Canadian Junction: Town, City and Country by Neil Ross June 11 at Lambton House

Sunday @ Lambton House

Canadian Junction
Town, City and Country

Reading of a new one-act play by Neil Ross

When: Sunday June 11, 2017
Time: 2:00 pm (doors open at 12:30 pm)

Where: Lambton House
Address: 4066 Old Dundas Street, Toronto, ON M6S 2R6
T: 416-767-5472

Hey, friends and fans of Junction History, it's the Junction onstage!

CANADIAN JUNCTION: Town, City and Country by Neil Ross

Join Eileen Brown, Mikaela Cordero and Neil Ross for a reading of a new one-act play about the Junction experience and the birth of Canada. A diverse village and town becomes a city and joins Toronto as an equal (in its heart).

Featuring, from the Junction's past:  Nursing student Anne Leun who broke the colour barrier at a downtown Toronto theatre. Merchant and philanthropist Mrs. Brown – who introduced the telephone to the Junction. Journalist A.B. Rice – for sixty years the Junction was his beat.

Also a special guest interview with two-time Governor General Christopher Moore on 1867: How the Fathers Made a Deal.

Canadian Junction is a Canada 150 project of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society.


Please, find more information:

West Toronto Junction Historical Society: Special Event

Dave Cook Presenting His Book "Fading History, Volume 2": March 5

West Toronto Junction Historical Society: March 5, 2015

Special Presentation by Writer & Historian, David Cook

West Toronto Junction Historical Society

Thursday, March 5, 2015

8:15 pm

Book Presentation by Author

Fading History, Volume 2
Stories of Historical Interest

Special Guest: Dave Cook, Writer and Historian

Where: Annette Street Public Library
Lower Level, Committee Room 1
145 Annette Street, Toronto, ON M6P 1P3
(One and a half blocks west of Keele)


Fading History Vol. 2, has 11 chapters covering a wide range of stories of historical interest.

The first chapter looks at the Grand Duchess of Russia’s life in Canada, including the years she lived on Camilla Road in Cooksville. When she first arrived in Canada, she settled on a farm in Campbellville and in an amazing coincidence that brought two European families of note together in a remote farming community in Canada, she sold her Campbellville farm to Wolfgang Von Richthofen, the cousin of WWI German flying ace, the Red Baron. (And that’s just the first chapter!)

www.fadinghistory.ca

Book Cover "Fading History, Vol.2" by Dave Cook 

Image credit: http://www.fadinghistory.ca/

Tall Tales of The Junction: WTJHS FUNdraiser: January 15

Tall Tales Of The Junction

West Toronto Junction Historical Society FUNdraiser

at Junction Craft Brewery, 90 Cawthra Ave., unit 1

on Thursday, January 15, 2015, 6pm

On photo: The Junction town council assembles circa 1897

Courtesy of WTJHS

The West Toronto Junction Historical Society
only event this month - now on January 15, 2015!

West Toronto Junction Historical Society FUNdraiser

Tall Tales of The Junction

When: Thursday, January 15, 2015, 6pm

Venue: Junction Craft Brewery
Address: 90 Cawthra Avenue, unit 1
The Junction, Toronto, ON M6N 3C7


The fundraising event is not unlike those the WTJHS has hosted in the past. Junction “legends,” such as journalist A.B. Rice, first librarian Elizabeth MacCallum, chief coroner Dr. G.W. Clendenan, chief of police and first Mountie Josiah Royce and Rev T.E.E. Shore have made appearances at such events as 'The Wild Wild Junction' Ghost stories pub crawl.

Tall Tales of the Junction will be “like a pub crawl without the crawl,” said Ross, “because it’s winter.”

The Junction legends will again share their favourite stories while audience members will also be invited to share their own stories of the neighbourhood for a chance to win historical prizes.

The $20 admission fee will help the WTJHS continue to do its work, like advocating for the conservation of the neighbourhood’s built heritage. The event will include a presentation based on the most recent installment of the WTJHS’ graphic novel.

