Cesar Millan, the internationally renowned dog whisperer, is on a cross-Canada tour and he’s making a special stop at Cabbagetown’s Pet Valu (238 Carlton). You can see and meet Cesar on Sunday October 31 from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Book the time and whisper the good news to your favourite furry pal. Don’t miss out!Cabbagetown’s all-candidate’s debate
Meet the people who want to be your City Councillor for the next four years. This is your chance to hear each one speak and then answer your questions. Six candidates for our Ward 28 council seat will be there: Howard Bortenstein, Eric Brazeau, Dennis Hollingsworth, Pam McConnell, Daniel Murton and Raj Rama. Wednesday October 13, 6:30 pm, Cabbagetown Youth Centre, 2 Lancaster (behind the Parliament Street Beer Store.)
We Day – a huge success
Free the Children (233 Carlton) is a familiar name around Cabbagetown. We’ve all seen and enjoyed the groups of young people who work and visit here and we know about their work in other parts of the world. What we don’t always know is how big and powerful their message has become.We Day is their annual time for celebration and renewal. It’s a call to young people to commit themselves to service and change.
Over 18,000 young people came to the Air Canada Centre on September 29 to be part of this movement. They came from forty school boards and 1000 schools.
They learned how their efforts – big and small – can lift other people and make a difference in our world. In the past year, for example, their projects have included Hallowe’en for Hunger – over 217,000 pounds of food were donated to local food banks. Their fundraising contributed over $1.5 million for local causes and $3.0 million to international organizations.
We Day is the starting point each year and this year’s event was an amazing success.
A two-hour special on We Day will air on CTV on Saturday October 7 at 7 pm.
Kiki’s fall promotions
If you’re getting ready for that television appearance, you’ll want to take advantage of Hair Lift’s (503B Parliament) fall promotions. Kiki is offering semi-permanent colour or colour gloss for only $20. She also has a collection of hair products inside the salon that are on sale at 20% off.
Gosia at Labour of Love
Gosia’s recent installation at Labour of Love (242 Carlton) was a great success so Regina is bringing in more of her art for Cabbagetown shoppers to enjoy. You can see a nifty sneak preview here: http://thelabouroflove.ca/It’s Thanksgiving – What are you doing this weekend?
There’s a lot of choices ready for you. Cabbagetown restaurants are preparing their feasts for the occasion. Pick your favourite and enjoy yourself.
Start the day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Johnny G’s. They’re open from 8 to 5 pm for brunch. 478 Parliament
Across the street at PearTree, you can enjoy a three-course dinner for only $21.99. That includes butternut squash soup or salad, turkey with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables and pumpkin pie. 507 ParliamentAthena is the new place on the block. For Thanksgiving, Jim has a roast beef dinner special with potatoes and veggies and soup or salad as a starter. 488 Parliament.
The House on Parliament is featuring their regular (and highly popular) prime rib dinner on Sunday. On Monday, they’re offering a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings followed by pumpkin bread pudding for dessert. Both days, dinner starts at 5 pm. 456 Parliament
At Big Mamma’s Boy, there will be a special Thanksgiving dinner with organic turkey, locally grown veggies and all the trimmings. Dessert will highlight a gluten-free pumpkin pie. 554 Parliament.
