Toronto Chinatown Festival

The northbound lanes of Spadina Avenue were closed to vehicles as Toronto's annual Chinatown Festival took place. It started today and will continue on Sunday, September 11, 2011. You got your entertainments, your foods, your vendors and its got some colourful dragons as well.

Half of Spadina is still a large area.

Outdoor Chinese markets.

Politicians were on site to meet the voters - including Sarah Thomson for MPP.

Sears Travel celebrates the CFL

Sears Travel celebrated the Canadian Football League (CFL) with a party down at Yonge-Dundas Square. Some Sears Travel cheerleaders were on hand running the games in the square. They even had the Grey Cup which you could have a photo with.

See more photos after the jump.

Cabbagetown Festival

The 35th Annual (September 8 - 11, 2011) is the Cabbagetown Festival which is a community event taking place on Parliament Street from Wellesley Street East to Carlton Street and includes entertainment, parades, vendors and lots of food.

Musical parade.

A giant lizard decorates the side of a building.

See more pictures after the jump.

The Beautiful Kate Mior

Kate Mior, character and mime artist, was at Harbourfront Centre getting into costume as Coppelia the wind up doll. She has been busy busking at street festivals and around the Eaton Centre - besides buskerfest I had last seen here dressed as an Angel doing paperwork at Yonge and Dundas.

She was just in the initial stages of putting on the costume so I jumped in and asked her for some pictures before she got up on her tiny stage and got into character.

2011 CNE removal almost done

You fill up a big place like Exhibition Place with the Canadian National Exhibition and it takes awhile to break it down after the Labour Day long weekend brought the annual extravaganza to an end. Looking down the midway location towards Princes' Gates shows a street cleaner picking up some of the deep fried food that slipped out of peoples hands, you know, because it was so greasy.

The last two rides sit on big rigs waiting for drivers to move them to the next fair location.

Chairs from the Ribfest area waiting for shrink rap and storage.

Annual Toronto GWN Dragon Boat Challenge

The 17th Annual GWN Dragon Boat Challenge in support of Children's Wish took place in Toronto's inner harbour over the Saturday September 10 to Sunday September 11, 2011 weekend. The rowers started early with races beginning at 7:30am and the last race of the day goes at 4:20pm on Saturday and 3:42pm on Sunday.

There were over 100 teams competing in the mixed, open and womenw categories. Some of the more interesting team names were Blades of Fury, CSA Raiders of the Lost Paddle, Hell on Keel, Junk in the Trunk, Toronto Police Crime Waves, The Meat Missile, I'd Tap That and That's What She Said.

Up to six boats competed at one time. They pulled their long boats ahead of the start line, then backed into position. The officials lined up the boats, called attention, then the water around the boats exploded as the team dug their paddles into the waters as the race began. They pounded down the lanes identified by coloured balls floating in the water.

Each boat has twenty paddlers, a steerer, or sweep, at the back and someone at the bow that calls out the cadence - they even have a drum. That's a lot of people in the long, narrow boat. A dragon head is at the front and at the back there is a dragon's tail.

This dragon is hungry and is trying to eat a duck.

See more pictures after the jump.

love can wait graffiti

More graffiti along the Queen Street West alleys. These hairy blue guys with different number of eyes seem almost 3D.

See more graffiti after the jump.

Boat at Sunrise

If I had a boat I would park it by the lakefront trail along Queens Quay soaking in the sun, maybe even going out into the harbour occasionally seeking more sun.

OMG - Yahoo Canada

OMG - Yahoo Canada set up their own purple carpet photo op at Yonge-Dundas Square today (September 8, 2011). SKAM, a graffiti artist, was creating an OMG graffiti piece to complement the event. I missed the host of So You Think You Can Dance - Cat Deeley.

Torontograffiti.com were the ones who provided Yahoo with the artist (SKAM) and the DJs (Serious & Dopey). You can see more of their OMG Yahoo work at the following link:
http://torontograffiti.com/2011/09/10/yahoo-omg-promotion-at-dundas-square/

Interestingly enough the CEO of Yahoo, Ms Bartz, was just turfed and Yahoo is now up for sale if the right offer comes along - Oh My God, what timing! Apparently Ms Bartz said the Yahoo Board of Directors was a bunch of 'Doofuses'.

I think it's an invisible James Bond on the purple carpet.

Toronto International Film Festival TIFF 2011

All of T.O. is giddy with anticipation as the 2011 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF opens today in our fair city and ends on September 18. The original Festival of Festivals was renamed TIFF in 1995.

From TIFF 'What began as a ten-day film festival (in 1976) has grown to embrace programming 365 days a year. TIFF offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops industry support and the chance to meet filmmakers from Canada and around the world.'

The red carpets are ready (and covered in plastic for protection) and the venues are set up and waiting on the top stars of the world to polish up and get ready for the cameras and the fans. TIFF has announced the following stars are expected to attend. 'The 36th Toronto International Film Festival® welcomes hundreds of guests this year. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Davis Guggenheim, Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, Agnieszka Holland, Guy Maddin, Luc Besson, Bill Duke, Oren Moverman, Malgoska Szumowska, Bennett Miller, Darrell Roodt, Sarah Polley, Jessica Yu, 

Michael Winterbottom and Werner Herzog.

Actors expected to attend include Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Clive Owen, Gerard Butler, Jeon Do-Yeon, Jon Hamm, Shahid Kapoor, Michael Fassbender, Michelle Yeoh, Freida Pinto, Glenn Close, Matthew Goode, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Ryan Gosling, Salma Hayek, Viggo Mortensen and Woody Harrelson. Musicians include: U2, Pearl Jam and Neil Young.'

