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Riverside Sports Legacy Mural Launch, Culinary Walk & More: Join us on August 8th!

Experience it All: Steps from the Athletes’ Village

Let us know you’re coming!!

In the spirit of the Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games, come and experience the authentic artistry, food, and shopping that Riverside has to offer! Here’s a taste of what’s in store:

10:00AM-3:00PM – Toronto Flower Market @ 659 Queen St. E

colorful-flower-market-cheryl-davisStart off your day strolling through the Toronto Flower Market located in the 659 Queen Street East lot. They are a  monthly pop-up market that ‘celebrates locally grown flowers, the growers that cultivate them and the florists that style them’. Field growers, La Primavera Farms, along with 13 other participating vendors have been working all spring to bring fresh and stylish blooms. The market lasts from 10AM to 3PM, but get there early for the best picks!

 

10:30AM @ 1 Munro St. – Sports Legacy Mural Launch

Join the Riverside BIA outside of Oma Chiropractic for the launch of the new Sports Legacy mural, a continuation of the Sports Heritage mural, both by Monica Wickeler! The expanded section of the mural features the excitement of modern sport, underscoring the ongoing importance of sport in the community of Riverside across generations. It is clear from the colour scheme and depicted sports that the Pan Am Games were a major inspiration for this piece of art.

 

 

 

11:00AM-12:00PM – Vocalworks Children’s Choir @ 1 Munro St.

Take in the sounds of Vocalworks Children’s Choir on Munro St. at 11AM! Vocalwork is a nonprofit organization that awards students the opportunity to learn, practice and showcase their vocal instrument. They are the only music anchor that incorporates all vocal genres and is focused solely on the voice as a practiced instrument. The voice can be a conductor of positive energy when used in an art form, come experience their unique performance!

 

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12:00PM-6:00PM – Pan Am Games-Themed Sidewalk Shopping and Tasters

Experience the inside outside with Games-themed sidewalk shopping and tasters, happening all along Queen Street East (the DVP to Empire Ave.)!

 

 

1:00-3:30PM – Culinary Adventure Walking Tour led by Chef Scott Savoie

Don’t miss out on this extremely popular and delicious walk – spots for this $75 value complimentary tour go fast! From 1-3:30PM, join Chef Scott from The Culinary Adventures Co. to take your tastebuds on a Pan Am-themed adventure!  Compete for your spot in this free tour by sending Riverside BIA a message on Twitter (@RiversideBIA) or Facebook (/RiversideTO) using hashtag #RiversideFoodie, or by email (marketing@riverside-to.com) to let us know what you love about Riverside! Act fast, there are only 20 spots!

Chef Scott is a bilingual, private chef/culinary instructor with over 25 years diverse culinary experience. His mother introduced him to cooking at a young age,  as he would often get underfoot while she made her delicious homemade bread. He founded Culinary Adventure Co. to showcase the culinary diversity of Canada’s largest city to locals and visitors alike. The company specializes in food tours,  cooking classes, corporate team building events, pop up dinners and tastings, and outdoor activities with a culinary theme such as canoe and beach dining adventures and mushroom forages. It has been ranked the #1 tour company in the city by Trip Advisor since August 2011.

 

 

Riverside T-SHIRTS! You asked, we delivered! Get your Limited Edition Riverside Tee!

By popular request, we willing be selling our Riverside t-shirts for a limited time. This tee is our latest version depicting the newly lit up Bridge in a night-time sky – don’t forget to grab yours for just $15! All proceeds go to support your fav’ hood 🙂

 

Riverside Walks: Wayfinding Art Launch and more July 11th!

Make sure to come out to Riverside Walks on July 11th for the launch of our brand new wayfinding art! Starting at 10AM (until 3PM) browse the Toronto Flower Market for fresh blooms. Starting at 11AM, join us at Queen East/ Davies for the ribbon and cake cutting followed by our Riverside Art + History walk led by Historian Ron Fletcher! Throughout the day, check out the Sidewalk shopping and tasters happening along all Queen East from the DVP to Empire Ave – stop by Dangerous Dan’s for some Canadian poutine, Common Sort for some great vintage deals, and much more!

Get a sneak preview in the video below and we’ll see you on the 11th!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8hqKCAYQRY

Canada Day Specials and Celebrations: Check out some of what Riverside has to offer!

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure to pick up some Growers Cider from the Wine Rack before you head off to your Canada Day festivities! Get four 6-packs in any flavour for just $43! Happening all throughout the week!

Also, why not come out and support Mary Macleod’s Shortbread in the “Mad for Maple” food competition at the Harbourfront Centre! July 1st, 12-2pm!

Lastly, starting July 10th, An Sibin Pub will be opening their patio from 2pm-sundown, with live music every Friday and Saturday – turn Canada Day into a month long celebration!

 

But the fun doesn’t stop there! On July 1st from 12-4pm make sure to check out the “Neighbours Together on Canada Day” event at Riverdale Park! The Ralph Thornton Centre has held this event in partnership with several other community centres, as well as the Canada-China Chamber of Commerce, for 20+ years! Join them for live performances, lots of great food, and the popular Kids Zone – bouncy castles, watermelon eating contests, sack races, and much more!

Sneak Preview of JULY 11 Riverside Art + History Walk! Led by Historian Ron Fletcher

Learn about and experience the art and history of Riverside with local stories and imagery

Let us know you’re coming!

Starting with the history of the Bridge (Queen E/DVP) and its art, take a walk eastward through Riverside with local historian and author Ron Fletcher to uncover the history and anecdotes on how Riverside’s streets got their names and experience the flourishing art of Riverside.

signStart your journey  at 11AM at the Bridge (Queen E/DVP) and be part of Riverside history by taking part in the launch of  Riverside’s shiny, new wayfinding art with ribbon cutting ceremony and cake! Located at the west side of the Bridge, this art is the final piece of the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project – a capital installation illuminating the iconic bridge, launched in early June by the Riverside BIA, the project partners, sponsors and the community.