Admission includes snacks and a pint of ale from a Junction Craft Brewery special cask.

Tickets are available at Annette Street Library, 145 Annette St.

Read more: Bloor West Villager: Hear some ‘tall tales’ from the Junction’s history: Historical society and brewery team up to present fundraiser

Don't miss this!

Jane's Walk: Toronto: Junction of the Canadian Dream

Screenshot: Jane's Walk: Toronto: Junction of the Canadian Dream: Hangin' Out With History
Walk Leader: Neil Ross; Meeting Place: Runnymede Library — May 3, 2014, 2:30 PM
Credit: janeswalk.org: Canada: Toronto: Junction of the Canadian Dream: Hangin' Out With History

2014 Jane’s Walk annual global festival runs May 2nd, 3rd and 4th!

This year the Jane’s Walk turns eight, and there are more then 120 of great walks throughout Toronto. The walks get people to explore their cities and connect with neighbours. As always, Jane’s Walk is FREE and locally led walking tours run rain or shine.
No reservations are needed – JUST SHOW UP! 

Below are links to two Junction walking tours this weekend.

Junction of the Canadian Dream: Hangin' Out With History

Saturday, May 3, 2014 | 2:30 PM

Walk Leader: Neil Ross

Meeting Place: Runnymede Library
The exact meeting point is in the park immediately north of (behind) the Runnymede Library along Glendonwynne Road, Kennedy-Margdon Parkette. The closest transit stop is Runnymede subway station.

Ending Place: Annette Street Library
Participants can catch either the Junction 40 bus to Dundas West or the Keele bus to Keele station, both from Dundas and Keele.

About This Walk
Travel the Junction and learn its place in the heart of Canada.

Experience the coming together of the railways on the meeting point of First Nations trails. Explorers La Salle and Brûlé may well have passed through here, and there is some evidence La Salle actually stopped for a latte . . .

Neil Ross tells you his favourite Canadian stories and his favourite Junction stories in a walk from the Runnymede to Annette Street Libraries. Perfect bookends: Runnymede was designed to reflect a Canadian identity.  Annette Street was envisioned as the cultural centre of an independent city. "After all, we're all immigrants on this bus."
Duration: Approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes

About Neil Ross
Neil Ross is the co-author of One Hundred Years at the Junction Shul and of the screenplay Worthy of Such a Country: D'Arcy McGee. As president of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society, his historical walking tours have made NOW Magazine's Editors' Big Three Can't Miss Events -- along with Caribana and professional wrestling. Neil writes the graphic novel series Justice in the Junction: the Life and Times of Josiah Royce.

Screenshot: Jane's Walk: Toronto: A Crash Course on the Junction
Walk Leader: Leah Cooke; Meeting Place: Keele and Dundas — May 3, 2014, 5:00 PM
Credit: janeswalk.org: Canada: Toronto: A Crash Course on the Junction

A Crash Course on the Junction

Saturday, May 3, 2014 | 5:30 PM

Walk Leader: Leah Cooke, Junction BIA Staff

Meeting Place: Keele and Dundas
(SW Corner) at the benches beside the bus stop.

Ending Place: Indie Ale House Brewing Co.
We will be ending the walk at a licensed brewery, so those wishing to partake in this stop will need to be 19+ with valid ID.

About This Walk
On this walk, we will explore the historic Junction’s main commercial strip on Dundas Street West.

We will discover businesses that exemplify what the Junction is best known for: reclamation, design, art, innovative food and beer.  An overview of the area’s history will be discussed, and interesting buildings/shops will be pointed out while we go.  Come with questions about the area and we'll do our best to answer them!

As a bonus, CONTACT photography festival opening receptions will be happening in the area from 6-9 pm on the same night, so you can turn this into an evening outing in the Junction.

Duration: Approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes

About Leah Cooke
As a current Urban Planning graduate student, lifelong Junction resident and former Junction BIA intern, I'm excited to lead this walk in my area.

