Friends of Dufferin Grove Park Newsletter, Volume 8 Number 4 and 5, May 2007

Jane Jacobs Community Walk

“Jane’s walk”

Saturday May 5 noon to 2 p.m.

image from janeswalk.net

Last year Mayor Miller declared May 4 to be Jane Jacobs Day in Toronto (that was her birthday). The next day (May 5) is the first occasion of what Jane’s friends hope will be an annual day of neighbourhood walks to mark her love of cities and of the many ordinary people who make them lively.

In this neighbourhood, the walk is called “Jane’s campfire walk.” It starts at noon at Susan Tibaldi Parkette (just north of Bloor, on the subway lands behind Duffy’s Tavern, between Brock and Margaretta). Park campfire staff Anna Bekerman and Amy Withers will be cooking fritters made with wild greens and farmers’ market eggs over the campfire there (they'll start cooking from about 11.15, for people who get there early). Artist/activist Dyan Marie will talk about how the area is changing. The walk will go along a rather edgy section of Bloor to the new railpath park, and from there to the heritage buildings in the Stirling Ave. industrial area that will soon house a very large new movie studio. The second campfire will be waiting at MacGregor Park, with more tasty food. Artist-in-residence Kristen Fahrig will talk about (and show) what she’s doing there with kids. Then the walk will follow Dundas (with its wonderful mix of old and new, oddly-angled buildings) over to Gladstone. Brockton triangle resident Emily Visser has some fascinating stories to tell about that stretch of the oldest street in this neighbourhood. Then, walking north on Gladstone, Kim Malcomson will be at St.Anne’s Church (see website to tell a little about it.

From there the walk ends at Dufferin Grove, at the third campfire, near the earthen (cob) courtyard? there, with Anna and Amy cooking the final course, and toasting forks for people who want to cook hot dogs or toast marshmallows, themselves. This walk has multiple options for shortcuts, or dawdling and catching up (for parents with little kids). For people with good walking shoes, there will also be a chance for a detour with park staff Corey Chivers to get a close look at the grand graffiti show on the multiple piers underneath the Dundas streetcar bridge.

There are lots of other “Jane’s walks” in the city that day too: see www.janeswalk.net. For more details on the “Jane’s campfire walk” route, see our Neighbourhood News article?, including a route map by Corey.