Sep 30, 2009

Sep 27, 2009

Swap your last year's kids' Hallowe'en costumes @ the Hallowe'en COSTUME EXCHANGE!


click on image to enlarge
WEDNESDAY, October 14th, 4-6 pm
Gingerbread House Family Cafe!
2790 Dundas St W
Flyers created and donated by Voja from Dundas Marketing & Printing

Sep 25, 2009

APPLE FESTIVAL and CORN ROAST- Sunday Sept. 27th,10am-4pm


image-tobuilt.ca
Church Marion Gardens
St. Cecilia's Church
161 Annette St.

Apple Festival and Corn Roast
All funds raised will go towards the historic church's 100th anniversary Gala Dinner on November 7th, 2009

Sep 23, 2009

Want to be involved in the planning & execution of the 2010 Junction Arts Festival?


JFAC Press release:

Come to the Junction Forum for Art and Culture's Annual General Meeting:
October 1, 20097 - 8 pm
Corner of Dundas & Pacific Aves Train Station platform

We will be accepting applications from interested people to join the board of directors. A sign up sheet will be available at the AGM, however, it is a competitive application process and we currently have a limited amount of vacancies. The Junction Forum for Art and Culture (JFAC) is an incorporated, non-profit organization whose main project is the development and presentation of the annual Junction Arts Festival.

The JFAC Board is made up of cultural producers, artists, residents, business owners and politicians all of whom are connected in some way to the Junction. JFAC is supported by the Toronto Arts Council, the Department of Canadian Heritage and private sponsors.

Half price coffee every Wednesday at Gingerbread House Family Cafe



2790 Dundas St West
Toronto,ON M6P 1Y5
Tel: 416-769-5678

Sep 20, 2009

Take advantage of our MESSAGE BOARD!


We have a free message board where you can start your own threads and reply to messages, you can create your own events and RSVP for events already created, we also have sub-groups, you can join one that already exists and create your own! We also have real-time chat!Membership is FREE of'course!
I'm also looking for ASSISTANT ORGANIZERS :)

Tween & Teen Only Painting & Pizza Night! September 25, 6-8:30pm


Earthstones- Ceramic Art & Play Centre
3082 Dundas St. W MAP
416-769-6318

Parents, drop off your child(ren) ages 6 and up for a pizza and painting party! A great way for parents to go on a dinner date or run errands without the kids. They'll have a blast making new friends over dinner and while learning how to paint ceramics with our tips and tricks. $20 includes EVERYTHING! Call Raisa at 416-769-6318 or by e-mail at earthstonesceramics@sympatico.ca to save a spot for your kid(s).6:30 - 8:30 p.m.,

alternate Fridays- Sept 25, Oct 9, Oct 23, Nov 6, Nov 20, Dec 4, Dec 18

Message from the Junction Residents Association Culture Committee


http://junctionra.ning.com/

1. Last Call for Artists and Businesses for Boom Times Spring Fling 2010
Attached is the call which indicates last Friday as the deadline for proposals, but we could in fact accept proposals until Wed of this week, so you know somebody who was interested, give them a nudge. culture@junctionra.ca http://junctionra.ning.com/group/jraculturalcommittee

2. Committee Communication
Please visit the JRA website http://junctionra.ning.com/ and join the Culture Committee discussion group if you haven’t already. This is where we’ll post progress reports on the Boom Times Spring Fling, meeting notices and any other news to share. Please feel free to post ideas about the committee, or culture in the Junction in general.

Mary, Co-chair Culture Committee

BIG THANK YOU and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a wonderful volunteer, Baileigh!




Baileigh is 14 years-old and kindly donated her time at the First Annual http://www.junctionparents.ca/ Sale by offering story time and doing face-painting (kids love her!), Baileigh is also currently finishing her Babysitter's course, if you'd like to hire her for occasional babysitting, please contact her mom, Leonor, the owner of the Gingerbread House Family Cafe! 416-769-5678 :) Thanks again sweetie!

Story Time & Face Painting

Photos from the First Annual www.JunctionParents.ca Outdoor Sale at the Junction City Square! Thanks JFAC for approving our event!










