What's Happening

Attention gardeners: St. Alban's is holding its Annual Plant and Garage Sale this Saturday. You can donate garage sale items until Friday. Contact the club for more info.

Irish traditional music is on tap at the Tranzac as the weekend is devoted to the annual Chris Langan series of performances and workshops. The weekend "gives you the opportunity to learn or polish your skills on uilleann pipes, tin whistle, fiddle, flute,button accordion as wellas dance and song."

A variety of additional acts are on the schedule, too, including a Mariposa Folk Festival preview Sunday evening.

We BLOGged about how to join the VIVA Youth Singers awhile ago and now their concert is happening this weekend. Blue Green Hills of Earth takes place Saturday, May 24th at 7 pm at the Trinity St. Paul's Centre on Bloor, near Spadina. The concert features "a newly commissioned work by Toronto composer Alice Ho and poetry composed by children of VIVA! Youth Singers." Check the website for more details.

Lee's Palace on Bloor just east of Spadina has a full slate of music acts scheduled, including the intriguingly named Dark Meat With Quiet Hooves on Monday.

The Toronto Hispano-American Film Festival continues at the Bloor Cinema until the end of the weekend. Other screenings include the Brazilian import The Year My Parents Went On Vacation on various dates, a smattering of Woody Allen movies and a fundraiser for the Toronto Cyclists Union on Thursday, May 29th.
The latter will feature two screenings of Pee Wee's Big Adventure (at 7 and 9:30 pm) supported by a live cast including Sook Yin Lee and members of bands including The Apostles of Hustle, Broken Social Scene and The Hidden Cameras.
Tickets are $14 and are available at Grassroots Bloor, 408 Bloor St West, Toronto Women's Bookstore, 73 Harbord St., and the Bloor Cinema box office.

The Art Bar Poetry Series, housed at Clinton's, features Carmine Starnino, George Elliott Clarke and Kevin Fortnum this Tuesday at 8 pm. It's free, but donations are appreciated.

ROMwalks take a stroll around the Royal Ontario Museum and its neighbours on Wednesday. Meet in front of the ROM at 6 p.m. The guided series of tours are free.

Sonia Rodriguez, Principal Dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, gives a special reading of Cinderella and donates a pair of her ballet shoes to the Bata Shoe Museum. Things get underway Saturday at 2 p.m.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

What's Happening

On Wednesday, the Bloor Cinema will screen the results of a Film Racing event that requires people to create a film in 24 hours.

Among other events in a busy schedule, The Tranzac Club hosts Jamzac, an Open Acoustic Jam in the Southern Cross Lounge Saturday at 3 pm.

This April marks the tenth annual poetry month and the Spadina Road Library branch will feature poet Desi Di Nardo on Thursday, April 17 from 1 to 2 pm.

Stars On Spadina takes place at the MilesNadalJCC on Tuesday. Produced and hosted by Richard Ouzounian, the show features a slew of performers, a live auction and a post-show dessert reception. Tickets are $180 and proceeds go toward arts and culture programming at the JCC.

The Central in Mirvish Village features The Ben Hammond Four ($7) this evening and The Weathermaking Challenge ($10) on Saturday.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

What's Happening

There's quite a few diverse musical happenings sched'd for this week...

The Reveries are at the Tranzac Saturday night for a CD release party, followed by a reggae dance party.

A cappella group Wibi is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a concert at the MilesNadalJCC on April 5. You can buy the $15 and $12 tickets online.

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra features Love and Betrayal: Handel Opera Arias with Daniel Taylor and Carolyn Sampson with a run that begins Wednesday at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.

Also at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, Toronto Consort offers The Glory of St. Mark's with works by Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli. Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., 416-964-6337.

At Trane Studio at 964 Bathurst St. Ainiké is joined by ex-Shuffle Demon Perry White for an evening of world-fusion and jazz Fri. 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Victor Wooten hits Lee's Palace Monday. Tickets are $25.

For film fans, the Bloor Cinema has some interesting things going on this week... Monday is Varsity Day and admission is $3 if you show your U of T student ID. The line up is Lars and the Real Girl at 4:30 pm, Persepolis at 7 pm and There Will Be Blood at 9 pm. The latter two get Tomatometer readings in the 90s; not too shabby.