About Junction BIA Staff
Junction Business Improvement Area Staff - fan and advocate of the Junction neighbourhood, passionate about all the hidden gems and fantastic stories each retail building in the Junction holds.

Screenshot: Jane's Walk Toronto 2014: Ward 13 Parkdale-High Park (9)  
Credit: janeswalk.org: Canada: Toronto walks: Ward 13 Parkdale-High Park

In fact, at least a dozen other Jane's walks are coming to our neighbourhood of wards 13 and 14, Parkdale-High Park in Toronto this weekend.

Check it out #janeswalk:

• Twilight Labyrinth Walk in High Park — May 2, 6:30 PM
• Walk as workout! — May 2, 7:00 PM and May 3, 10:00 AM
• Bloor West Village - A century of development, heritage and community — May 3, 10:00 AM and May 4, 10:00 AM
• The Centre for Opportunities, Respect, and Empowerment presents! The Culture of Parkdale: Past, Present, and Future — May 3, 10:00 AM
• Belly Full: A History of Hunger Resistance in Parkdale (Bob Rose) — May 3, 10:30 AM
• Jane and Annette, Friends Forever (Madeleine McDowell) — May 3, 12:00 PM
• The World of Labyrinth Walkers: High Park on World Labyrinth Day — May 3, 12:00 PM
• Ghost River (Juliet Palmer, Diana Tso , Gib Goodfellow) — May 3, 1:00 PM
• Visions of Parkdale Past and Future, In the Balance ( Alec Keefer) — May 3, 1:00 PM
• Junction of the Canadian Dream: Hangin' Out With History (Neil Ross) — May 3, 2:30 PM
• A Crash Course on the Junction (Leah Cooke, Junction BIA Staff) — May 3, 5:00 PM
• Swansea, Past and Present (Swansea Historical Society, leaders) — May 3, 6:30 PM
• Celluloid and Popcorn: The history of Cinema on Roncesvalles (Keith Denning, Scott Worsley) — May 4, 1:30 PM
• Walking with Refugees in the West Bend (Romero House) — May 4, 2:00 PM

For more information visit: http://www.janeswalk.org/index.php/canada/toronto/

EVERY CITY HAS A STORY
On Friday May 2nd - Sunday May 4th 2014
Join the Jane's Walk Festival to Learn about Yours!

October Is Heintzman Month in the Historic Junction

Screenshot: West Toronto Junction Historical Society
Our Next Meeting ... Thursday October 13, 2011
Legends of the Junction Salute Heintzman
Credit: wtjhs.ca

WTJHS Upcoming Events

Historical Talk Show: Legends of the Junction Salute Heintzman

Thursday, October 13, 2011

7:30 PM
Refreshments and Business Meeting

8:30 PM
Kicking off Heintzman Month with our renowned historical talk show, with special guests George Heintzman and members of the Heintzman family

Where: Annette Street Public Library
Lower Level, Committee Room 1
145 Annette Street, Toronto, ON M6P 1P3
(One and a half blocks west of Keele)

West Toronto Junction Historical Society
Deluxe Walking Tour: Tickling the Keys:
the Heintzman Piano Company …
Sunday, October 23, 2011, 2 PM
Credit: wtjhs.ca

Deluxe Walking Tour: Tickling the Keys: The Heintzman Piano Company

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Time: 2 PM

Start: Annette Street Public Library
Lower Level, Committee Room 1
145 Annette Street, Toronto, ON M6P 1P3
(One and a half blocks west of Keele)

One of the world’s most famous piano manufacturers was based in the Junction. Follow in the footsteps of the Heintzman family and company employees during this 2 hour guided walking tour lead by members of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society.
Starts at Annette Street Public Library at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets $20, available at the local Junction sources below or by calling 416-763-3161.