Plant Exchange in the Junction! Saturday, September 26, 6-7 pm


image-theplantexchange
44 McMurray Avenue
416.807.6124
Organized by Thomas Balsillie

We have a few plants that we are looking to break up in the fall 09, :Black-eyed-susans, White Daises, Seeds from Daylily so, if you are interested, please contact us! tbalsillie@yahoo.com

Clean Train Coalition 'Human Train'- Saturday, Sept 26, 11 am

Plan now to hop on board the Human Train to send a message to Premier McGuinty that he must act now to scrap plans to run hundreds of polluting diesel trains a day through our neighbourhoods, and direct Metrolinx to use only clean, quiet electric trains for any expansion of rail traffic along the Georgetown corridor.

11:00am - Junction City Square - (Pacific and Dundas)
http://www.cleantrain.ca/
info@cleantrain.ca

Children's Pillage in the Village, Sunday September 27th, 1-3pm


Swansea Community Centre
15 Waller Avenue
416.531.3130
An opportunity for families to purchase or sell gently used children's items (ages 0 - 10 yrs). For further information http://www.childrenspillage.com/

Snug as a Bug 2nd year anniversary Sale! September 24-27!


Snug As A Bug
3022 Dundas Street West
(2 1/2 blocks W. of Keele)

September 24-27
Thurs-Fri 10am-8pm
Sat-Sun 10am-6pm

Sep 18, 2009

First Annual Junction MOM to MOM SALE! Saturday, 9:30 am to 12 pm!


- 25 Mom-vendors with LOTS of stuff to sell

- 16 Junction -based small businesses (with or without store-fronts)

- Coffee and Food

- Face Painting

- Story Time

- Ceramics painting table

- Crafting table

- Free baloons

Bring your own reusable shopping bag and enjoy!

Sep 17, 2009

Rhythm & Motion Kids Open House, Sunday, September 20th, 1-4 pm


NEW CLASSES for kids in September!
Kinder Dance on Thursdays, 4:45-5:30pm, starting Sep 24
Fusion Jazz on Thursdays, 5:30-6:30pm, starting Sep 24
Hip Hop for Teens on Wednesdays, 5:00-6:00pm, starting Sep 23
3352 Dundas St. West (at Runnymede)

Sep 16, 2009

New Arts Supply Store in the Junction opening soon! FINALLY! :)


International Languages Programs at Keele St Public School, JK-gr.8, register now!


Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Serbian and Russian!

$20/YEAR, Please call for more info: 416 338-4100

Your child does not have to be a student at Keele St PS to register and participate!

Classes mix academic study with fun. Through games, songs, hands on activities, story telling and writing, students learn a language and have fun discovering more about each other’s cultures, customs and traditions.

Keele Street Junior Public School
99 Mountview Ave
Toronto, Ontario
M6P 2L5

Sep 15, 2009

West End Web "August" Recap & Really cool #JunctionTO t-shirts!


If you would like to order the above T-shirt ($20 various sizes) that represents #JunctionTO hashtag that is commonly used on Twitter by Junction residents, please email Paul Reynolds at Info@totallyspun.com , he is the organizer of the West End Web and owner of http://www.totallyspun.com/ , Paul also donated his time and talent to produce the absolutely fabulous official flyer for the Junction Mom to Mom Sale! This T-shirt was designed by fellow Junctionites- Mark Bianco, Paul Reynolds, Mark Dallas and Lanrick Bennett Jr.
Recap, text by Paul Reynolds:
The last West End Web event was held on August 19th at The Gingerbread House Cafe, a new family oriented addition to the Junction neighbourhood. Continuing on with themed meetings, this time up were the Junction Parenting community, and Irina from the Junction Parent’s blog helped to put together and promote the event. On this weekday morning, about a dozen of us from diverse backgrounds and interests sat over coffee and churros to talk about the successes of local parents in using the web to organize for their community, which became a launching point into all kinds of other topics around community building and organizing with a web theme.
From Irina’s experience with her Parenting Blog, the crucial elements to effective online promotion are rooted in a community spirit. Having started from scratch, she was able to build a daily following by posting news about local businesses and organizations for free. By finding local connections and content, your site or news of your events can reach beyond the core audience you started with.