Also, if you want to revisit some classics, or introduce your kids to them, Wednesday night's double bill is Sunset Boulevard and A Streetcar Named Desire. I've heard nothing about the intriguing sounding Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of The Tosser, but it screens Saturday at 9:30 pm.

History buff? You might want to attend the final event in the Building Toronto: Archives and Architects lecture series (a .pdf flyer is available online). Andrew Waldron discusses Researching the Recent Past: Modern Architecture and the Archival Record Saturday at 1:30 p.m. It's free, but you have to register at 416-392-0558. City of Toronto Archives, 255 Spadina Rd.

Most Mondays you can enjoy improv comedy at the aptly named Clinton's, which is on the corner of Clinton and Bloor. Catch23Improv starts at 9 pm and the cover is just $5.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

What's Happening

This Saturday there's a Spring Shopping Spree at 69 Olive Gallery (at 69 Olive Ave., natch!) from 2 to 4 pm.
And we quote: "You can meet the creator of Anarres Natural Health products, Tracey TieF, Certified Natural Health Practitioner. Sample cocoa, shea, almond and avocado butter and wonderful bath and body products made naturally without compromise.
Shop for lotions, creams, massage and bath oils, soaps, essential oils and palm wax candles. Anarres Natural Health is a member of Green Enterprise Toronto and supports local, Fair Trade and Certified Organic suppliers."

On Monday, the Bloor Cinema has a free screening for members of His Girl Friday at 7 pm. The 1940 "screwball comedy" features Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.

Dave Clark's Woodshed Orchestra takes to the stage at The Tranzac tomorrow night at 10 pm. Admission is $5 or PWYC and it's just one event on The Tranzac's always full calendar, including two Colours of Comedy shows on Saturday night.

The singers, actors and dancers of The Randolph Academy present Footloose starting Friday and running until April 13th at the Bathurst Street Theatre. $20 tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

The Central, in Mirvish Village, is one of the venues for the Pitter Patter Music Festival this weekend. Sounds intriguing!

Baroque orchestra Tafelmusik presents Beethoven Symphonies 7 and 8 tonight through Saturday night with performances beginning at 8 pm and Sun at 3:30 pm. It takes place at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre on Bloor St. west, just west of Spadina. Tickets are $29 to $78, but there's a PWYC performance on March 28 for ages 18 to 30.

Our area's Walmer Road Baptist Church is just one of the sites for the Toronto Festival of Storytelling, which kicks off tomorrow and runs until April 6th.

As usual, there's lots of stuff happening at the MilesNadalJCC at Spadina and Bloor including a play, an exhibition, an art show and an outing for seniors.

Also, just a reminder of the acoustic Earth Hour concert Saturday at The Trane Studio on Bathurst.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

What's Happening

This one doesn't happen until Thursday, March 27th, but I'm telling you now so that you can make time in your schedule. The Annex Residents' Assocation holds its Annual General Meeting at 7:30 pm at the Friends House on Lowther. Gary Wright, Toronto's acting chief planner, will be speaking.

The ROM is "all about" Charles Darwin and his theories these days, so it's only natural that they would select (sorry!) the movie Inherit The Wind for a screening and lecture. The 1960 Stanley Kramer movie is about the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, the real-life case of a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.
The ROM screening takes place Tuesday at 7 pm and the evening is introduced by film lecturer Anthony Harrison, while Toronto lawyer Michael Weissenborn will discuss the legal aspects of the original trial. Tickets are $18/$15.

Tomorrow night at the Tranzac Club Mysterion the Mind Reader & Santini "The World's Most Extreme Escapist" take to the stage in the main hall at 8 pm for Mysterion: An evening of EXTREME sideshow and escape never before seen anywhere in North America." It's billed as being like SAW or Hostel LIVE on stage. Rock band The Sevenate also is due to perform. Tickets ($17- $20 ) are available at Darkside on Queen, or at the door.

The MilesNadalJCC at Bloor and Spadina holds its annual Purim Carnival this Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm. It's $7 per family to get in, there's cheap food for sale and you should wear a costume.

Dundas, Ontario's Caribou perform tonight and tomorrow night at Lee's Palace. Tickets are $15.

