Fall Ghost Walks in Exhibition Place Toronto

Spooky times are coming to Exhibition Place with scary Ghost Walks from Oct 4 - 29th, 2024 where you can find out the secret history of some of the imposing buildings found in the home of the Canadian National Exhibition. Night slows down the city but also exposes the dark underbelly of the history of old, historic buildings.

From Exhibition Place,  "Join us for one of our evening ghost walks. These two-hour tours, led by our good friend Steve Collie of After Dark Tours will take you behind closed doors and through our haunted past, while revealing the origins of our other-worldly neighbours."

For only $15 you can join the tours which start at the General Services Building (2 Manitoba Drive). Proceeds of the event will be donated to United Way of Greater Toronto.

The walks take place every Friday in October along with Tuesday, October 29 from 7 to 9pm. You have to be 10 or older to take part in the tour, plus it would be preferable if your heart can take the pressure of the indescribable horror you may experience during the Ghost Walks, or whatever they discuss on the walk. Either way I hope you make it out of the experience alive and able to sleep at night.

Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto

I was walking by 462 University Avenue and saw a couple of canon pointed out over the street, thinking what are these weapons of war doing here? The plaque on the wall made it easy to find out - it is the Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) and Museum. Their museum is apparently the largest military museum in Toronto with six floors of displays and galleries and up there overall in Canada as well. The museum is open to the public, by appointment only.

RCMI website describes itself as, "The Institute is an independent member-supported organization which, promotes the study and discussion of military history, defence, security and international affairs, along with the operation of its museum, library and archives, for the benefit of its members and the interested public, through the provision of exceptional services within a unique collegial environment."

Toronto Royal Horse Show 2024 coming November

The annual Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Royal Horse Show is coming November 1-10, 2024 to Exhibition Place. The Royal began in 1922 during the first two weeks of November in the Coliseum. This is your chance to see the activities and animals involved in Agriculture along with some of the best horse jumping competitions in the country throughout the two week Fair. Tickets to the Royal Horse Show get you into the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and weekend tickets can also be purchased for the early and/or late performances.

You can see World-Class equine competition and entertainment as over 1,000 competitors battle for over $1 million in prize money as they try to be Royal Champions.

From the Royal Horse Show website, "You’ll enjoy Olympians and other top international athletes and horses competing at the highest level in Show Jumping while experiencing Canada’s largest variety of equine breeds and events. The Royal Horse Show also features inspiring entertainment with special features during each horse show paid performance. The Royal boasts a huge variety of equestrian competitions open to all ages. Along with Hunters and Show Jumpers, you will be amazed at the many different breeds of horses that pull carts, coaches, wagons and big hitches. Cheer for your favorite high stepping Hackney, shout when the announcer calls “drive on!” in the Road Horse classes or clap and whoop it up when the judge approaches your favorite heavy horse hitch for inspection! The Royal Horse Show is world-class equestrian competition at its finest."

The equine action begins early on day one of the fair. On Friday, November 1 the majestic draft horses Percherons and Belgians take to the ring beginning at 8:30am. Then competitions fill the schedule throughout the fair culminating in the November 9 (7pm) Longines FEI Cup with the world's top show jumping horse and rider teams trying to win the richest purse of the Royal Horse Show.

The Fair's final day (Sunday, November 10) will feature two rodeo performances presented by the Ontario Ford Dealers with the Royal Rodeo Qualifier (11am) and the Royal Rodeo Finals (2pm)

Royal Winter Fair Hours

Sunday 9 AM – 6 PM
Monday 9 AM – 6 PM
Tuesday 9 AM – 8 PM
Wednesday 9 AM – 8 PM
Thursday 9 AM – 8 PM
Friday 9 AM – 8 P M
Saturday 9 AM – 8 PM

GTA Fall Fairs 2024

Autumn starts Sunday, September 22, 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere and to forget about the approach of winter it's time to get out and enjoy the many fall fairs that are taking place in and around the Greater Toronto Area. Check out Ontario's website for the fairs.

