Parliament Street.  The Cabbagetown BIA asked Enbridge to delay the work until the Fall to give local business people an adequate chance to adjust to the disruption. The company, in turn, told the BIA that it considers the work urgent because of the poor condition of the current pipe and it wants to get the job done prior to the Pan Am Games. 

ROMWalks start this weekend
The season’s first ROMWalk takes place on Sunday May 17 from 2 pm, starting at the corner of Parliament and Winchester. The walk will cover Cabbagetown North.  On Wednesday May 20, the second walk goes through Cabbagetown South.  Meet at Parliament and Spruce at 6 pm.  The third walk is through the Necropolis on Sunday May 31 from 2 pm and the starting place is the cemetery gates. These are all free events.
There’ll be three more chances to do each walk – in June, July, August and September.  There’ll also be walks through the Distillery.  All of these walks will be listed just before they occur.
The Museum has an online brochure about all of its walks here.  

Wellesley Park gets a facelift
The old wading pool in Wellesley Park has been removed and construction has started on a new splash pad.  Work will continue for about a month.  After that, there’ll be a pause while the concrete in the pool cures.  Once it’s ready, the concrete will be given an acrylic finish with a decorative motif by Norval Morrisseau called Grandchildren, Birds & Butterflies.  Thanks go out to Trish Finkelstein and the Cabbagetown Residents Association for helping to arrange the Morrisseau artwork.

Noise from the Regent Park Energy Centre
There’s a cooling tower on the roof at the Regent Park Community Energy Centre (252 Sackville) that emits a powerful hum.  People as far north as Winchester Street have heard it and complained about it.  It is, of course, worse for residents living north of Gerrard.  For five years, local people have consulted with TCHC, the Daniels Corporation and Councillor Pam McConnell.  There have been studies, procedures with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, more studies and now, finally, Toronto Community Housing is almost – almost - ready to hire a company to install noise abatement equipment.  For an informative glimpse into the Kafkaesque world of TCHC decision-making, check out the residents’ website.  

Winchester Square gardens
The garden boxes in Winchester Square (Ontario at Aberdeen) have been prepped and they’re ready for the 2015 plantings.  The gardening committee will go to work at 10 am Saturday.  Everyone welcome. Check out the garden’s Facebook page – the gardeners obviously have a good time.  

Rug sales and new styles
Kendall & Co (514 Parliament) is offering selected rugs at 15% off until May 25.  They’re available in wool or outdoors, for your home and cottage.  New rug styles have also just arrived.  Check them all out online or at the store, 10 am to 6 pm weekdays and 11 am to 5 pm Saturdays.  

Cabbagetown Cycling Club
This week’s Sunday Club Ride will roll out from Jet Fuel (519 Parliament) at 7:30 am.  Everybody needs to have a club waiver.  It’ll be a 2-3 hour ride.  There are also regular Club Rides on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and a Women’s Ride on Wednesday mornings. The Club keeps its members and contacts informed by emails.  If you’re interested, contact Wil Mills at cabbagetowncycling@gmail.com.

Brenda’s classes
Brenda has scheduled her Zumba and Step classes at the CYC (2 Lancaster) for the rest of May.   Please note that classes for Sunday May 17 are cancelled.  On Wednesdays, May 20 and 27, Step classes – 9:15 am.  On Sunday May 24, a Step class will replace the regular Zumba at 11 am.  On Sunday May 31, Zumba is back at 11 am and a Step class might also happen at 10 am. 

CONTACT at the Daniels Spectrum
As part of Scotiabank’s CONTACT Photography Festival, two exhibitions are running together at The Daniel’s Spectrum (585 Dundas E).  Cosmopolis Toronto by award-winning photographer Colin Boyd Shafer portrays people from all over the world who now live in Toronto.  Dan Bergeron’s Faces of Regent Park is a series of twelve photo-based portraits of local residents.  They will become a permanent public art installation in Regent Park. To Sunday June 28, weekends 10 am to 6 pm and weekdays 8 am to 10 pm.  The opening reception is from 6 to 10 pm, Friday May 15.

Cabbagetown Preservation Association
Save the date – Tuesday May 19, 7 pm, Meeting House at Riverdale Farm (Winchester east of Sumach).  The CPA’s Annual Meeting will feature the presentation of the 2015 Peggy Kurtin Award for Excellence in Restoration plus a presentation by Harold Madi, the Director of Urban Design for the City of Toronto.  Mr Madi will talk about the rapid changes happening around Cabbagetown from the Bloor Street Viaduct to the Portlands. 

Clothing drive for Oasis Addiction Recovery Society
Daniel Bloch and Liora Tal-Bloch are organizing their second annual clothing drive.  They’re looking for gently used clothes, DVDs and toys.  Watch for a red bag being delivered to your mailbox and use it to collect your donation.  On Saturday May 23, place your red bag outside your front door after 10 am.  If you need a bag or have any questions, please call (416) 859-8649 or email info@teambloch.com. Congrats to Daniel and Liora for their generous initiative.