The Art Bar Poetry Series, which takes place at Clinton's, features Toronto's poet laureate, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, on the 25th. It starts at 8 pm and admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Jeff Latosik and Ariel Platt also will read.

The Randolph Academy is mounting Anton In Show Business next Tuesday through Saturday at the Bathurst Street Theatre, which is housed in a former church on Bathurst, south of Bloor. Performances are at 8 pm and tickets are $22.

Of course, it's Easter weekend and the niblets are off school both Friday and Monday. If you'd like to celebrate with a parade, you'll have to leave the 'hood. You can choose either the frivolity of the Beaches Easter parade, or the solemnity of the St. Francis of Assisi Church's Good Friday Procession. The latter starts at 3 pm and follows a route south of our area. It's quite a massive undertaking, as this article outlines, and as these pictures illustrate.
The Beaches Easter parade runs from 2 to about 4 pm along Queen Street East from Fallingbrook Road to Woodbine Avenue. This parade is heavy on the bunny costumes/free chocolates aspects of celebrating Easter. There's even the third annual Dog Day Parade, with prizes for the best-dressed dogs.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

Things To Do

The Wanted play at The Tranzac Saturday at 6 pm, just one act in a very full roster.

On Wednesday the 5th at 6:30 and 9:15 pm The Bloor Cinema screens Autism: The Musical, which follows five autistic children as they work together to create and perform a live musical. Director Tricia Regan will be on hand for a Q & A session.

Fans of Molly Johnson can catch her one-hour set tomorrow night at the ROM for free. It starts at 7 pm and is in honour of Black History Month.

Toronto Consort, which is housed in Trinity St. Paul's on Bloor, west of Spadina, features Toward the Centre: Music for a Medieval Labyrinth Feb 29 & March 1. And I quote:
"The medieval labyrinth, found in many of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, is a compelling symbol of the journey to the centre (and back again), of the perils and the path of life, and of beauty.
In the Middle Ages pilgrims visiting the labyrinth danced in this sacred space and the Toronto Consort has researched this ancient custom to present a stunning program of music for the labyrinth: lively medieval dance-songs, sophisticated renaissance polyphony by Josquin Desprez, with a special new creation featuring members of Sampradaya Dance Creations.
This concert is part of the Sacred Spaces, Sacred Circles Arts Festival, a celebration of music and architecture in the Spring of 2008."

Bluegrass Goes Pink is a Foggy Hogtown Boys Fundraiser for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. The boys perform at The Brunswick House on Saturday from 3:30 to 7:30 pm. The $5 suggested cover will go to WEBC team Putting our Breast Foot Forward. It's listed as suitable for all ages.

Tuesday at Clinton's you can catch Robert Boates, John Allemang and Bill Howell reading their works as part of the Art Bar Poetry series. Things get underway at 8 pm and it's free, but donations are appreciated.

On Tuesday, as part of Crime Writers of Canada Readings at Casa Loma, Lyn Hamilton and Rick Blechta will read, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Admission $12 and pre-registration is required: contact operations@casaloma.org for more information.

Cheers,
Vanessa

What's Happening

Palmerston Library has been hosting readings as part of Keep Toronto Reading. Tomorrow at 7 pm features Common Denominator: Reading the New Toronto with Judy Fong Bates, Goran Simic, Shila Desai and Sayeeda Jaigirdar. There's also spoken word by Michelle Muir and music by master drummer Muhtadi. It's free and there's more info online at http://www.diasporadialogues.com/

There's several acts on during the week at The Central in Mirvish Village, including a Rock Band Open Mic night on Monday. The Tranzac is keeping things rocking, as usual, on Brunswick Ave. On the 26th, the intriguing sounding An Inconvenient Musical starts at 7:30 pm. Hmmm....

Well, I'm sure you've all seen the hype about the new Indiana Jones movie coming out. The Bloor Cinema is showing two of the first movies in the series throughout the week in case you want to refresh your memory, or introduce a little person to the whole whip-cracking, edge-of-your-seat adventure.
You also can go to The Bloor to catch Sunday night's Oscars ceremony. Everything's more fun in a crowd, right? Or with buttered popcorn? Doors open at 7:30 pm.

