Hanging flower baskets
At long last, we’ve got our flowers to brag about. They’re hanging on thirty poles across the area – test cases to see how they look and to learn what’s involved caring for them. It’s been a long road getting here. We first applied in April, waded through various agency approvals in May and June, endured a strike in July and then in August (when hope had really dimmed), flowers suddenly bloomed on poles throughout our area. Although it’s now late in the season, we persevered. And the result is well worth the effort.
Next year, we’ll add another 30 pots and fill in the gaps. These flower baskets are one of the first achievements that we’ve had arising from our new Revitalization Plan. The installations happened overnight - each basket weighs about 75 pounds.

Free food
I bet that headline gets your attention.
Every weekend, Cabbagetown Organics (499 Parliament) is offering samplings of the fine products on sale in their store. This week, you can try out Mad Mexican salsas and chips – both big favourites at our house. On Saturday, if you’re hungry or curious, drop by, say hello to Sam and try a chip.

Festival Tees
David & Sharon showing off her new Tee-shirt displays

Our retail empire is expanding. Sharon’s (503 Parliament) has agreed to sell our Tee’s for the next month during the frenzied build-up to the Cabbagetown Festival. She has four sizes available: small, medium, large and XL, all at our regular bargain price of $10. Drop in and pick up a few for your family.

Speaking of Tees
These athletic Cabbagetowners took our Tee and our flag to Prince Edward County for a bike trip.

Whenever we get photographic evidence, we’re showing how our Tees have traveled the face of the Earth. Last year’s edition reached into the distant corners of southern Australia and spanned the globe back to Leeds England, journeyed to the Okanagan and of course, blanketed Toronto. So, if you’re on holiday wearing your sophisticated Tee, grab a photo and send it to us.

NOW Magazine ranks Toronto’s best ice cream stores …
Congratulations to Sweet Creamery (521 Parliament). They’ve only been open for a few weeks and they’re already ranked among Toronto’s top ten ice cream stores by NOW Magazine. You can read all about it here: http://www.nowtoronto.com/food/story.cfm?content=170841

Mug time
Daniel et Daniel (248 Carlton) have added a sexy line of travel mugs to the Food Shop’s shelves. If you buy one at $9.95, you’ll get a free coffee to fill it and then you’ll get your future coffees for only 95 cents.

Martha Baillie
Martha Baillie's self-portrait

If you visit the Parliament Street Library (269 Gerrard), Martha Baillie will be a familiar face for you. You may not know it but she writes books as well as tending carefully to them in the library. Her latest combines both careers. Her enjoyment of library life has given her the raw material for The Incident Report, a collection of stories about the mad and marvelous patrons at her library. At http://marthabaillie.ca/, you can find out more about her novels and her bio. Get a copy of her book – who knows, you might be in it.

Picnic time
George Smitherman and Bob Rae, our two elected representatives, occupy a spiffy office located between the LCBO and St Jamestown Steak & Chops at 514 Parliament. We’re pleased to have them as members of our BIA. In low-keyed but important ways, they deliver needed help to both businesses and residents in Cabbagetown. On Sunday August 16 from noon to 3 pm, they’re hosting their annual Toronto Centre Community Picnic in Allan Gardens (Sherbourne and Carlton).

Nettleship is on television
For several hours this week, Nettleship’s became a movie set as carpenters, painters, actors and cameras transformed it into “Coopers Hardware” for the television series Flashpoint. Showing on CTV and CBS, Flashpoint is a drama that depicts “the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops.” Frankly, when we think about “tough and risky”, Nettleship’s doesn’t usually spring to mind. Instead, we think about Dudley (the household dog) or Don’s expertise with paints or Marg’s lifelong affection for Cabbagetown. This is the real Nettleships - Dudley is the guy on the left.

If show biz is your ambition Number 9 Audio Group (222 Gerrard East) are offering you a chance to learn audio engineering in a professional recording studio. It’s a one-on-one, hands-on curriculum with Bernie Cisternas as your instructor and topics range from drum processing to sequencing and sampling. Get lots more information and contacts at http://www.number9.ca/school/

Lightning strikes
Cabbagetown businessman James Woollatt from Blink Blink (603 ½ Parliament) captured last Sunday’s thunderstorm in a video taken from the twenty-first floor of an apartment that overlooks Cabbagetown and downtown Toronto. His 24-second video dramatically shows the power of a single lightning bolt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nSorFqlRHk