Cabbagetown South yard sale
A giant yard sale in Cabbagetown South is being organized for Saturday May 23 from 9 am to 3 pm (rain date is Saturday May 30).  Residents in the area between Sherbourne and Parliament, Shuter to Carlton are welcome to join the festivities.  Announcements will be made on Kijiji, Craigslist and local blogs and email blasts.  There’s no charge but you’re asked to register so your home can be highlighted with online advertising and with signage on the sale date.  If you want to be a vendor but haven’t got yard space, you can use the front yard at Central Neighbourhood House (349 Ontario).  Contact info@cabbagetownsouth.ca

Get your tickets
The annual Hidden Gardens & Private Spaces tour is scheduled for Sunday June 7 from 10 am to 3 pm.  The garden tour is always a local Spring favourite.  Tickets ($15) are available now from six local sources:  Epicure Shop (473 Parliament), Fairway Garden Centre (520 Parliament), Jay’s Garden Centre (360 Gerrard E), Kendall & Co (514 Parliament), Mi Casa (238 Carlton) and Spruce Home Décor (455 Parliament).  Several other stores outside Cabbagetown also have tickets.  For program information and online ticket sales, click here. 

Pan Am Games arts events
There will be an impressive arts program running parallel to the Games in venues all across Toronto.  Billed as a multi-disciplinary performing arts program, it will showcase artists from across the Americas as well as Ontario and Canada.  Times and prices on all of these events will vary.  Three locations in our area will be included.  To read the details online, click here.  
The Distillery District will be the site for “sights, sounds and tastes from across the Americas” during the Pan Am Games, July 11 to 25.  There’ll be pop-up shops, tastings, the Gypsy Kumbai Orchestra and lots of other free events.  The stages will present Caribbean and Latin American performers.
The Young Centre for the Performing Arts will hold ticketed events including a world premiere by Sandra Shamas (July 21 to 25), Limitless by an international break dance crew (July 17 and 18), urban street dancers in Battle for the North (July 21 to 23), Cuba’s Yaima Saez and her group (July 16), Chile’s Teatro La Re-Sentida (July 12 to 15), Gimme Shelter by Ravi Jain (July 13 to 18), Ping Chong’s PUSH: Real Athletes, Real Stories, Real Theatre (August 11 to 14) and Obeah Opera by Nicole Brooks (August 6 and 7).
The Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas E) has Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (July 11 to 14) and Veronica Tennant’s Niagara: A Panamerican Story (July 23 to 26)
The Berkeley Street Theatre presents The Watershed by Annabel Soutar (July 12 to 19).

CRC in the media
Photo: Justin Skinner, Inside Toronto
Last Thursday, the CRC (40 Oak Street) held its second annual open house to give its neighbours and the general public a look at its work and its facilities. Its program has expanded considerably since moving into its new building.  Justin Skinner has written in Inside Toronto about its food services and community support systems and about the open house activities.  Click here to read it.  

ONSTAGE

Corktown Chamber Orchestra
Season finale at 8 pm, Thursday May 14, Little Trinity Church (425 King E).  “And we shall go out with a great roar – Schubert’s Great C Major Symphony 9”.  The orchestra is an all-strings performing collective of talented non-professional musicians who want to foster an appreciation for music and community.  Concert tickets are $10 (children free). 

Lucky Mike at Vino Rosso
Michael Cavanaugh and his friends are appearing at Vino Rosso (995 Bay) from 2 to 5 pm on Sunday May 17.  Lucky Mike’s Sunday Matinee presents singers, songwriters and musicians in venues accessible by wheelchairs and other assisted devices.   This Sunday, Michael and Bob Cohen are appearing with Peter Lafferty, Donna Flynn, Noah Zacharin and Glenn Hornblast.

Soulpepper’s Cabaret Series
The cabarets happen every Saturday night at 8:30 pm and they showcase established artists, new talents and innovative groupings.  On Saturday May 16, it’s the Indo-fushion group Autorickshaw with “Under the Hood”.  Tickets are $25 general and $20 students – click here.  Soulpepper at the Young Centre (50 Tank House Lane, Distillery)

RESTAURANT NEWS

Songs of Journey
Paintbox Bistro (535 Dundas E) hosts an evening for the Regent Park School of Music. Two graduates are performing - Cecilia Nguyen Tran (piano) and Stacy Darko (voice).  Thursday May 21 from 6 pm.  Your suggested donations are $100 with dinner and $20 without. 

Cocina Economica
Photo:  Jesse Milns, blogTO
This is the new café that’s offering homecooked Mexican foods.  It’s enjoyed a strong launch online.  There’s an introduction on Toronto Life (click here) and a review on blogTO (here).  141 Berkeley Street

Odin
Odin (514 King E) is a new Corktown café and bar with a Nordic theme.  Its Grand Opening Party is Friday May 15 at 8 pm with food, fun and two DJs.  The café was just listed by blogTO as one of the top ten in 2015 (so far.)