Cranberries’ special holiday dinners are always anticipated happily by their regular guests. This year, a three-course dinner includes soup or salad, turkey and the trimmings followed by pumpkin pie. Available on Sunday and Monday. 601 ParliamentWorld Jazz for Haiti
Number 9 Audio Group have successfully launched their new two-disk album to support disaster relief for Haiti. The launch event at Hugh’s Room raised over $3800 in just one evening. The album is an amazing collection by outstanding talented musicians. Proceeds go to the Canadian Red Cross. You can pick one up for $25 at Number 9 (22 Gerrard) or at the BIA (237 Carlton). For more information about the artists and your contribution to Haiti relief, click here: http://www.worldjazzforhaiti.com/Thanksgiving at Epicure
Patty’s loaded up on goodies for you for the weekend. Of course, she has lots of pumpkin pies and she has plenty of other fruit pies and tarts as well. All homemade. While you’re there, check out her selection of cheese – Comfort Cream, Guernsey Girl and Niagara Gold from Niagara on the Lake and lots of Buffalo Mozzarella on sale at $7.99 each. 473 ParliamentKendall & Co – Thanksgiving sale
Save up to 50% on Kendall’s hostess gifts, serving ware, wine accessories, glass ware, teapots, candles, lamps, party accessories and accent décor. A whole new selection of merchandise has just gone on sale in the store so drop in and take advantage of these great prices. 438 Parliament at Spruce.The 8th Absolutely Vintage Sale
Leslie at Eclectisaurus (249 Gerrard) has again joined forces with Gadabout and Angela McCool to host their annual sale. Their inventory features clothing from the 1890s to the 1970s, costume jewellery, textiles, curios and accessories. Saturday October 16, 10 am to 5 pm at Maple Cottage, 62 Laing Street (south of Queen east, one block east of Leslie.)Geoffrey Pimblett in the news
Geoffrey is the inimitable host at Albert Pimblett’s B & B (242 Gerrard). His views on tourism and its latest trends are featured in a Toronto Star article from October 1. Read about it here: http://www.thestar.com/travel/northamerica/article/868571--where-d-all-the-americans-goUp Until Now by Deborah Hay
Toronto Dance Theatre (80 Winchester) is presenting Deborah Hay’s acclaimed Up Until Now as their first performance for the 2010/2011 season. It runs from Wednesday October 20 to Saturday October 23 with tickets at $26 (students/seniors/CADA at $20). You can reach the Box Office at (416) 967-1365 or at http://tdt.org/buy/order.htmDon’t lose your Yetis
Yeti Agnew (from Yeti Law at 215 Carlton) has always taken this motto seriously ever since her days in the Ski Patrol. She first picked up this poster (by the legendary cartoonist Ben Wicks) in the 1970s, eventually filed it away and then recently rediscovered it when checking her archives. She loves all of its Cabbagetown echoes – Ben Wicks and Yeti both live on here.So you think you can cook?
Cabbagetowner Charlie Smith works at Cineflix and he’s looking for people who want to host a dinner party and appear on television. He knows that Cabbagetown is home for lots of foodies and he’s hoping you’ll join the fun. Three couples will each prepare dinner for the others and compete for top honours. Your dinners will be broadcast later on The Food Network. Contact dpwcasting@cineflix.com
On Friday October 1, Big Mamma’s Boy (554 Parliament) is hosting a fundraiser for the people who are now stranded. They’re accepting gifts cards for food, drugs and department stores. They will also donate a percentage of their sales for the evening.
U4Change (517 Parliament) is a dynamic agency that works with young people from St James Town . They use the arts, culture and human rights to give them a strong start in their lives. They’re holding a fundraiser to help people left without shelter by the fire at 200 Wellesley. You can join them and watch performances by young artists and nibble on the goodies from their bake sale. All donations will be welcome. Friday October 8, 7 to 9 pm, 517 Parliament. 
Merion and Tina have announced that Simmons Flowers (540 Parliament) will stay open on Saturday October 9 so you can stock up on your flowers for the Thanksgiving weekend. Whether they’re a decoration for your own home or a gift for someone else, flowers are a beautiful part of the Thanksgiving holiday. As Merion says, “Flowers may not nourish our bodies but they certainly nourish our souls.”
Egale has announced that it’s moving into new offices at 185 Carlton. This space will enable them to strengthen the Safe School program. Despite legal and policy guarantees, Egale has found that up to 75% of LGBT youth report feeling unsafe at school. Egale works to make our schools safer and more tolerant and to empower students and adults in their efforts toward dignity and basic human rights. For more details, click here: 
These consoles are very popular. They’re perfect for small condos and narrow hallways. Only 6” wide, they come in two sizes – 42” by 29” and 34” by 32”. They’re available in polished chrome, dark grey and brushed finish. They’re made right here in Toronto and a new batch has just arrived. From October 1 to October 15, they’ll be on sale at 15% discounts. 238 Carlton
New carpets are featured in Kendall & Co’s front window display this week. These brilliant carpets are handmade in New Zealand. Step inside for more rugs and for a chance to browse through the sale items. Décor accessories, glassware, serving ware, gifts, lamps and furniture are all on sale now for 20 to 50% off. These are great bargains. 438 Parliament (across from Spruce.)