September Fairs

Beaverton Fall Fair
Bobcaygeon Fair
Lindsay Exhibition
Orono Fair
Port Hope Fair
Sunderland Fall Fair
Uxbridge Fair
Acton Fall Fair
Beeton Fall Fair
Bolton Fair
Brampton Fall Fair
Coldwater & District Agricultural Society
Georgetown Fall Fair
Grand Valley Fall Fair
Great Northern Exhibition
Milton Fall Fair
Oro World's Fair
Ramona Fall Fair
Shelburne Fair

October Fairs

International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (Ontario Plowmen's Association) in Kawartha Lakes
Norwood Fair
Elmvale Fall Fair
Markham Fair
Orillia Fall Fair
Woodbridge Fall Fair

November Fairs

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (Royal) and Royal Horse Show

Toronto Nuit Blanche 2024 coming Oct 5

Come for the late night party, stay for the art and try to navigate the crowds. It's time for the annual all-night, free art event in Toronto on Saturday, October 5, 2024, produced by the City of Toronto. The waterfront will be a centralized destination this year, a new event hub, during the 7pm to 7am art festival (the bird man shown at top was from the 2022 Nuit Blanche). It looks like the hub at Toronto City Hall is not part of the 2024 event.

The White Night art installations began in 2006 and almost 1,600 projects have been exhibited since the original start of Nuit Blanche. From the Nuit Blanche website, "This year’s theme, Bridging Distance, invites audiences to explore ways in which they experience and perceive distance through three exhibitions and more than 80 works by local, national and international artists (including Independent & Special Projects). The program also includes a series of talks, tours and workshops that bring the public closer to the creative process than ever before."

You can see some of the previous Nuit Blanche events through my post label. I will be working on my art lite-bike so that it is ready for the night of discovery. Here are some of the projects I am looking forward to visiting in 2024.

#81: Mochoid (Kensington - Chinatown, 330 Dundas St West) Spinning light taking the shape of water.

#75: Continuous - Connected (Wellington Place, 401 Richmond St West) Illuminated pillars representing time connected by glittering threads.

#55: Garden Light: A Holographic Eden (Wellington Place, 401 Richmond St West) Live music and holographic gardens.

#12: Lumi (Waterfront Central, 250 Queens Quay West) A string of soft, illuminated balls.

#15: We Remembered You, Too (Waterfront Central, 25 Queens Quay West) Multisensory, immersive waterfront garden.

#64: 7222 miles (Waterfront West, 470 R Lake Shore Blvd West) Under the Gardiner Expressway, find a path made of candles to celebrate LGBTQ+ refugees.
#34: LineScapes (Humber Polytechnic Lakeshore Campus, 19 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr) A sculpture showing the patterns and connections in the natural world.

Toronto Biennial of Art 2024 starting September 21

Contemporary art is coming back to Toronto as part of the 2024 Biennial of Art event spread out over 12 locations from September 21 to December 1. This ten-week art event is a city-wide exhibition with art and storytelling from 36 artists. The event was last seen in 2022 and prior to that in 2019. During the closure of 2022 the Smoke Sculpture at Sugar Beach brought a lot of colour to the waterfront (see photo at top). Some of the 2019 installations can be found on my posts here: Shoreline Dilemma, Cherry Beach sculptures and art at the Small Arms Building. 

One of the locations for the biennial is the Auto Building at 158 Sterling Road - home of MOCA, or the Museum of Contemporary Arts, with the biennial taking over the 9th floor (entrance to the left of the main MOCA entrance). There will be ten artists at the Auto Building and the art will include paintings, sculptures, textiles and visual installations.

Dominique Fontaine and Miguel A. López are curators of the 2024 Biennial of Art, titled Precarious Joys programming art and artists from Canada and around the world. From the biennial's webpage, "Some of the presented artworks address the various layers of history that define life in Toronto, while others reflect broader social and political structures of inequality and power under global neoliberal governance. Key issues that resonate across the exhibition include environmental justice, sovereignty, self-representation, belonging and migration, land dispossession, collective memory, feminist genealogies, diasporic sonic cultures, sacred plant wisdom, weaving as spiritual listening, resistance and resilience, ancestorship, and queer worldmaking. Rather than presenting a single theoretical assertion, however, Precarious Joys is organized around open dialogues and poetic connections. Together, these many works will conjure sparks that light a fire amidst the fragility of existence."