Tour Tickets are available from:
Annette Street Public Library, 145 Annette Street
Ice Cream Junction, 3103 Dundas Street West
Pandemonium, 2862 Dundas Street West
Wise Daughters Craft Market, 3079B Dundas Street West

For more information:
wtjhs.ca
junctionhistorical@gmail.com
@WTJHS
416-763-3161

links:
thecanadianencyclopedia.com: The Canadian Encyclopedia: Heintzman & Co. Ltd.
Heintzman & Co. Limited ... Makers of Canada's Greatest Piano
by Helmut Kallmann, Patricia Wardrop

wikipedia.org: Heintzman & Co.
Heintzman & Co. Ltd was a celebrated Canadian piano manufacturer, based in the Toronto area, whose instruments retain a reputation for quality of workmanship and fineness of tone.

wikipedia.org: Theodor August Heintzman
Theodor August Heintzman (birth name Theodore August Heintzmann) (19 May 1817 – 25 July 1899) was a German-born Canadian piano manufacturer (Heintzman & Co.) and inventor, best known for founding the piano company which still bears his name.

heintzmanpiano.ca: Heintzman Pianos Ltd.: A tradition for five generations

wikitree.com: Mr. Theodor August Heintzman formerly Heintzmann
Profile manager: Douglas Heintzman

heritagetoronto.org: Heritage Toronto - Telling Toronto's Stories: The Heintzman & Co. Ltd
Toronto's piano company
For over one hundred years, Heintzman & Co., Ltd. was a Toronto-based company which produced some of the highest-quality pianos ever manufactured in Canada.
By David Wencer

ontariojewisharchives.org: The Congregation Knesseth Israel: Early History
"...a large number of Jewish residents with a background in carpentry and cabinetry found work at the Heintzman Piano factory, which was located on Keele Street. Several of these cabinet-makers were the same men who carved much of the Synagogue’s interior wooden architectural details."

junctionra.ca: JRA e-newsletter – Fire Safety, Walking tour plus more

torontopubliclibrary.ca: West Toronto Junction Historical Society

breakingprojects.com: WTJHS meeting Historical Walking Tour: Sunday, October 23 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Second Wild, Wild Junction Historical Mystery Tour: WWJ2HMT Continues October 24

Poster: Wild, Wild, Junction II: The Historical Mystery Tour Continues
West Toronto Junction Historical Society Fall Fundraiser and Pub Crawl
3PM, Sunday, October 24, 2010
Beginning at the Axis Gallery and Grill, 3048 Dundas Street West (@ High Park Ave)
Ending at SHOXS: The Local Option, 2827 Dundas Street West (@ Keele St)
Poster Design by Mark @ MasterEnglish.ca
Credit: wtjhs.ca

2nd Incredible Year!

The West Toronto Junction Historical Society presents:

Wild, Wild, Junction II
The Historical Mystery Tour Continues

Sunday, October 24, 3pm
Axis Gallery and Grill, 3048 Dundas West,
ending at Shox's, 2827 Dundas West

Join us for our fall fund raiser and pub crawl and the launch of

Justice in the Junction The Life and Times of Josiah Royce

• Relive the events that led the Junction to "go dry" for almost a century with the men and women who were there as the Legends of the Junction return.
• Examine the Junction's oldest cold case: The Death of Joseph Curley.
• Be sworn in as a jury member and vote. Accident or Murder?
• M.P.P. Cheri DiNovo will be reprising her hilarious performance as the Reverend Shore whose famous “Harlotry, Vice and Iniquity” sermon set the Junction on fire.
• Proceeds go to the Boom Times Artist/Mentors program working with local students to create original works of art about Junction history and culture.

We’ll also be officially launching our five part graphic novel series, Justice in the Junction, the Life and Times of Josiah Royce, with story by Neil Ross and art by Brendan FitzPatrick.

History meets community in the Junction!

Tickets $25, available at Pandemonium Books and Discs (2862 Dundas Street West) and Wise Daughters Craft Market (3079B Dundas Street West) and at the Annette Street Library (145 Annette Street).