Every week, we list the coming topic at Elie’s Monday evening cooking classes at Provences Delices (12 Amelia). He says that he’s getting great compliments about his program. To help you plan ahead, here are his themes for October: lamb (October 4), appetizers (October 25) and duck (November 1). His evenings feature lots of hands-on experience followed by a meal where you can enjoy your own cooking together with a glass of wine. $99/session to a maximum of 7 people. Book your space at (416) 924-9901. 
Last Wednesday, the kids in the Regent Park Music School joined Chantal Kreviazuk during the official launch for the Pan Am Games. The games will take place in 2015 and the main focus for them will be at the foot of Parliament Street. These new facilities there will have a major impact on our community and will undoubtedly spur new growth and prosperity in our community. For a good video of the official ceremonies, click here: 
The small offices on the second and third floor above Ginger (Carlton & Parliament) have been demolished and there’s plenty of evidence that the upper floors are being renovated. The owner is creating two larger office areas with a single tenant on each floor. The second floor will be home to the administrative offices of a dance group. The third floor has offices, teaching spaces, storage and a worship area for the local Salvation Army congregation.
Caroline, Michael and Stephanie have been very busy in the past couple of weeks. During TIFF, Alliance Entertainment held fan meet-and-greet parties at Big Mamma’s Boy (554 Parliament). Sean Kanan, D-Teflon and Daniel Goddard were among the celeb’s who stopped by.
GTGK works with kids and their families to grow and prepare fresh nutritious foods. They focus on gardens located at neighbourhood schools. You can become a member and help directly in this fascinating project. Their annual general meeting will be held on Saturday September 25 at 603-1/2 Parliament. The meeting will start at 10 am with a tour of the Rose Ave Public School garden and an 11 am tour of the Winchester Public School garden. From noon to 2 pm, the meeting and lunch will happen at their offices. For more information, call 647-348-5437. 
Regina keeps getting rave reviews about her new store, Labour of Love (242 Carlton), in the city’s big newspapers. This week, NOW Magazine has a lifestyle article about her that expands into a great review of a dozen other Cabbagetown landmarks. You can read it here: 
Gurinder has officially opened his new restaurant at 556 Parliament, on the corner at Prospect. He’s done a lovely renovation and turned his space into a charming, inviting room. As part of our mission at the BIA, we’ve done extensive research into his menu – so far, we’ve had thali for lunch and dinner with butter chicken and lamb with madras spices. Delicious. There’s a $9.99 lunch special and for dinner, there’s a full range of northern Indian dishes. Take-out and home delivery are also available.
At Epicure, Patty is continuing her heart-stopping, adrenalin-laced weigh-your-own coffee contest. Just fill a bag with your beans and aim for one exact pound (454 grams). If you are exactly on the mark, you’ll get a second one free. People win regularly, so join the fun. And do it while she has her special offer running on Reunion Island beans – one pound for $10 or $2.20 for 100 grams. Patty is also very pleased to offer two award-winning Quebec cheeses – Le Chevre Noir and Douanier.
Gerry and his staff have a store-wide blowout sale underway. You can enjoy big savings on furniture, ceramics and garden containers.
Turkey orders are now open at St Jamestown Steak & Chops (Parliament). Tell Mark what you want and your bird will be ready for you just before the holiday.
The beautiful home furnishing available at Mi Casa (238 Carlton) are still on sale through this weekend. Save up to 70% on items throughout the store.
Our local Esso station (581 Parliament) is undergoing some regular maintenance. The underground tanks have been checked and repaired. After several days’ work, the hole has been filled and the fencing is coming down.
