Corktown news & events for the week of May 4, 2015

CRBA MEETING: Your Corktown Residents & Business Association is set to hold our monthly public meeting this Tuesday, May 5 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Note that some technical difficulties have meant we’ve changed the originally-planned location. Find us in the basement at Little Trinity Church (425 King street East).

On the agenda this month: a little thing called the Pan Am Games, the coming Corktown Live Art Festival taking place June 20 in Underpass Park, some great business introductions from Made in Canada and Sparkplug Coffee (providing free cups of joe!) and so much more.

Do not miss it!

MORE PAN AM GAMES INFO: For even more detail on the coming Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, the organizing committee will be holding two sessions on Wednesday, May 6 at the St. Lawrence Rec Centre (230 The Esplanade.) The business session will run from 3 to 5 p.m., with a session for residents running from 6 to 8 p.m.

FUTURE OF THE GARDINER EAST: Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell and the West Don Lands Committee are hosting a meeting on Monday, May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. on The Future of the Gardiner East. Speakers Paul Bedford, Ken Greenberg and Michael Kirkland will provide an overview of the looming council decision and spark a community conversation. The meeting will take place at St. Lawrence Hall. (King East & Jarvis). Details are online.

THE RETURN OF THE KING CAR: Let’s not count our streetcars before they hatch, but we’ve received word that Infrastructure Ontario and the TTC are both on track to have the King East connection to the Queen Street bridge re-opened this Sunday, May 10 for both automobile and streetcar traffic. You can read the official notice here. Keep your fingers crossed.

KING ODIN: A hearty congratulations to Odin Cafe & Bar (514 King East), named one of the top 10 new cafes in Toronto by BlogTO. Odin has a bunch of events coming up that you should know about, including Games Night (the first Tuesday of every Month), a Mothers’ Day Brunch on Sunday, May 10 and a Patio Opening Party on Friday, May 15. Follow their website to keep informed!

WHITE ELEPHANT ROCKS: White Elephant Restaurant & Bar (366 Queen Street East) continues to bring great musical acts to Corktown. Don’t forget to check out their upcoming calendar of shows.

COCINA ECONOMICA IN CORKTOWN: After much anticipation, Cocina Economica has now opened at 141 Berkeley Street. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., serving food in the style of Mexican home cooking. You can learn more about the new restaurant here.

BIKE SHARE ON THE MOVE: We’ve received word from Bike Share Toronto that, due to upcoming roadwork, the bike station on Trinity Street has been moved to a temporary location in front of 51 Division near Front Street East & Parliament.

MOTHERS’ DAY AT FUSILLI: Longtime Corktown fave Fusilli Ristorante (531 Queen East) has a special on for Mothers’ Day this Sunday, May 10, with a special entree and a complimentary rose and dessert for the lady of the day. Click here for details.

CONTACT PHOTO FESTIVAL: The Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival has kicked off across the city, with a series of photography exhibitions running at locations across Toronto.

Some exhibitions in and around Corktown you might want to check out:

• The Beth Project – Vistek (496 Queen East)
• Outside In – 416 Urban Gallery (400 Queen East)
• Faces of Regent Park – Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas East)
• Solid/Void. – Stacklab Studios (28 Eastern)
• Basilicata – Pikto Gallery (Distillery)
• Zehn-Ten – Corkin Gallery (Distillery)
• Conflict and Collaboration – PROOF Studio Gallery (Distillery)
• A World of Circus – Distillery Fluevog Store (Distillery)
• Neighbours – David Crombie Park (21 Hahn Place)

UPCOMING

• The Alumnae Theatre (70 Berkeley Street) presents Big Ideas, a week of staged readings of works-in-progress from the award-winning writers of the Alumnae’s New Play Development group. It runs from May 12 to 17, with 8 p.m. shows Tuesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday. ADMISSION IS FREE!  Click here for details.
• The world famous Corktown Chamber Orchestra next performs on Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. at Little Trinity Church. Tickets are just ten bucks at the door, with children getting in for free. Details here online.
• Play on, MacBeth. Starting on Thursday, May 21, the Wolf Manor Theatre Collective is presenting their production of MACBETH at Alumnae Theatre.  It’s a bloody classic. You can buy tickets online.

Got a story about something happening in Corktown? Email website@corktown.ca.