Right after the launch you’ll start your Riverside’s Art + History Walk experience, guided by local historian and author – Ron Fletcher.   Ron is our local art and history expert: the Founder and President of the Riverdale Historical Society, Founder of the Riverdale Art Walk (now in its 17th year!!), and past Chair of the Riverside BIA.

Starting with the art and history of the Bridge, this year we are focusing on the history behind the various pieces of art throughout the neighbourhood.  Art has been a major contributing factor in what has made Riverside the iconic area it is today, and has brought the community together in countless ways.  Here’s a sneak preview of some of the unique and interesting Riverside history you’ll learn about…

Riverside Bridge

Originally called the Queen Street Viaduct, before Eldon Garnet (among others) contributed their artistry to the bridge, it was just a bland, unnoticed passageway to the East end. After Garnet won the contest to decorate the Riverside Bridge, it soon began gaining recognition as it became an iconic landmark, and even began to pop up on t-shirts and in murals. This artwork sparked a revitalization of the Riverside neighbourhood and unified the people within the community. Most recently, on June 5th of 2015, the Bridge was illuminated through the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project and lit up for the public for the first time. “It was an opportunity to celebrate the structure that had long linked the downtown core with the east end”, said former Riverside BIA Exective Director, Perry Lupyrypa, who championed the project over the last three years with Riverside business and community sponsors and partners.

“Echo” (1/3) by Mary Anne Barkhouse at Joel Weeks Park

Born in British Columbia, raised in Ontario, Mary Anne Barkhouse has been a professional artist since the 1990s. After her proposal won a contest by the City of Toronto’s Public Art Office, she enlisted in Michael Belmore to aid her with the construction. The piece consists of three different sculptures in different corners of Joel Weeks Park. They are of a beaver, a fox, and four squirrels worshiping an acorn (see above). The piece is said to represent the flora and fauna of the neighbourhood. The artist also has some very interesting reasoning behind her choice of materials (bronze and granite), which is something you can learn more about on the Art History Walk!

Sports Heritage mural by Monica Wickeler on Munro St.

In the mural one can see Toronto’s first Baseball  diamond in Riverside – Sunlight Park, the scatting that used to take place on the Don River, the former location of Toronto’s Cycling club, and the long curling history in the area. You can also learn more about the expansion of this mural as a legacy to the 2015 Pan Am Games!

Experience this art + history and much more on July 11th! Let us know you’re coming!

 

Riverside Way-finding Art Launch, Riverside Walks and More: Experience it all July 11th!

Cut the Ribbon, Eat Cake, Take a Walk, Find a Deal – and Don’t forget to Stop and Smell the Roses…

Let us know you’re coming!

Come on out to Riverside on July 11 with your walking shoes for a full-on experience, here’s the scoop on what’s in store:

mothers day flowerStarting at 10AM – Toronto Flower Market at 659 Queen Street East

Start off your day strolling through the Toronto Flower Market located in the 659 Queen Street East lot. They are a  monthly pop-up market that ‘celebrates locally grown flowers, the growers that cultivate them and the florists that style them’. Field growers, La Primavera Farms, along with 13 other participating vendors have been working all spring to bring fresh and stylish blooms. This month’s market happens on July 11, 10AM to 3PM, but get there early for the best picks!  (and don’t miss coming back for the latest beautiful blooms). As a special treat this day enjoy jazzy and folk tunes from Dustin and Caleb from 10-12!


 signStarting at 11AM – Launch of Riverside Wayfinding Signage at the Foot of the Riverside Gateway Bridge with Ribbon Cutting and Cake!

Head a few minutes west and become part of history at the launch of Riverside’s shiny, new wayfinding art with ribbon cutting ceremony and cake! Located at the west side of the Bridge, this art is the final piece of the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project – a $600,000 capital installation illuminating the iconic bridge, launched in early June by the Riverside BIA, the project partners and sponsors and the community.

banner As part of this special project, the BIA looked to update the bridge way-finding banners. These are the spirals of steel that carry on the ribbons from the famous and beloved art installation atop the Bridge which reads “This River I Step in is Not the River I Stand In”, created by world-renowned artist Eldon Garnet. The artist who recreated these banners is Rebecca Houston who describes the banners as being “ribbons of steel that spiral around the pole and that reference the river and the ribbon.” 

 

 

 

October 20, 2012: Riverside Walk led by Ron Fletcher titled: Inside and Outback Walk - background picture of Sister Gwen of Sister's of St. Joseph

Ron Fletcher

Right after the launch, experience Historical Riverside with Ron Fletcher’s Art + History Walk

Starting with the history of the Bridge and its art, take a walk eastward through Riverside with local historian and author Ron Fletcher to uncover the history and anecdotes on how Riverside’s streets got their names and experience the flourishing art of Riverside. Learn about and experience the art and history of Riverside through the ages with local stories and imagery with many destination points along Queen Street East.  Ron is our local art and history expert: the Founder and President of the Riverdale Historical Society, Founder of the Riverdale Art Walk (now in its 17th year!!), and past Chair of the Riverside BIA.

 

 

IMG_752112pm-6pm Enjoy the Sidewalk Sales along the Riverside from the Bridge to Empire Ave!

Get ready, get set for some great deals with Riverside’s Games-themed Sidewalk Sale where you can shop and experience Riverside’s family friendly food outlets and boutiques in its unique small town in the big city atmosphere. The deals will be happening along Queen Street East, from the DVP to Empire Avenue.