The first delivery of charming décor accessories and serving ware from Europe has just arrived at Kendall & Co (438 Parliament across from Spruce). To make room for all this, they’re holding a 50% off clearance sale on selected items. They also have a special 20% sale on Bumble Bee & Dragonfly French glassware and on their lamps and classic furniture.
Kelsey Butler has just finished her summer work at the Cabbagetown BIA. She did an outstanding job for us organizing the Festival. She focused on our “people” projects – the parade, the program, the vendors and the street patios. These are difficult and detailed problems and she managed them with considerable skill. She has a friendly enthusiasm that makes other people happy to work with her. As many people have already noted, our 2010 Festival was a great success and much of the credit for our success belongs to Kelsey. Our thanks and best wishes to her as she heads into her final year at Ryerson.
We had a marvelous time – from Parliament Street to Riverdale Park and to all the garage sales in between. More about all of that next week.
The official opening for our new TD Canada Trust (493 Parliament) happened on Friday September 10 with a pleasant event inside the bank. Senior staff from TD Bank joined people from our local branch and community groups. They distributed gifts to the Cabbagetown BIA, the Cabbagetown Youth Centre, Green Thumbs Growing Kids and the Heritage committee. Their generosity has made it possible for the Cabbagetown Festival to embark on aggressive advertising and fundraising campaigns and we indeed appreciate their help.
The Sun Media chain ran an extensive article about FTJCo (523 Parliament) in its papers in mid-August. The story appeared right across Canada. Ryan Taylor has devoted his business to the principles of fair trade mining and environmental sensitivity. He offers his customers detailed information about the source of the precious metals and gems that adorn his creations. He provides assurances that the people and the landscape that contribute to his jewelry are treated with respect. For the full story, click here: 
It’s back – Patty’s wild and wooly weigh-your-coffee event. If you pour yourself exactly one pound of coffee beans, you’ll get a second pound free. People with heavy duty gambling addictions are advised to stay away. This is also the last week for Epicure’s Reunion Island special – only $10/pound (save $3). Snow Goat Brie is also on sale at $3.49 for 150 grams, a saving of $3. The Epicure Shop, 473 Parliament.
This is an event worth checking out. The beautiful furniture and decorations at Mi Casa are now on sale and being offered at discounts up to 70% off. Alex tells us that these bargains include new designs. The sale runs from Saturday September 18 to Sunday September 25. Mi Casa also has special incentives for people who have purchased tickets for the Tour of Homes. 238 Carlton.
Margaret and Chris are making great headway with their fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society. You will recall that they want to plant 2000 daffodils in the Parliament and Prospect area. Every gift made to the cancer society’s campaign earns their team additional bulbs. To date, they’ve raised over $2000 and their target of $3500 now seems within reach. If you’d like to donate and also help with this beautiful garden effort, please click here: 
Kendall & Co (438 Parliament) has a new collection of plush, 100% wool rugs from New Zealand and they’ve dedicated them to Cabbagetown. Each one is named for one of our streets. The rugs are fair trade certified. They range from 2X3’ to 10X14’ in round, rectangular and runner shapes. Prices start at $89 each. Come and find your style, colour, size and street. Kendall & Co will host a Welcome Refreshment Station on Winchester during Sunday’s Tour of Homes.
Michelle at Foxy Boutique (251 Gerrard) is now releasing her new line of Fall coats, hats, woolens, scarves and leather goods. She has her best boot collection ever. Her 50% sale continues with selected items from her summer lines.
For several months, George Rondina and the staff at Number 9 Audio have been producing a jazz album as their contribution to Haitian relief programs. World Jazz for Haiti will launch on Sunday evening, September 26 at Hugh’s Room (2261 Dundas). The party will feature John McDermott, Laila Biali, Mike Janzen, Jane Bunnett and many other artists who appear on the album. $22.50 in advance, $25 at the door and all proceeds go to the Canadian Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund.