Exhibition Venues for 2024

32 Lisgar St and Park (central exhibition and programs hub)
The Auto BLDG at 158 Sterling Road, 9th Floor (another hub)
Billboard at Abell St and Queen St W
Collision Gallery, 30 Wellington Street W (another hub)
Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas Street W
Gallery TPW, 170 St Helens Ave
Toronto Pearson Airport
Toronto Sculpture Garden, 115 King Street E
Toronto Union Station, 55 Front St
The Image Centre (TMU), 33 Gould St, Toronto, University Gallery
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, 231 Queens Quay W

Free Community BBQ in Exhibition Place

The end of Exhibition Place's Your Yard Series draws to a conclusion with a free Community Barbecue in Centennial Park Square on Saturday, September 28, 2024. The park is located at 14 Saskatchewan Road (across from Medieval Times and north-west of the Princess Margaret Fountain, shown at top) and the BBQ begins at noon.

This is billed as a last hurrah of the end of summer and the beginning of fall, and of course the cooler temperatures coming. Complimentary food and entertainment are to be provided, co-hosted by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik. Please note that you have to RSVP to attend the free event, check out their website.

Community BBQ schedule

Lunch 12 – 1:45 PM
Hot Dogs, and snacks
Halal and vegetarian options available
Ice Cream – 12-2 PM
Music by Sugar Rush Band – 12-2 PM
Ticket Price: Free, RSVP Required

That was a partially interesting lunar eclipse

The full moon on September 17/18, 2024 was both a Supermoon and a Harvest Moon and if that wasn't exciting enough it also had a partial lunar eclipse. As a bonus the skies over the GTA was fairly clear so you could actually see the moon. This lunar eclipse is described as having a bite taken out of the earth's moon (about 3.5% coverage by the umbra, or the darkest part of earth's shadow) so it was just a partial eclipse and one of two lunar eclipses taking place in 2024. You can see the eclipse in all its glory in the photo at top.

The Supermoon, Harvest moon before the eclipse

A Supermoon happens when Superman drops his drawers or, more likely, when the moon is at the closest point to earth. A Harvest moon occurs when the full moon is closest to the Autumn Equinox which is on Sun, Sep 22, 2024, 8:43 a.m.

From NASA's website, "The full Moon will be Tuesday night, September 17, 2024, at 10:35 PM EDT. This will be on Wednesday from Newfoundland and Greenland Time eastward across Eurasia, Africa, and Australia to the International Date Line. Most commercial calendars will show this full Moon on Wednesday based on Greenwich or Universal Time. The Moon will appear full for about three days, from Monday evening through Thursday morning.

This will be a partial lunar eclipse. The Moon will start entering the Earth's partial shadow at 8:41 PM EDT. The slight dimming of the Moon will be difficult to notice until the top edge of the Moon starts entering the full shadow at 10:13 PM. The peak of the eclipse will be at 10:44 PM with only the top 8 percent of the Moon in full shadow. The Moon will finish exiting the full shadow at 11:16 PM and the partial shadow on Wednesday morning at 12:47 AM."

High Park Zoo Boo

Several different animals and birds are kept in the tiny zoo that leads down from the top of High Park near Grenadier Cafe along Deer Pen Road to the east. Admission to the High Park Zoo is free and it is open every day from 9am to 7pm.

The West Highland Cattle liked the soccer ball full of food

While there is not a lot of animals it is always fun to make a quick trip by the zoo to learn about the animals that are there and High Park is such a nice place to visit anyways. My current faves are the bison and the West Highland Cattle.

Some Barbary Sheep were enjoying the sun

On Sunday, October 20 there will be a Halloween-themed day of fun at the zoo called the High Park Zoo Boo. Come in a costume and you play games, make masks, enjoy a bouncy castle and the Llama Pen will be open for part of the day. The event runs from noon to 3pm - rain or shine.