If the cold, snowy, windy winter has you down, maybe a little comedy will perk you up? Don't forget that Clinton's (on Bloor at -- where else? Clinton) has Catch 23 improv comedy showdowns on Monday nights and it's only $5 to get in.

Slightly farther afield, but probably worth the trip AND within walking distance: Robert Munsch, author of children's books Love You Forever and The Paper Bag Princess (just to name two) gives a storytelling concert Saturday at 11 am and 1:30 p.m. It's at lovely Convocation Hall, 31 King's College Circle, in the U of T grounds.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!
Vanessa

What's Happening

You can say you were in on the ground floor if you attend the first annual Romanian Film Festival this weekend. Films include Cristian Nemescu's Cannes prize-winner California Dreamin' and Lucian Pintile's 1968 Reenactment. Screenings are at Innis Town Hall, within hoofing distance, and tickets are $10 (students) and $15.

Speaking of film festivals, Sprockets, the younger brother of the Toronto International Film Festival, screens films aimed at a younger audience throughout the year in addition to a blitz on a mid-April weekend. This Sunday you can catch Viva Cuba, a Cuba/France co-production, at 12:30 pm at the Sheppard Grande cinema. It's NOT within hoofing distance, but at least you can tube it there and it's cheaper than a trip to Cuba.

As usual, there's a full slate of musical acts at the Tranzac Club, which is on Brunswick, just south of Bloor.

The Rape of Europa was shortlisted for an Oscar and it's screening at the Bloor Cinema tonight at 7 pm. The documentary gets rave reviews and has generated a lot of buzz. Taglined "Imagine The World Without Our Masterpieces," it's about the Nazi plunder of Europe greatest artworks during WWII.

As usual, there's a lot happening at the Miles Nadal JCC at the southwest corner of Spadina and Bloor. You'll have to buy your tickets by Monday to attend a group theatre and dinner excursion to The Russian Play & Essay, two short plays by Hannah Moscovitch, on Tuesday, Feb. 5th.
The plays will be at Factory Theatre and you have to call to get dinner details. Tickets are available at the MNjcc front desk for $23 (dinner not included), or you can call .416.924.6211, ext. 0.

Although it's not until the weekend of Feb. 9th/10th, I suspect that it's a good idea to get your tickets now for the Flying Bulgars 20th Anniversary Concert, which is a two-day affair in the MNjcc's Al Green Theatre.
Tickets are available at MNjcc reception and by phone: 416.924.6211, ext. 0 (phone order service charge applies), $24 in advance, $30 at the door and $15 for people 14 years and younger.

Cheers,
Vanessa

What's Happening

The Annex Residents' Association Board Meeting takes place Thursday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Everyone's welcome to attend at The Annex Retirement Residence, 123 Spadina Road.

Tranzac Club is host to Mariposa presenting Folkal Point on Sunday, January 6th. Cover is $20, performance is @ 7pm.

The Burrow Art Centre is hosting an Open Studio full of art activities on Saturday the 5th for $8 hour. Call 416.532.1777 for more information.

Catch 23 Improv comedy is back for a new year at Clinton's, 693 Bloor St. West. This Monday it runs from 8:30 pm - 11:30 pm. Cover is only $5.

Enjoy!
Vanessa

New Year's Doings

Well, New Year's Eve is pending, which means lots of parties. In our 'hood, the Tranzac is having a New Year's Eve Bash. Tickets are only $10 in advance.

Not quite in our area, but probably the most well-known are the festivities and countdown at Nathan Philips Square. Bands including Plain White Ts will perform, along with the cast of We Will Rock You.

There's so much going on, though not in our 'hood, that there's no point reinventing the wheel. Here's The Star's listing of events.

Now that First Night is defunct in Toronto (and let's all take a moment to mourn and ponder HOW it could have died here when it thrives elsewhere), probably the best family-friendly New Year's takes place at the farflung Zoo.

Enjoy ringing in 2008!

Cheers,

Vanessa

What's Happening?

Looking for something to do tomorrow night? Here's a different kind of party from the folks at NewMindSpace:
NEWMINDSPACE'S ARCTICA STREETCAR PARTY
Friday December 14th, 8pm - 11pm
$20 - all ages
Tickets (fast disappearing) available at Lavish & Squalor, 253 Queen St. W.

