What's Happening

This Sunday is a PS Sunday in Mirvish Village -- no cars and lots of fun. August 10th promises to "highlight the visual arts and the community artists who call Mirvish Village home."

The Spadina Public Library features a children's Laugh Out Loud Party with silly stories and games on Wednesday the 13th at 10:30 a.m.

There's an intriguing sounding show at the Tranzac, Things I Have Found And How They Got There, on Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets are $12.

I didn't know that there was an all-female Toronto Roller Derby League until I saw that The Annex WreckRoom is hosting an after-derby party Saturday. Learn something new every day!

If you feel like venturing a little further afield, head south to Spadina south of College for the Toronto Chinatown Festival Saturday and Sunday. There's no info on the website (?), but a flyer says that it runs Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm and Sunday til 6 pm.

The usual suspects hold their weekend events, of course, including the ROM and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

What's Happening

I BLOGged separately about Jane's Walk this weekend, but it bears repeating!

Tom's Place, a Kensington Market clothing instutiton, has an annual spring warehouse sale at the Miles Nadal JCC and it's on now until Sunday. I went several years ago and it was stuffed full of both people AND bargains. The flyer claims that there'll be even more bargains than usual to mark the store's 50th anniversary.

The JCC is hopping this weekend! In addition to the clothing sale, Ralph Benmergui will be on hand Sunday to show sneak peeks of and to discuss My Israel, a documentary series that will air on VisionTV May 5 to 7 to mark Israel's 60th anniversary. Benmergui hosts and is executive producer of the series. Admission is free to his talk, which gets underway at 11:45 am.

Both the JCC and the Bloor Cinema are hosting The Toronto Jewish Film Festival from May 3 to 11th. Surf to the link above to check out the roster.

And the Bloor Cinema is where you'll be able to view the results of the Toronto Film Challenge Friday at 7 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. What is it? "The Toronto Film Challenge dares our contestants to write, shoot, cut and deliver a short film, in the span of either a 24 or 48 hour challenge."

Organix 08 Festival presents The Poet In Melody with music for saxophone and organ performed by our neighbour, Daniel Rubinoff, and Chris Dawes. Start time is 6 pm on Wednesday at the Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. Tickets are $7.50.

Guitar virtuoso and two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel gives a solo concert Saturday and Sunday, 8 pm, at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. Tickets are $36 and $15, 416.766.6524.

The Bata Shoe Museum is the site for the Tap Your Toes Around the World program and on Saturday it highlights the Dutch/Canadian community with footwear, traditional art and folk costumes. It happens from noon to 4 pm and activities are included with admssion to the museum.

A star-studded cast of people is set to partake in the 7th Annual Celebrity Karaoke Fundraiser at the Annex Wreckroom, 794 Bathurst St., Saturday night at 8 pm. Tickets are $25 at the door.
The proceed go toward Gilda's Club, among other groups, and there's a chance to win raffle prizes, as well.

Participants listed include Sitara Hewitt (Little Mosque On The Prairie), Mary Jo Eustace (Proud FM), East Coast Music Award winner Damnhait Doyle (Shaye) and Stefan Brogren (Degrassi).

If Jane's Walk, listed first, doesn't interest you, this walk might: Ed Freeman leads a Heritage Toronto walking tour of Madison Avenue on Saturday. Here's the official word:

"Explore the grandeur of the ‘Annex,’ a late 19th century subdivision known for its Queen Anne and Romanesque-Revival architectural styles.

Hear about entrepreneur Simeon Janes’ original plans for the area, as well as some of the people who have lived on Madison Ave.

Join us afterwards for a visit to the nearby City of Toronto Archives, where we can see records about the development of the ‘Annex’ and enjoy the exhibit A Work in Progress: Preserving Toronto’s Architectural Record.
It kicks off at 1:30 pm at the NW corner of Bloor St. West and Madison Ave. and finishes at the archives, 255 Spadina Rd, North of Dupont Subway Station and should take 90 minutes to two hours. No reservations required.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!

Vanessa

What's Happening (Inc. March Break)

It's Varsity Day at the Bloor Cinema on the 10th. U of T students pay $3 admission, but you must show ID.
Screenings include The much ballyhooed The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, No Country For Old Men and Starting Out In The Evening. Great line up!

Speaking of the Bloor Cinema, this in from area artist Deb Wiles:
"A fine art auction is taking place in the upstairs lobby of the Bloor Cinema at 11:00 am sharp on Sat. March 8th.
The work has been up for viewing since Feb. 18th. Artists' Direct Auctions is the brainchild of John Romano who, after many years in the art business as an artist and a dealer, has decided to start an auction house. This auction will therefore be the first of many. Mr. Romano's intent is to sell work for artists as efficiently as possible, to get money into their pockets so that they may focus on producing more work rather than having to focus on selling their own work." [VR: Noble concept, that!]

On March 9th at the Miles NadalJCC, our neighbour, Jordan Klapman, continues with his Great Jewish Composers Music Lecture series. He tackles the topic of Yiddish American Swing in the Postwar Era from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Admission is $9 and includes bagels and coffee.

On the same day, you can meet at the Fitness Desk at 10 am to head down to Nathan Philips Square to skate en masse.

The performers of The Randolph Academy are mounting One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest the 11th to the 15th at the Bathurst Street Theatre. Tickets are $22 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, which makes its home at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. West, is offering In the Garden of Delights: Music from the Song of Songs this weekend. Call 416.964.6337 for details and tickets.