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News teams are prepped and ready to film

And Bell has some blue and white candies ready.

Don't forget the long lineups.

Mr Brainwash Thierry Guetta at TIFF

Thierry Guetta, Graffiti legend Banksy's subject in the film Exit Through The Gift Shop, was down at Roy Thomson Hall as part of the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF. His moniker is Mr Brainwash and besides his exhibition at a a Yorkville art gallery he is undertaking a world premier art installation in Toronto.

The Los Angeles based film maker and pop and street artist was outside Roy Thomson Hall setting up a piece that featured giant spray cans, I mean like ten feet tall, covered in posters as well as a number of set piece life size Mounties that looked like they were part of a film crew.

Here is the TIFF press release regarding Mr Brainwash. Mr. Brainwash in Toronto (2011) – World Premiere
Made famous by the film Exit through the Gift Shop as legendary street-artist Banksy's alter ego, Thierry Guetta , a.k.a. Mr. Brainwash, has continued to produce provocative and playful Pop art. His work hungrily appropriates contemporary visual-art masters and cheekily tweaks the nose of gallery-based convention. He will be engaged in multiple projects during the Festival, including a significant, multiple-piece exhibition at Gallery One. His presence will also be felt outside Roy Thomson Hall, with his spray cans towering over the red carpet, providing emergency assistance for evenings requiring additional glamour and pomp. And, finally, he will collaborate with TIFF on “Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess,” our fall exhibition. His unique tribute to the style icon will be seen wildposted all over town. Presented at David Pecaut Square, 55 John Street, September 8 to 18, and in collaboration with Gallery One, 121 Scollard Street, September 8 to October 22.

See more photos of Mr Brainwash after the jump.

Chris Raabe NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut

Racing season continues to burn up the asphalt as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series moves into Barrie Speedway on Saturday, September 10, 2011 for the Wild Wing 300 presented by Independent Electric, the race starts at 8pm. The 300 laps figures close to 100 miles of hard driving action as the powerful stock cars tear up the track. A new driver named Chris Raabe driving car number 01 (his old winning dirt track car number), will join the circuit and he will team with one of my favourite race car drivers - Scott Steckly of the 22 Canadian Tire car.

Here is what Canadian Tire has to say about the newcomer; This weekend, Chris Raabe of Napanee, Ontario, will make his NASCAR Canadian Tire series debut at the Barrie Speedway. The 20 year-old will be driving for Canadian Tire/MotoMaster and Sylvania Lighting as his primary sponsors and he will be racing alongside mentor and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion and 2011 points leader Scott Steckly and the 22 Racing Team.

Scott Steckly, left, joins other NCTS drivers at an autograph session.

“I am excited for the chance I have been given to drive in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the opportunity to share the track with mentors like Scott Steckly and his 22 crew,” said Chris Raabe. “Our testing went very well - we have had a lot of success on dirt, now it’s time to test our ability on the black top.”

Chris Raabe's 01 race car, photo courtesy of Canadian Tire.

“I am fortunate to have the same team by my side for my entire career and with the success we have had together in the past I see no reason for it to change now. Together we have won 11 championships including two National Mr. Dirt titles over the past few years so I know this team will be able to adjust with me in this next step of my career.”

Raabe, a third year mechanical engineer student at Queen’s University, got an early start to his career and has won 99 dirt car races. Since the age of 14 he has broken dirt car records – last year he broke the record for the number of wins in one season with 31 checker flags in just 52 races. The original record was only 24.

“My goal for these three races is to get all the experience I can and finish each of the races. Scott Steckly and his crew are giving us tremendous support and I can’t think of a better team to start this series with.”

NCTS drivers spray champagne on each other after a race.

After this weekend at Barrie Speedway the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series continues to the far east of Canada with a Nova Scotia race on the 17th and a race in Peterborough on the 24th.

This post supported by Conestoga's Mechanical Engineering Program Ontario.

Toronto Roller Derby Double Header Sept 10, 2011

The Toronto Roller Derby League (TORD) moves from the Hanger into their new digs called the Bunker in Downsview Park for their inaugural bout of the 2011/2012 Season. The double header called the Bunker Blowout on Saturday, September 10, 2011 features the D-VAS versus the Royal City Rollergirls (Guelph), the second bout is CN Power versus the Montreal Roller Derby Sexpos.

The doors open at 5pm and the first battle begins at 6pm and the TORD website says 'There will be a short intermission between bouts. Come see the future of ToRD; the DVAS are our farm team and some of these very ladies will be skating on one of our 4 home teams next season! The draft is coming up in just over a month, so you can be sure they’ll be putting their best skate forward. CN Power is ToRD’s all-star team; they travel to challenge leagues far and wide, and represent us in the WFTDA rankings. New up-and-comers and the best-of-the-best all in one night! Aren’t you lucky people?'

Adult tickets are $18 at the door and you can sit on the bleachers or bring a blanket or folding chairs for track-side seating. They sell food and refreshments (like cold beer) on site so you can get dinner and entertainment at the same time.

Lonely and Blue Streetcar

Not much traffic fills the Queens Quay strip, above, in the early morning. A TTC streetcar drives along its special lanes in the middle of the right of way at Lower Spadina. Below is a big, blue public transportation travelling advertisement as it passes by the Council Fire Native Cultural Centre on Dundas Street East.