Junction Residents Association meeting is this Thursday at 7pm @ West Toronto Baptist Church



The JRA's next meeting is this Thursday @ 7pm. The following committees have prepared reports: Urban Development, Culture and Parks. Also, we will be discussing the details of our November elections, as well as have an open forum. Of course, there will also be some drinks and eats. Come meet your neighbours! But, if you can't make it to the West Toronto Baptist Church @ 3049 Dundas Street West in person, you can also view the meeting live from our website and comment, as well. Feel free to tweet during the meeting, too, with hashtag #junctionra, and we'll feed them into our website.

And just a quick note that the Clean Train Coalition's Human Train will be stopping at the Junction City Square at 11:00am on Sept 26, 2009. You're not only invited to attend from 11am until the train stops on the way, but we are looking for people who want to help out with this event. Please email info@junctionra.ca , if you can, and visit the Clean Train Coalition's website for more info.

Thanks,
Junction Residents Association
http://www.junctionra.ca/
www.twitter.com/junctionra

Let The Sneakers Walk Again





Dundas Marketing and Printing, a Junction-based business is currently collecting used but in good condition footwear to send to Haiti, if you would like to donate, please drop the sneakers/shoer/sandals (both kids' and adults) off at 2932 Dundas St W (across the road from the Beet organic market). 416-875-5916

Sep 14, 2009

Please spread the news!


click on the image to enlarge

Sep 11, 2009

Gingerbread House Family Cafe will be open for brunch this weekend! 10am-2pm


2790 Dundas St West
Toronto,ON M6P 1Y5
Tel: 416-769-5678

The Junction’s move into hipdom ~ New Eyeweekly article and photos from the last two nights at Junction City Square





The upside of being on the downside - The Junction is in the hipdom sweet spot
by: Shawn Micallef
September 09, 2009 9:05 PM
In early July, The New York Times ran a short travel article on Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood called “Skid Row to Hip in Toronto.” It got Torontonians chattering, of course (as it would the denizens of any city smaller than New York). For many, the “end of hip” might be exactly when the Times comes calling, but if you’ve walked through The Junction lately you know the article was right, even if the term “Skid Row” is and was a ridiculous overstatement.

Sep 9, 2009

Junction Arts Festival Opening Ceremony & Reception TONIGHT!


Wed, Sept 9th, 7 pm, at the Junction City Square corner of Dundas St W & Pacific Ave
Festival Concerts:
Thurs Sept 10th, Fri Sept 11th, & Sat Sept 12th, 7 pm, at Junction City Square
Justin Rutledge concert, Sat at 9:30 pm
Junction Arts Festival:Sat Sept 12th, 11 am to 12 midnight, & Sun Sept 13th, 11 am to 6 pm Dundas St W between Keele St & Quebec Ave http://www.junctionartsfest.com/new2009test/schedule/

"Dunking Dignitaries for Art and Youth in the Junction" culture@junctionra.ca

WEST TORONTO PAINT & WALLPAPER

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

DUNKING DIGNATARIES FOR ART AND YOUTH IN THE JUNCTION

West Toronto Paint and Wallpaper will be the site of an exercise in watery democracy at the Junction Arts Festival on Saturday Sept. 12 , 11am-4pm at the company’s Dundas and Pacific location (2975 Dundas Street West.)

Splash a politician or a local luminary into the drink to beautify the Junction and support young artists.

THE JUNCTION DUNK TANK @ WEST TORONTO PAINT & WALLPAPER

One ball for $2. Two balls for $5.

Proceeds go the Junction Residents Association, who with the West Toronto Junction Historical Society and Boom Times Cabaret are producing Boom Times Spring Fling in 2010.
Here is the schedule so far:
We have Bill Saundercook from 11am to 12pm.
Mike Galea, neighbourhood accountant from 12pm to 1pm.
Gerard Kennedy (tentatively) from 2pm to 3pm
The Mayor and Councilor Perks have sent their regrets.