Toronto Waterfront Festival 2024

Visitors were enjoying the hot day in Toronto, why not they were down at Sugar Beach for the latest edition of the Waterfront Festival? The toasty weekend of September 14-15, 2024 was capped off with the free festival that didn't come with a giant duck, however it wasn't duckless because there were tiny rubber ducks and a more medium-sized inflatable duck (a 10 foot tall duckling).

Redpath Sugar was on site as well, although it looks like they have dropped off as the main sponsor (though they did sponsor live music and pop-up entertainment) and that could be why the festival was asking for donations towards the event.

A very popular attraction of the Waterfront festival was the Canine Watersports Canada with their dock jumping dogs - not only were the dogs cute, they really could jump into the refreshing pool of water. Just don't be in the shake it off zone!

Walking a pair of the jumping dogs

Vendors were on hand joining the Canadian military, some pirates and occasionally, the tall ship Empire Sandy dropped by.

@jmhcet dog jumps off dock into pool at the #Toronto #waterfrontfestival down at #sugarbeach. canine waterspout show #festival #torontowaterfrontfestival ♬ Who Let The Dogs Out - Original - The Doggies

Roncesvalles Polish Festival 2024

Roncesvalles Village south of Dundas Street is bustling with the annual Polish Festival from September 14-15, 2024. Come for the pierogi and stay for the Polka!

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow dances and poses with fans at the festival 

From the festival's website, "Combining old world charm with today’s Roncesvalles Village; well-known as one of Toronto’s most vibrant, unique, and creative communities, attendees will find an amazing variety of global cuisines from local eateries, exceptional shopping, and quality services, as well as performances by talented local artists and musicians, including Indigenous programming and family friendly activities!

Whether it’s your 1st time or your 17th, we can’t wait to say Hello, Cześć, Boozhoo, Tansi, and Bonjour and welcome you to Roncesvalles Village!"

See more photos after the jump.

Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival 2024

It's the weekend for the 28th annual Toronto Ukrainian Festival - the largest North American Ukrainian Festival. The Bloor West Village is full of bright colours and flowers celebrating their culture but sad with the battle raging in their country as Russia continues its invasion.

From September 13-15, 2024 Bloor Street is full if vendors, entertainment, amusement rides and visitors between Jane Street and Glendonwynne Road, just west of High Park.

The OMNI Festival Parade was on Friday and went from High Park to Jane Street. 

See more photos after the jump.

Friday the 13th Motorcycle Rally Port Dover 2024

There are two Friday the 13th Port Dover (PD13) Motorcycle Rallies in 2024; one in September and one in December. The weather forecast for this Friday, September 13 is spectacular (sunny all day with18 degrees in the morning and 27 degrees in the afternoon) so I'm thinking September is going to be way more popular than the December rally with estimates of 50,000 to 100,000 people coming to this Friday the 13th. Next year only has one date - Friday, June 13. The event map from Norfolk County is shown below. You can click here to see my posts for the 2016 PD13 rally and 2017 PD13 rally.

Kinsmen Main Stage entertainment starts Friday at 11:15 am

Budweiser Main Stage entertainment

For visitors they are not making it easy to decipher how are things going to happen, especially for non-bikers. In summer they tend to close down the town to car traffic, park you in a farm field and offer a shuttle bus into downtown Port Dover. Other dates, especially during the colder months are less busy and they tend not to shut down the town so you park where you can find space and walk into the event. The Port Dover Kinsmen will have shuttles with a downtown drop off location. The shuttle will come from the Kinsman Hall/Park camp site (possible parking location) and go to Chapman Street, midway between Main Street and St. Andrew Street.

For this event it looks like there will be no farm field parking outside the town, instead it will be first come first served in town and will probably be paid parking, if you can find it. Port Dover is about 2.5 hours from Toronto (with good traffic) and during a busy Friday the 13th rally can take a lot more time to make the journey - and hopefully you can find some good parking. Take Highway 403 westbound to Highway 6 southbound right into town.