Details and the spectacular Wild, Wild Junction 2 poster by Mark Dallas are on our homepage at: wtjhs.ca

Contact: Neil Ross, neilr@auracom.com

Photo-Collage: The First Wild, Wild Junction Historical Mystery Tour:
West Toronto Junction Historical Society Fall Fundraiser and Pub Crawl
Sunday, October 25, 2009 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

links:
WILD IN THE JUNCTION 2009: WTJHS Historical Mystery Tour asks the question: "How wild do you have to get to shut down your own bars?"
By David Wencer
Celebrate Toronto Heritage: Wild, Wild Junction I, Historical Mystery Tour
torontoartsonline.org: Wild Wild Junction 2, Historical Mystery Tour Continues
insidetoronto.com: Historical society reopens, reenacts Junction cold case
Wild, Wild Junction Historical Mystery Tour takes place Oct. 24
"It's the West Toronto Junction's oldest cold case: the death of Joseph Curley.
It was Curley's suspicious death that led to the railway town's appointment with abstinence some 100-plus years ago. Curley's tale is just one of many that make up the Junction's colourful past. Accident or murder? That's what the second Wild, Wild Junction Historical Mystery Tour delves into."
by Lisa Rainford

Heritage Toronto’s Historic Walk in the Junction - Sunday, May 9

Screenshot: When the Junction Flickered by Eric Veillette
About the cinemas that once lined the West Toronto Junction
April 28, 2010
Credit: heritagetoronto.org

It's a great article provides some historical depth to the art cinema tradition in the Junction.
+
Come to the Heritage Toronto’s Historic Walk in the Junction along Dundas Street West on Sunday, May 9, 2010 to hear other stories of the Junction.

West Toronto Junction

Start: May 9 2010 - 1:30pm
End: May 9 2010 - 3:30pm

A centre of industry and commerce linked to the Dundas Highway and the junction of several railway lines, this prosperous little town voted to ban the sale of alcohol in 1904. Find out why - and hear other stories of "the Junction" - on this tour along Dundas Street West.

Leaders: West Toronto Junction Historical Society

Start Point: NW corner of Runnymede Rd and Dundas St W
Finish Point: Keele St and Dundas St W
Length: Approx. 2 hours

Walk Difficulty: * Walk on sidewalks * some rough ground

Source URL (retrieved on May 5 2010 - 11:48am): http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/map/walk/west-toronto-junction-0
Published on Heritage Toronto - Telling Toronto's Stories
(http://www.heritagetoronto.org)

Wild in The Junction: WTJHS Historical Mystery Tour

Photo-Collage: Wild, Wild Junction, a Historical Mystery Tour:
West Toronto Junction Historical Society Fall Fundraiser and Pub Crawl
Sunday, October 25, 2009 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

WILD IN THE JUNCTION

WTJHS Historical Mystery Tour asks the question:

"How wild do you have to get to shut down your own bars?"

By David Wencer

For nearly a hundred years, you couldn’t buy a drink in the Junction. In January of 1904, the citizens of the town voted to enforce local option, which enabled Ontario communities to voluntarily “go dry.” What caused the Junction to take such drastic measures?

On Sunday, the Legends of the Junction, a troupe of real figures from Junction history, recruited and lead by Junction historical society Vice-President/Boom Times Cabaret director Neil Ross, took some fifty people on a pub crawl, re-enacting events on the road to Local Option.


THE TROUBADOUR: WHO KILLED JOE CURLEY?

Samantha Martin belted out the Junction’s "national anthem", Junction Bound, then the historical characters and the audience considered the mysterious death of Joseph Curley in 1897. Curley had been drinking at the Subway Hotel (west side of Keele and Vine) with unsavoury characters. Later his body was found with his head crushed in under the Subway underpass. Did he fall or was he attacked?

Coroner George W. Clendenan (Gib Goodfellow) convened a coroner’s inquest and swore the audience in as jurors. Testimony was given by Junction Police Chief Josiah Royce (Ron Clark) who found a blood stained boulder near the body and Junction librarian Elizabeth McCallum who provided evidence of local footpads. Both Dr. Clendenan and Chief Royce were strongly inclined toward accidental death.