For the niblets, the Palmerston Library is hosting Family Holiday Stories with storyteller Adele Koehnke on Sat. Dec. 15th from 2 to 3 pm.

A previous favourite of our family's is the Kensington Market Festival of Lights, pictured here,
although it IS a wee bit south of us! It takes place every year on the evening of the Winter Solstice, December 21.

I'm telling you about it early because of this:
LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOPS: CREATE your own lantern to carry in the parade and to decorate your home.
Saturday Dec. 15, 12- 5 pm at St. Stephen's Community House - 260 Augusta just south of College and Sunday Dec. 16, 12 - 5 pm at the Kapisanan Filipino Centre for Arts and Culture - 167 Augusta - just north of Dundas.
As for the Festival of Lights itself on the 21st, it gets underway at 6 p.m. Here's the full scoop:
"JOIN us on what some predict may be the shortest day yet this year! To beckon the return of the sun with a fire-fuelled, samba soaked march through the narrow streets of Toronto's beloved Kensington Market.
Gather at Augusta and Oxford - just south of College for 6:00pm - and go with the flow.
FESTIVAL PARADE
DISCOVER celebratory scenarios at storefronts and rooftops presented by inspired Toronto artists.
DANCE to the soul stirring rhythms of the Samba Squad, Maracatu Nunca Antes, Rich Underhill and the Kensington Community Orchestra, the Island ARhythmics, EagleHeart Drummers and Singers, Spirit Wind, Isaiah Cada, and the perennial SolSticks.
HANDMADE and COMMERCIAL-FREE for 19 years, The Festival of Lights is participatory. Wear a costume, bang a drum, carry a lantern.
NEW this year, join artists Melisa and Melecio Clemente for a special workshop in traditional Filipino Parol lantern making on Tuesday Dec. 18 at 6pm at Kapisanan.
For More Information call 416-598-3729, email redpepper.spectacle@sympatico.ca or visit our developing website at http://www.redpepperspectaclearts.org/

For those of you in less of festive mood and more of a planning mood, the Annex Residents' Association is hosting a public forum about the BLOOR CORRIDOR VISION STUDY on December 17th, in the chapel at Royal St. George's College from 6 to 9 pm.
If you would like further information about this study, please contact: Barry Brooks, City of Toronto, 416-392-1316, bbrooks@toronto.ca Jennifer Keesmaat, Office for Urbanism, 416-971-7521, jk@officeforurbanism.com

As usual, things are hopping at the Miles Nadal JCC. On Sunday the 16th at 7 pm, there's Musica Cuba featuring the Hilario Durán Trio and David Buchbinder & Odessa/Havana.
There's also an exhibition: Let There Be Light: Jewish Life in Cuba Photographic works by Tatiana Santos Mendez, of Havana.
Proceeds from the concert and the exhibition will support the Jewish Communities of Cuba.
$30 General Admission, at 416-924-6211x0, $50 Patron tickets.

The TRANZAC’s occasional Wombat Wednesday series returns December 19, featuring The Christine Bougie Band, The Silt and N (Lina Allemano, Ryan Driver, Rob Clutton, Justin Haynes). Doors open at 8:30 and cover is $6

And a reminder that SEATON VILLAGE CAROLING happens this Sunday, December 16 2007 – 6:45pm –till whenever.
"Once again we are calling on all Seaton Villagers and beyond to join us for an evening of old-fashioned door to door caroling. Everyone, any age, any singing ability is welcome to carol with us. The more the merrier for it is a fun community experience.
Caroling Itinery:- We meet at 6:45pm in front of 74 Vermont Ave. to receive carol books and any instructions. There may be a quick practice.
We carol at prearranged homes in Seaton Village and the Annex from approximately 7:00 – 8:00ish pm.
We end the outdoor door to door caroling and commence the indoor caroling around the piano at 428 Brunswick Ave. from 8ish until it’s over and we have attempted to sing the Hallelujah chorus at least 3 times. Once again we are pleased to feature Grandma Shirley on the piano. Come one come all Yea Faithful – join us and get into the holiday spirit. For more information please contact Barb Carson at bmcarson@rogers.com.