Friday 13 August 2010

The Daffodil Campaign
Margaret Coshan and Chris Hallett (along with the Prospect Street garden committee) are organizing a daffodil campaign for Cabbagetown in cooperation with the Canadian Cancer Society. They plan to raise enough money to plant hundreds of bulbs along Prospect, Rose, Winchester and Parliament. Homeowners and businesses will be invited to plant the bulbs on their property this Fall to make a huge splash next Spring.
Here’s how it works. For every $5 donated, the Canadian Cancer Society will give the committee one bulb. The group will plant them at agreed spots throughout the area. A tax receipt is available from the cancer society. Fundraising will go from now through the Festival and into the Fall. Watch for posters and donation boxes in nearby stores.

We’re happy to report that the wet, hot weather in July and August has created perfect conditions for the new Prospect Street garden. It’s getting well established and starting to fill in nicely. The renovations at the new Butter Chicken Factory, combined with the garden, are making this corner much livelier and more attractive.

Blair’s Run
Blair’s Run is always the opening event at our Festival. The 2010 Run is being organized now. It’s time to think about getting yourself in shape – run, walk or crawl the 3 km course with your family, your dog and your baby. It’s also a convenient opportunity to make your donation to the Cabbagetown Youth Centre. Saturday September 11, 8:30 am, $10 registration, Carlton at Parliament. For more information, call (416) 960-1032.

It’s time to spiffy-up your wardrobe.
As you can see, Kristin looks really good in her Cabbagetown Tee. You can too. Send us an email (doug@oldcabbagetown.com) or call us (416-921-0857) or visit us at 237 Carlton. For just $10, you can have your own personal Tee.

Tourists in Cabbagetown
Last week, we saw Cabbagetown’s local tourist scene personally. Family members visited us and stayed at Toronto Townhouse B&B (213 Carlton). They loved it – they’ve stayed in other B&Bs in Toronto previously but this was their most enjoyable experience. Their room was clean and elegant and they received very friendly service and advice about the neighbourhood. Check them out at http://www.torontotownhouse.com/.
Since it was Sunday, they then went out to the House on Parliament (454 Parliament) for a prime rib dinner and lots more advice from Duncan. On Monday, Allan Gardens and Riverdale Farm were part of their itinerary before they branched out elsewhere in the city.

Anniversary Park in the Festival
As usual, the Yonge Street Mission (280 Gerrard) has a fun-filled day planned for this location. YSM has regularly offered a great Festival program with food, family games and entertainers. Be sure to drop down on Saturday afternoon, September 11, to take part in it.

Labour of Love
Regina reports that the first weeks at her new store have been hectic and welcoming – a good start to her business. She’s scheduling a workshop on gift wrapping for Sunday August 22 and Sunday September 5. Drop by the store for more details. The workshop is free and she will provide the scissors, glue and a ton of fun ideas. Customers will purchase the paper for their projects. 242 Carlton.

Kendall & Co
The windows at Kendall & Co (438 Parliament) feature a variety of their current offerings: twin owl umbrella stands/tall vases resting on a Serengetti buffalo leather recliner, next to a floor lamp of woven twigs. Nearby there’s a mobile of hand-carved wooden swallows returning home to their glass bird cages. Find out more at http://www.kendallandco.ca/

Celebrating Cole Street
In June, Cole Street became the first new road to be opened to traffic in Regent Park in decades. We’ve all seen the new condo at One Cole and the new stores and RBC branch along the street. The Daniels Corporation asked the Coleman-Lemieux dance group to organize dancers and music to celebrate. It was all recorded in a short video called “Dancing down the avenue” by Eric Murphy and Jeff Cipin. Click here to enjoy it: http://youtu.be/jf3xrciggQg?hd=1

Get ready to cook…
Provence Delices (12 Amelia) will launch its Fall cooking classes with an evening of “Cooking with Dough” on Monday August 23 at 6:30 pm. Elie will take you through his lessons with a hands-on approach that emphasizes understanding and fun. For $99, you’ll enjoy his lesson, eat a meal and have a glass of wine. He has a very good web site describing the classes, so click here for more information: http://www.provencerestaurant.com/cooking.html