Sep 6, 2009

Fabulous article describing the Junction Arts Festival ~ Sept 9 to 13, 2009


03/09: Junction Arts Festival - This Weekend
By Junction blogger and dad, Lanrick Bennett Jr.
In 2008, the Junction celebrated a milestone; the one hundredth anniversary of this historic neighbourhood. The question on the minds of the public, the vendors the businesses and the participants living in the Junction is; now what? How do we build on the success and innovation of the last 100 years? The annual Junction Arts Festival is striving to become that beacon of leadership. Entering its 17th year, this vibrant, progressive and entertaining festival has sparked buzz throughout the Toronto region and beyond.

Storefront Available for Artists During Festival

From store owner:

I have a storefront space at Dundas St. W near Quebec Ave. for artists to use during the festival. There is about 140 linear feet of interior walls for displaying art. The storefront has 2 window bays and a 25 foot sign that could be utilized.If you know anyone that might be interested in using the space please pass on my contact info. Note that I may not ask for any compensation other than some art to be left behind after the show.

Thanks,

Jake Kjake@jake2universe.com

Fabulous crafty workshops starting this Fall at the Wise Daughters Craft Market!


Tuesdays starting Sept 22
Drawing, Painting, Felting
with Kathie Young
Ages 6 – 8, 4:00 – 5:00
Ages 9 – 12, 5:15 – 6:15
$100 for 4 week series

Saturdays starting Oct 3, 10:00 – 12:00
Parent/Child Crafty Saturdays
with Anna Redish
Ages 4+
$150 1st child, $100 2nd + for 5 weeks

Saturdays starting Oct 3, 1:00 – 3:00
Boys’ Craft Club
with Anna Redish
Ages 6+
$150 for 5 weeks

Sat, Nov 21, 1:00 – 5:00
Stupid Sock Creatures
with Anna Redish
Ages 10+
$60

Wise Daughters Craft Market
Local handicrafts and do-it-yourself workshops
3079B Dundas St. West, Toronto, M6P 1Z9
416-761-1555

http://www.wisedaughters.com/

Sep 4, 2009

Finally bought the .ca domain and figured out how to use it :)

You can now find The Junction Parents Blog under

Dundas/Keele Early Years Centre OCTOBER calendar


Click HERE for OCTOBER calendar! Registration is done over the phone only and begins at 1:30 pm, no voicemails or e-mails please.

Parkdale-High Park
Ontario Early Years Centre 2918 Dundas St. WestToronto,
Ontario ,
M6P 1Y8
416-762-3700 X 23

Sep 2, 2009

Neighbourhood photographer at the Junction MomToMom sale




Get to know your friendly neighbourhood photographer at the Junction MomToMom sale

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Frans Altena and I am a local professional photographer in the Junction/High Park area.
One of my specialties is family, children, and newborn portraits. As you would probably know it can be a challenge to get pictures taken of you and your family. After all, time flies and life is busy. But once you do it, you’ll love yourself for it. All portraits are photographed outdoors or on location with natural light. You might describe my work as contemporary, artistic, candid, photojournalistic and story-telling. No studio style or stiff faces, but truthful and elegant images. Please have a look at my website: http://www.fransaltena.com/ to check out my portfolio.
Frans Altena Photography will be present at the Junction MomToMom sale and offers you a free 5 to 10 minutes family portrait session. As of Monday September 21, you will be able to log on to my "client gallery" website, review your photos and download the full size digital negatives for only $10 each. You also have the option to order prints of any photos onto almost anything, like t-shirts, cups, stickers, cards, mugs and of course regular paper prints.
As a special bonus, all Junction Parents members get 15% off on any photography services booked after the Junction MomToMom sale.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Frans Altena Photography

Sep 1, 2009

Annette Street Public Library is 100 on September 12th!


story and image credit: TPL

145 Annette Street (by Pacific ave)

Who: Matthew Church, Chair, Toronto Public Library Board,
Jane Pyper, City Librarian,
Bill Saundercook, Local City Councillor,
Barbara McPhail, Heritage Toronto

