Last weekend of the EX

@LetsGoToTheEX is a song that draws you back to the Canadian National Exhibition in #Toronto and I can resist its lure no longer. This is it - the last weekend of fair, helped along each day with an airshow (Saturday to Monday from 12:30pm-4:30pm) and so I will brave the parking and the lineup and enter the grounds and get my deep fried bacon on. Maybe I will see the EX mascot Alex the furry Beaver, seen above at Yonge-Dundas Square.

The Hamilton Family of Acton will be there late Friday August 31, 2012 - see you there. Here are some shots from the night.

See more after the jump.

Bus Stop Advert in #Toronto

TTC bus stops aren't just for escaping the elements as people waited for the bus or streetcar, now they are part of consolidated advertising campaigns that capture peoples attention more than a simple poster could do. The Yonge and Dundas intersection bus stop is one of the primo spots to turn into a massive sale promotional installation. Personally I don't think it works, but I should contemplate its effectiveness over a drink.

I have seen this stop as a jungle and home to dinosaurs and musketeers, now it appears as a black and white zig-zag promotion for booze.

Andy Warhol at the Ryerson Imaging Centre

Andy Warhol, Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy are some of the famous faces staring down at the pond at the new Ryerson Imaging Centre. The photos from the Black Star Collection grace the windows of the gallery, research and collection centre. The collection is from the New York City photo agency that was gifted to Ryerson University by an anonymous donor. Many of the famous photos appeared in picture magazines like Life, Look and the Saturday Evening Post.

"The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) is a national and international centre of excellence for the study, teaching, research and exhibition of photography and related media. We are a fully integrated, vibrant contributor and active partner within the academic fabric of the University, the cultural network of greater Toronto, and an ever-expanding international community of exchange and collaboration. We develop programs that speak to and welcome interested parties from many different walks of life, including students, faculty, researchers, artists, curators, as well as the general public."

looking at the rock garden and reflecting pond

University FROSH week - Are you ready?

New student orientation has already started at #Toronto Universities as the 2012/2013 year starts in September. Some crazy students will soon be seen wandering around the city in purple - including purple face paint. The University of Toronto's Skule Engineering Frosh week is September 3-9.

Medieval knights on the red carpet

At Ryerson University the Welcome Gala is on for Thursday August 30, 2012. The party atmosphere of Frosh week is a good training for the year long party that is commonly known as the school year.

tiff looks for members on campus

Fresh and Tasty #Toronto ends

The somewhat erotic culinary experiences known as Fresh Wednesdays and Tasty Thursdays are done for 2012. The ever changing and continuously under construction Nathan Phillips Square continues to morph into something different, yet more of the same, but it will not see another tent set up for inexpensive eats and free concerts during the midweek events for this year. Winter really does fast approach, damn CNE - they are always responsible for the end of summer.

"Enjoy the Farmers' Market while listening to Canadian music each Wednesday from July 11 - August 29, 2012 in Nathan Phillips Square and Tasty Thursdays at Nathan Phillips Square is the perfect lunch hour getaway. From July 12 - August 30, 2012, enjoy fresh international cuisine from a variety of Toronto vendors. Free concerts at noon feature music from around the world including roots, blues, reggae and Latin sounds."

For all your fresh vegetable needs the Farmers' Market continues on till October 17. The Wednesday community farm market is open from 10am - 2pm (closed on September 26).

Telepathic Animal Communication Seminar

@PawsWay in #Toronto wants to help you communicate with your pet with a special offering on Saturday September 8, 2012 (from 12pm to 2pm). Expert telepathic communicator Claudia Hehr will help you deepen your relationship with your animal friends. I will try to reach out to your pet now: If you drive to PawsWay your dog wants to stick their head out of the window, now he wants to go outside.

The 3,500 square foot Queens Quay facility is a must see visit if you are in the area. There is almost always something going on so you can check out the cute pets if you do not have one yourself. In September 2012 there are plenty of upcoming events to take in (many are free), including the following.

Woofjocks — A Celebration of Dog Sports
Saturday, September 1 (11am - 5pm), Sunday, September 2 (11am - 5pm) and Monday, September 3 (11am - 5pm) — Exact show times vary by day

See more events and puppies after the jump.