MARCH BREAK ACTIVITIES
Yes, it's that time again... time for the "mid-winter" break. Those with children, gird your loins. Those without children, gird your loins -- and, for pity's sake, stay away from any large public institutions!

The Toronto Public Library has a slew of March Break events, including Dan the Music Man at the Palmerston Branch and an Origami workshop at the Spadina Road location.

And the theatre in the Palmerston Branch plays host to Little Red Theatre's Goldilocks and the Three Canadian Bears on Monday at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $11 and $9; 416-533-8848.

The ROM has tons to do, including a Medieval Fair where you can try your hand at calligraphy and watch some medieval-style dancing. The Bata Shoe Museum has an Around the World In Five Days theme. Kids can dress up in kimonos or saris, paint miniature clogs and much more.

Casa Loma features pirate-themed activities for the gaffers, including a treasure hunt and a pirate show.

For events out of our area, Toronto.com has great listings and suggestions, as well as Toronto4Kids.com.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Cheers,
Vanessa

What's Happening

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Neighbourhood resident Audry Kalman's art show opens at Lennox Contemporary gallery on Feb. 21 and runs until March 2nd. There's a reception from 7 to 10 pm on the opening Thursday.

There's a few celebrations in the offing for our first Family Day, Monday the 18th. MP Olivia Chow is inviting everyone to strap on their skates and join her at Christie Pits rink from 2 to 4 pm for a "fun afternoon of free skating and hot chocolate." (NB: there's no skate rental at Christie Pits, so bring your own blades).

The ROM opens two new galleries in the Crystal this weekend, the Wirth Gallery of the Middle East and the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery. Also, to mark Family Day weekend, the museum is offering special programming "centered around dazzling dinosaurs and wicked weather" to its members.

Just down the street, at the Bata Shoe Museum, you can enjoy Family Day shenanigans, which include making an animal paper lantern or a slithery hanging snake, all based on a Chinese lunar calendar/Zodiac theme.
If you're a rat -- based on the Chinese calendar, that is -- just bring proof of birthdate and you can get in free.
(The Raymond-Moriyama designed building is worth a visit in and of itself, BTW.)

Casa Loma offers children, accompanied by a paying adult, free admission on Family Day.

Other events just happen to coincide with the Family Day weekend, such as the new ceramics exhibit opening tomorrow at the Gardiner Museum, called Man Eating Tiger.
It features Staffordshire figurines made between about 1790 and 1840, including "conniving cut throats, bare-knuckle brawlers, run-away brides, hen-pecked husbands, dancing bears and other colourful characters from 19th-century Britain."
Sounds very action-packed for a ceramics exhibit!

We're privileged to have a stellar baroque music orchestra in our midst... Tafelmusik, which makes its home in the Trinity-St. Paul's Centre at 427 Bloor St. W, just west of Spadina. This weekend Tafelmusik presents Mozart, Haydn & Bach with a Twist with guest director and soloist Sigiswald Kuijken. 8 pm performances, except for Sunday at 3:30 pm.

Tickets are $29 to $68. Call 416-964-6337 for more details.

At the same location on Monday at 7:30 pm, members of the TSO present one in the Five Small Concerts series called From the Hacienda to the Salon. Tickets range from $10 to $17. Call 416.221.8342 for more info.

On Sunday, as part of its Books and Bagels series, MilesNadalJCC at Spadina and Bloor features a reading by author Nick Maes of his "elegant fiction," Dead Man's Float. It starts at 11 am, tickets are $6 and the book will be available to purchase.

Also on the 17th at the MilesNadalJCC there are two screenings of The Ritchie Boys at 4 and 7:30 pm. It's a documentary about a group of young men who fled Nazi Germany and returned to Europe as soldiers in U.S. uniforms. (As the tagline says: Their courage and heroism were matched only by their chutzpah.)
The documentary is presented by the Jewish Film Society and "Ritchie Boy," professor Guy Stern, is the guest speaker.
Rush seats will go on sale 15 minutes before screenings for $15 and $10 for those ages 18 – 29 (7:30 pm screening only). For more info contact Esther Arbeid, 416.924.6211, ext 606, esthera@mnjcc.org.

Now, it may not be entertaining, but it could be quite informative: Confused about the new blue bin program? There will be an Open House at Scadding Court Community Centre February 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm and another one in the theatre of the Palmerston Library on the 20th during the same hours.
During the open houses, Toronto waste management staff will be on hand to answer questions, including "what size of new box do I order?" and "what do I do with my old boxes?"

Whatever you do, enjoy it! And enjoy it with your family!
Cheers,
Vanessa

What's Happening

The "crystallized" ROM is going all out to get families through its doors, though judging by the line ups I saw spilling a looooooong way on to Bloor during the Holidays, the newly re-opened Dino exhibit's already packing them in.
Anyway, Saturdays and Sundays are crammed with events that are free with admission.

Nearby, the Bata Shoe Museum has Saturday Shenanigans with a Chinese New Year theme until the end of February.

The Central is a restaurant/live music venue in Mirvish Village that's always hopping. During the next week there's several music shows and something called a Plasticine Poetry Series.

Clinton's, at Clinton and Bloor, is the venue for the free Art Bar poetry reading series 9th annual Discovery Night on the 22nd at 8 pm.

On the 20th there's a Virtual Family Tree Workshop at the Miles Nadal JCC. It's $50 per person or $75 a couple.

On the same day, the JCC also is hosting one in its series of music lectures about great Jewish composers. The topic Sunday will be Jews and Opera. It's $9, which includes bagels and coffee.

Enjoy your week!
Vanessa