When: September 12th, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Key times include:
10:00 a.m. – Birthday card craft table with celebrated children’s illustrator Loris Lesynski
10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. – Book signing of The Most Attractive Resort in Town: Public Library Service in West Toronto Junction, 1888-2009 by Barbara Myrvold
10:30 a.m. – Historical Walking Tour with members of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society
12:00 p.m. – Heritage Toronto plaque presentation
12:30 p.m. – Refreshments and entertainment
3:00 p.m. – A Trip Down Memory Lane with local historians A.B. Rice and Miss Elizabeth McCallum, the first librarian for Annette Street Branch
4:00 p.m. – Draw to win one of five copies of The Most Attractive Resort in Town: Public Library Service in West Toronto Junction, 1888-2009 by Barbara Myrvold

Toronto Public Library’s Annette Street Branch, Toronto’s second oldest operating public library, will celebrate its 100-year anniversary with an all-day party on Saturday, September 12, 2009. The event is open to the public and festivities will include live music, a magician and juggler, a kids craft table, a birthday cake and more. The West Toronto Junction Historical Society will present a walking tour of the Junction community and Heritage Toronto will unveil a plaque to commemorate the Centennial anniversary of the beautiful Beaux-Arts Annette Street Branch building.

The KidZone is a FunZone @ Junction Arts Fest September 12-13


17th annual JUNCTION ARTS FESTIVAL

The KidZone is a FunZone; open daily during the weekend street closure, September 12 and 13
Toronto, ON, September 1, 2009 – Like a mosaic, the 2009 Junction Arts Festival (September 9 – 13) weaves a multitude of eclectic cultural and artistic elements together to create one big celebration, and the KidZone is a fun creative adventure happening daily throughout the weekend street closure (Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13 only, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

Centrally located this year in the festival’s epicentre area (Junction City Square, 2960 Dundas St. W. at Pacific Ave.), the KidZone features familiar hands-on creative activities, family-friendly workshops and community entertainment, plus the new sports complex, jumping castle and the ultimate in super slides; The Cliff-hanger.

JFAC Chair Councillor Bill Saundercook (Ward 13, City of Toronto) states, “We welcome kids of all ages to the Junction Arts Festival KidZone this year. It’s bigger and better than ever before, where children can run free and play in a safe enclosed environment.”

The KidZone (supported by Scotia Bank) is a fun zone, where the children will enjoy the new games and rides and the parents will enjoy the affordable day passes and single ride tickets; priced at $10.00 for a day-pass or 50 cents per single ticket.

RIDES AND GAMES (DAY PASSES AND SINGLE TICKETS):

New sports complex (baseball, football, Frisbee, darts, basketball, soccer).
The Cliff-hanger (slide).
Jumping castle.

KIDZONE INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS (FREE; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.):

Little Fingers Music; Jam with Charlie and dancer Rosanna at this ‘Make an MP3’ workshop.
Academy of Realist Art; painting workshops.
Miriam Grenville; using craft, design and art skills, make crafty amounts of money.
National Film Board; NFB Mediatheque animation workshop.
Fit2Dance; parents and kids get fit and have fun.

PLEASE NOTE: Detailed KidZone information is available at www.junctionartsfest.com/new2009test/sites/kidzone/.

Attracting 200,000 visitors in 2008, the Junction Arts Festival (produced by the Junction Forum for Art and Culture) takes place along Dundas Street West between Keele Street and Quebec Avenue, and features five days of artistry and innovation: Visual Art Exhibits (Sept. 9 to 13), Live Music Concerts (Sept. 10, 11 and 12), and during the weekend – Street Performance Artists, Literary Artists, KidZone, Green Village and Artisan/Vendor Market (Sept. 12 and 13).

The 17th annual Junction Arts Festival is generously supported by title sponsor the Junction Business Improvement Area, the Toronto Arts Council and the active involvement from Junction area businesses and residents.

The Junction Forum for Art and Culture (JFAC) is a non-profit arts presenting organization and its main project is the annual Junction Arts Festival. The JFAC Board of Directors, chaired by Councillor Bill Saundercook, consists of dedicated cultural producers, artists, residents, business owners and politicians, all of whom are based in the Junction.