LOVE and yellow happy face hearts in #Toronto

Gregory Alan Elliott continues to make his presence know at Cherry Beach. His LOVE traffic signs and happy face hearts are sprinkled liberally throughout the park lands and streets in the Portlands district. The yellow hearts are fun to find, their bright colour makes them easy to spot and you don't know who put them there - Gregory doesn't sign them, so the mystery factor is quite high. Plus they are so happy.

Honesty is the best poetry is one of his more well know signs and you can find typically find them high up on hydro poles, just out of reach. The artist and poet's work can be found in Kensington Market and along the Queen and Spadina graffiti alleys. See more signs after the jump.

Hi Roger

Another shout out to a photographer in #Toronto.

Faces at #Toronto Harbourfront

Big, colourful heads hang outside at the @HabourfrontTO Centre "The World in One Place". They sit quietly, for what purpose I do not know. They were probably part of Taiwanfest which was held August 24-26, 2012 within the Queen's Quay entertainment complex. I missed the part where people put the masks on and go around doing crazy things knowing that people can't tell who they are.

The day after the CNE Labour Day weekend is the official start of winter in Canada but you can still bundle up and catch several weekend festivals at Harbourfront. These are the following events that still remain: Ashkenaz Festival Aug 28-Sept 3, Caribbean Tales Annual Film Festival Sept 5-15, Vegetarian Food Festival Sept 7-9,  Vietnamese Latern Festival and Fortune Cooking on Sept 16.

These faces look out onto the Natrel Pond / Rink

Target Bullseye Beach in #Toronto

@Target_ca threw some summer beach parties across Canada with the #BullseyeBeach end of summer celebration. In Toronto the event was held on Centre Island and featured giveaways, free ice cream and games - and the ride over on the ferry was taken care of by Target as well.

The ladies invited me (and a few thousand others) on a free ferry trip to the Islands

There were hundreds of bullseyes everywhere. We followed them onto the ferry for the trip across the inner harbour. See more after the jump.

Gillian Anderson at @FanExpoCanada

X-Files star Gillian Anderson came to #Toronto during the final day of the 2012 FanExpo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. She signed autographs and met with fans in the great hall and later had a Question and Answer Session in Hall G. I checked the line up and I think there were several aliens in the actual lineup.

Today wrapped up the weekend's fun and cosplay at the massive show which is the FanExpo.

Spy vs Spy

See more after the jump.

Cynthia Mulligan at Aloha #Toronto

@CityCynthia was paddling her heart out during the Aloha Toronto Celebrity SUP Challenge down at Woodbine Beach on Sunday August 26, 2012. The beach party and sporting event was in support of Surfers Healing and Sick Kids in the fight against autism.

Cynthia is a reporter for CityNews on Citytv and right after the challenge she was out on the board doing an interview with one of the star surfers.

The surfers were pretty playful and in great humour during the challenge. They spent most of the time trying to knock each other off the board or tossed balls of seaweed at each other.

You can see some of Saturday's fun on my post here.

GoTopless Protest in #Toronto

The protesters gathered at Woodbine Beach, dressed mostly in white, and began to prepare for their march along the lakefront boardwalk and out onto the streets of Toronto as they headed to Kew Beach. The 2012 march was held on a sunny, warm Sunday August 26 and the marchers were escorted by a van towing a large poster and several police officers. Both men and women participated in the march.

In 2011 the group was initially denied a permit to stage the protest in the park, however the City relented and the protest got the go ahead. The goal is to confirm woman's right to go topless - just the same as men.

The protest leaves Woodbine Beach led by police

Many of the group were from the Raelian Movement and the website is goTopless.org.

ImportFest 2012

Half of the Metro #Toronto Convention Centre was in FanExpo mode, the other half had rows and rows of cars representing the tuners for ImportFest. Plus lots of girls - as sexy models helped to show off the finest tuner cars from North America in the great hall. Joe Fresh and I got our Viking helmets and checked out the cars, with the help of many of the ladies.

Photo by Joe Hamilton

Joe Hamilton at the SCION booth

Not James and Joe Hamilton, it was the Battle Group

It was for one day only on Saturday August 25 and is known as the the "event of champions and top tuners".

"Come enjoy all the festivities at this year's IMPORTFEST including Live performances; RC Drifting; B-Boy Dance competition; Photo shoots; a spectacular Bikini pageant and the most memorable Lingerie Show ever; plus much more!"

See more cars and lovely models after the jump.