Friday 6 July 2007

More good news about the Festival Parade...
Two of our BIA members have just made generous donations to the Parade fund. Both are real estate companies.
HomeLife/Realty One (501 Parliament Street) and Prudential Properties Plus (552 Parliament Street) have each made large donations to the 2007 Cabbagetown Festival. We’ve earmarked $50 from each of them for the Parade.
Pledges to the Parade fund now stand at $1220.00. We’re close to heaven but not quite there yet. Just another $750 will put us over the top. So please, dig deep!


And while we’re talking about the Festival Parade …
It looks as if the baby walk is going to be a great hit. Every mom and dad (in fact, every baby) should be talking it up now!
What’s the idea? Bring your baby to the Parade and strut your stuff. Walk along Parliament Street in the Festival Parade and show off the great job you’ve done.
If you bring your baby, we’ll bring the bands and the cheering crowds to welcome you.
Save this date: Saturday morning, September 8, 10:00 am. Details will follow soon.


Associate Members of the BIA
In the June meeting, the Board of Management approved the idea of Associate Memberships in the BIA.
If you’re a business person working from home in Cabbagetown, we’d love to have you as a member. The cost is minimal - $50 a year. If you join now, your membership lasts until December 31, 2008.
The benefits are big. Our whole emphasis is on networking. Join us and get a listing on our web site. If you have a special event or announcement, you can use this Newsletter to tell the world. Twice a year, we’ll invite you to our informal occasions to meet other BIA members (at our annual Chairman’s Award evening and at our Annual General Meeting.) One Associate Member will be elected at the AGM to sit on our Board and to speak on behalf of the group. Plus you can call on our office for help with your projects and special promotions.
Here’s the fine print on two important questions.
Why Associate Membership? Because a full member has to be a business or property owner located within our boundaries and also has to be someone who pays property tax to the City of Toronto at commercial rates. This is carefully defined by the City of Toronto.
Can anyone join? Sorry – no. We aren’t a social group or a residents’ association. We’re a business group looking for other business people in our area.
For more information, call Doug Fisher at (416) 921-0857 or email doug@oldcabbagetown.com.


Hidden Gardens & Private Spaces
The first annual garden tour sponsored by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association takes place this weekend, Sunday, July 8. It starts at 11 am and continues to 4 pm. Tickets are $10.
This is a wonderful idea. This neighbourhood is full of enthusiastic gardeners who’ve produced lovely landscapes.
If you need a ticket, you can visit Mi Casa at 238 Carlton Street on Saturday. On Sunday, during the tour, walk along Carlton Street east of Parliament and look for a balloon outside a garden.

Green living styles at The Union
On Saturday July 7, from 4 to 9 pm, The Union (242 Carlton Street) hosts a Live Earth party to promote environmental living and bring awareness to the climate change crisis.

Hot music for summer evenings…
Angel Queen Pub & Restaurant (488 Parliament Street) has introduced karaoke nights with DJ Dante. Every Thursday and Sunday. And while you’re there, check out their wings and beer specials.
The Stonegrill on Winchester (51B Winchester Street) still has its Sunday jazz brunches featuring Archie Alleyne from 10:30 am to 3 pm. Scrumptious food and beautiful music.
The Cobourg (533 Parliament Street) continues its marvelous Sunday night jazz series with John Alcorn. Sundays at 9 pm, no cover charge.

And the art world heats up for the summer…
The Cabbagetown Community Art Centre (454 Parliament Street) has two new summer programs gearing up.
For adults, Art Makes You is a six-week course running on Monday nights from 7 to 8:30 pm. At $90 (plus $15 for materials), it’s a bargain.
For kids ages 3 to 6, it’s Vegetable Soup, a fun program of painting and creative art. Held every Wednesday morning from 10 to 11:30 am, the program runs for six weeks and costs only $80.
For information about these programs, contact kdinwoodie@hotmail.com or the Arts Centre at 416-925-7222.