September 2024 road closures (also from the county)

From 12 p.m. on Thursday the 12th until 4 a.m. on Saturday the 14th:

Main Street from Nelson Street to Walker Street
Chapman Street West from Main Street to St. Andrew Street
Chapman Street East from Main Street to St. Andrew Street
Market Street West from St. George Street to Main Street

From 3 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Friday the 13th:

Nelson Street East, from St. Patrick Street to Highway 24
Greenock Street West, from St. George Street to Richardson Drive
Richardson Drive, from Nelson Street West to Greenock Street
Main Street from Clifford Street to Nelson Street

I will update with photos and on site information on the 13th. Good luck everyone.

Left home at 6am, bit foggy but no real traffic yet heading into Dover. Parked near Lions Club camping and will wait a bit to walk into the heart of PD13.

I'm walking the main strip down to the beach, just before 10am. Bikers are flowing into town and parking along the sides of the street - no centre parking allowed, and not in the downtown core nearer the water. Temps at 10:30am are starting to heat up. Be careful or you will get sunburned or suffer a sunstroke. This is the sweet spot of the day, not too busy, not too hot.

By noon it is like controlled chaos, the bikes and people are flooding in now, looking for anywhere to park their motorcycles. It is a lot harder to walk the bustling  streets now.

See more of the rally after the jump.

We Miss You in Trinity Bellwoods Park

The sign is weaved into the tennis court at Trinity Bellwoods Park, "we miss you", with long purple sashes tied into the fence below the sign. It was unveiled on International Overdose Awareness Day and sadly represents those who have lost their battle against addiction.

From the Overdose website, “We Miss You” is an interactive community art installation and public memorial to bring together those impacted by the grief of losing a loved one to overdose and also to highlight the preventable nature of these losses. Folks are invited to weave or tie a piece of purple fabric with a name of a loved one taken too soon by the toxic drug poisoning crisis, someone they know that is at high risk of overdose death, or someone who has been harmed by this ongoing public health crisis to the chain link fence surrounding the woven message “We Miss You” at Trinity Bellwoods Park tennis courts on Saturday August 31st, 2024, International Overdose Awareness Day. Our aim is to bring our experiences out into the open, to support each other in our grief, to share with the public the prevalence of overdose/drug poisoning in our communities, and to bring awareness to the ways we can prevent these losses from continuing. Community grief support, Naloxone training and safer use kits will be available. 

It reminds me of the time the signs around the courts said "I miss you".

Cameron House - the ants stay but the mural changes

It's hard not to love this building on Queen Street West, what with the ants crawling on the building and the murals that make such a bold statement. And the art murals are changed occasionally, one had a woman smoking (Melanie Daniels as Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock's horror movie The Birds), another was a weird one and then another blonde lady. Now a green eyed woman lifts her glasses and looks out onto the street.

Tim Hortons GWN Dragon Boat Challenge

It's time for some Major League Dragon Boat racing along Toronto's inner harbour for the Tim Hortons GWN Dragon Boat Challenge from September 7-8, 2024.

From the GWN Dragon Boat website, "Marking the end of the season for many, this marquee event gives crews the chance to go out with a bang, celebrating with two days of racing in downtown Toronto. Running for over 25 years, this classic festival is the granddaddy event of the MLDB series and a highlight of the racing season, with teams coming from all over Canada and the US.  We are pleased to announce that the Tim Hortons GWN Dragon Boat Challenge is a DBC Race Series Event. 

The Tim Hortons GWN Dragon Boat Challenge is held on the Western Beaches Watercourse in downtown Toronto's Marilyn Bell Park. This venue has been a host to a number of elite dragon boat competitions, including the 2006 IDBF World Club Crew Championships, 2008 Dragon Boat Canada National Championships, and the 2011 ICF Club Crew Dragon Boat World Championships."

Dragon Boat racing is exploding in Toronto as teams gather for some intense exercise and fellowship, often raising money for charity. Toronto's waterfront has plenty of spots for Boat racing, protected by the harbour wall and away from wake boats.