This guy is busy. He attended the Burning Man event in the Nevada desert in early September, returned to Toronto in time for the Festival and took care of the management of his fine Barracuda store (527 Parliament). In the meantime, he made dill pickles – and his pickles are so good that someone in my house says she’d marry any man who can perk up a burger like that! It’s no surprise that he proudly displayed his Cabbagetown Tee while cavorting in Nevada.
Kick off your annual Festival weekend with an evening of short films from around the world. This year, seventeen films are being shown – from filmmakers living here at home and in far flung spots in Spain, England, France, Germany and even Winnipeg. This event is always a sold-out favourite. If you plan to attend, we suggest that you get your tickets in advance (at 237 Carlton, 416-921-0857) or be at the box office when it opens at 7 pm.
As everyone now knows, the TD Bank (493 Parliament) has been open for a few days already. They’re hosting their official opening on Friday September 10. Drop by and take a look. The whole corner has been transformed as the landscaping finishes and the interior is a very friendly, welcoming space. TD Bank have been very generous sponsors of our 2010 Cabbagetown Festival. They’ll be in the parade and in a booth outside the branch throughout the event.
Pet Valu (240 Carlton) is hosting our 1st annual Cabbagetown Festival Dog Show onj Saturday September 11. This decision follows extensive studies done by store staff and Festival organizers - we wanted to learn exactly which categories would have the greatest appeal for you. We can reveal some of them now: biggest nose, curliest hair, shortest legs, longest tail, smallest owner, look-a-like with owner, best dressed and silliest tricks. Bring your dog! There’ll be fame, glory and lots of prizes for the winners. Saturday, 240 Carlton, after the parade (approx noon).
It’s the first Saturday in the month, so Marilyn from Diggity Dog is back at Pet Valu (240 Carlton). Get your pal spiffied up for the Dog Show. Marilyn is one of the judges so it can’t hurt if you exert some pressure on her in advance. She’ll be doing her nail trimming and grooming specials on Saturday September 4.
Menagerie Pet Shop (549 Parliament) will be another pet owner’s destination during this year’s Festival. They’re hosting Dr Jennifer Day, the vet at Cabbagetown Pet Clinic (239 Gerrard), along with some rescue agencies and a dog fitness specialist.
Kiki is preparing special sales to offer Festival visitors on Saturday and Sunday. She has retail products from Goldwell, AG, Hemp and others at 20% discounts. They’ll have a table out front where you can shop easily for your latest hair products. Hair Lift, 503B Parliament.
This week, as a pre-Festival caffeine boost, Patty is featuring Reunion Island coffee at very good prices - $2.20/100g. That works out to $10/pound or a savings of $3/pound. At our household, we drink her Reunion Island continental dark so I’ll be there for some of her supplies. The Epicure Shop (473 Parliament) is open as usual from 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday and closed all day on Labour Day.
Kendall & Co Design and Décor (438 Parliament) have named one of their accent rugs “Carlton”. It’s in recognition of the work that has gone into this year’s festival by the BIA staff at 237 Carlton. This beautiful and plush rug is a welcome mat to residents, business owners and visitors who will be making another event such a great success.
Simmons Flowers (540 Parliament) turned 116 in July. Founded in 1894 at Yonge and Elm Streets by John Simmons, the shop was a major success. Mary Pickford was a regular customer. John’s son, Ernest, was a founder and eventually president of the FTD system. They were Toronto’s first florist to use a motorized vehicle for their deliveries. Merion Clement bought the business forty years ago and 25 years ago, she moved to Parliament Street. Today, Simmons is one of our landmarks and Merion and Tina can be deeply proud of the contributions that they continue to make to our community.
We want Cabbagetown’s artists to remember that we’re offering free booth space to you on Saturday afternoon. Just call Kelsey at (416) 921-0857 for more details.
Our entertainers are Cabbagetowners. Danny Marks, Jim Heinemann, Cabbagetown Steve Grant (and Code Green), CYC Choir, U4Change, Snooky Tynes, Da Youngstas - all are our friends and neighbours.
Our parade this year will be one of our biggest. Almost fifty groups are participating. It starts at Parliament and Wellesley at 10 am and goes south to Gerrard and then west to Ontario.