CLUBS & PUBS – DAILY LISTINGS

THURSDAY MAY 14 TO SUNDAY MAY 24

Contact info
Alice’s Place, 554 Parliament St, (647) 931-9088, https://www.facebook.com/alicesplacetoronto
Cranberries, 601 Parliament St, (416) 925-6330
Dominion on Queen, 500 Queen St E, (416) 368-6893, www.dominiononqueen.com
El Catrin, 18 Tank House Lane, Distillery, (416) 203-2121,  www.elcatrin.ca/home
The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St, (647) 347-6567, www.pubaret.com
House on Parliament, 454 Parliament St, (416) 925-4074, www.facebook.com/pages/House-on-Parliament
The Irv, 195 Carlton Street, (647) 350-4787, http://www.theirvpub.ca/
The Local GEST, 424 Parliament St, (416) 961-9425, http://www.thelocalgest.com/
Merryberry, 559 Parliament, www.merryberry.ca
Mill Street Beer Hall, 21 Tank House Ln, Distillery, (416) 681-0338, http://toronto.millstreetbrewpub.ca/
Murgatroid, 568 Parliament, (416) 323-9381, https://www.facebook.com/MurgatroidTO
Odin, 514 King W, (647) 350-6346, https://www.facebook.com/odinhus
Paintbox Bistro, 555 Dundas St E, (647) 748-0555, www.paintboxbistro.ca
Soulpepper, Young Centre, 50 Tank House Lane, Distillery, (416) 866-8666,  http://soulpepper.ca/performances/music_at_soulpepper.aspx
Stirling Room, 16 Trinity, Distillery District, www.stirlingroom.com
Stout Irish Pub, 221 Carlton St, (647) 344-7676, www.stoutirishpub.ca
Tappo Wine Bar & Restaurant, 2 Trinity Street, Distillery, (647) 430-1111, www.tappo.ca
Under the Table, 568 Parliament St, (647) 351-1533, https://www.facebook.com/underthetabletoronto
White Elephant, 366 Queen E. (416) 364-9999, www.whiteelephant366.com

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

Please note: 
Two of our regular Clubs are currently closed.  The Flying Beaver is being renovated after a fire in late February.  The Dominion on Queen has been closed since the summer of 2014 for renovations.

THURSDAY MAY 14

The Irv
7pm, Geoff Willingham
The Local GEST
9 pm, Open Mic with Porter
Mill St Brew Pub
7 pm, Tap That Cask with live acoustic music
Under The Table
9 pm, Karaoke
White Elephant
Open mic

FRIDAY MAY 15

Mill Street Beer Hall
8 pm, Vinyl Nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Odin
8 pm, Grand opening party with two DJs
Stirling Room
Theatrical Friday with resident DJ Rod Bravo, reserve on the guest list.  $20
Under The Table
9 pm, Karaoke
White Elephant
7 to 10 pm, Scott B Sympathy

SATURDAY MAY 16

Mill Street Beer Hall
8 pm, Vinyl Nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Soulpepper Cabaret
8:30 pm, Autorickshaw, Under the Hood, $20 and $25
Stirling Room
Stirling Saturday.  Reserve on the guest list.  $20

SUNDAY MAY 17

Alice’s Place
4 pm, Karaoke with Vee
Local GEST
4:30 pm, Sunday afternoon jazz with the Sherie Marshall Trio
Mill Street Beer Hall
1 pm, Jazz brunch with Tyler Yarema

MONDAY MAY 18

Stout Irish Pub
7:30 pm, Headscratchers trivia

TUESDAY MAY 19

Paintbox Bistro
8 pm, Wild Women (Don’t Get the Blues), $22/advance and $25/door
Stout Irish Pub
7:30 pm, Headscratchers trivia

WEDNESDAY MAY 20

Alice’s Place
9 pm, Karaoke
The Local GEST
7:30 pm, Trivia night with Jill
Paintbox Bistro
7:30 pm, Corktown Ukelele Jam

THURSDAY MAY 21

The Irv
7pm, Geoff Willingham
The Local GEST
9 pm, Open mic with Porter
Mill St Brew Pub
7 pm, Tap That Cask with live acoustic music by Don Campbell
White Elephant
8 pm, Open mic night

FRIDAY MAY 22

Mill Street Beer Hall
8 pm, Vinyl nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Stirling Room
Theatrical Friday with resident DJ Rod Bravo, reserve on the guest list.  $20
White Elephant
7 pm, Matthew Kane

SATURDAY MAY 23

Mill Street Beer Hall
8 pm, Vinyl Nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Soulpepper Cabaret
8:30 pm, Broadsway with Heather Bambrick, Diane Leah & Julie Michaels, $20 and $25.
Stirling Room
Resident DJ Rod Bravo, reserve on the guest list

SUNDAY MAY 24

Alice’s Place
9 pm, Karaoke with Vee
Local GEST
4:30 pm, Sunday afternoon jazz with Melissa Lauren (vocals), Dave Restivo (piano) and Tyler Emond (bass)
Mill Street Beer Hall
1 pm, Jazz brunch with Tyler Yarema