A.B. Rice was appointed chairman of the jury and then performed the Shooting of Dan McGrew with pianist Alice Deardon. (Rice was in fact the foreman of the jury, although his quoting Service may be apocryphal.)

The tour hit the street in search of more evidence, passing numerous historic sites, including the Avenue Hotel (Domino’s Pizza) which like all Junction hotels served its last drink on June 30, 1904.


HOLE IN THE WALL: HARLOTRY, INIQUITY AND VICE

The audience filed in to the sounds of When the Saints Come Marchin’ In to witness Annette Street Methodist Church’s Rev. T. E. E. Shore (Cheri DiNovo, MPP) resurrect the famous Harlotry, Iniquity and Vice sermon which galvanized the town in 1903. Rev. Shore attacked big business, liquor and the Liberals, not necessarily in that order.

REV SHORE: Many a poor fallen girl has told me down in yonder mission how she fell into sin and continued in her degradation in Junction hotels!

FEMALE VOICE FROM THE AUDIENCE: Halleluja!

Soon outside again, the next stop was the corner of Keele and Dundas, from where the jury could see the underpass where Curley’s body was found that fateful December.


SHOX: LAST CALL (BEFORE THE JUNCTION GOES DRY)

Foreman Rice turned the floor over to the jury and they peppered the historical characters with questions about Curley’s death. How far was the second bloodstain from the body? Had it been snowing that night? Was it a light snow? What exactly is a footpad? In the questioning, new evidence emerged about the suspects: the violent robber sought by the police and the mysterious motorman witnesses claimed was last seen with Curley.

Rice gave the jury the choice between "death by misadventure" or "murder by person or persons unknown" and called the vote. Twenty two to twenty two! Like the Junction a hundred years ago, the town could not make up his mind. As foreman, Rice himself cast the deciding vote for murder, citing footpads and Curley's pub companion as chief suspects.

Rice then provided some insights into cockfighting in the Junction, recounted the night ten thousand men surged into the Junction for one last drink; he then went; on to praise the Junction theatre district.

Mrs. Mary Brown (Eileen Jensen) recalled the Junction during the dry years and Anne Leung, "the Junction’s Rosa Parks". And finally, the landlord Gus Koutoumanos explained the historic story of how alcohol was eventually brought back to the Junction in the late 1990s.

The real cause of Josephs Curley’s death may never be known. Was it murder? The available records of the time suggest a great number of viable suspects. The case made a riveting background for a different kind of historical walking tour: with interactive historical characters, a coroner’s jury, gospel songs, an old time temperance sermon, a view of the scene of a crime and a spirited discussion of a hundred year old cold case by a modern audience in a pub.

Only in the Junction.

2009 © David Wencer

The West Toronto Junction: It Is Where Canada's First Queen's Plate Race Was Held

Collage: A 2 Minute Horse Race & 150 Years of The Junction History
2009 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

The 150th Running of the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack

Event: 150th Running
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2009
Woodbine Post Time: 12:35 pm
Queen's Plate Post Time: 5:36 pm (ninth race)
Distance: One mile and two furlongs (1 1/4 mile)
First Race Winner: Don Juan (1860)
Race Record: Izvestia (1990), 2 min :01 4/5 sec
Purse: $1,000,000Live on CBC-TV | CBCSports.ca
Time: 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Believe it or not, but the first four Queen's Plate races were run in the Junction.

A little bit of history:

1857 to 1876 - Carleton Race Course - On William Conroy Keele’s farm in an area known as the West Toronto Junction. This tract of land adjacent to Lambton Mills, Brockton, Seaton and the village of Carleton. It was south of Dundas Street and west of a road later named Keele St. To pinpoint it further the track’s northern and southern boundaries are Annette and Glenlake, streets that were built after the track had been subdivided into building lots in 1857 it became the headquarters of the Toronto Turf Club and hosted the first running of the Queen’s Plate on
June 27, 1860. The first four Plate races were run here.

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Newsletter
June 2007, Volume 1, Issue 1

Initiated in 1859 by the then president of the Toronto Turf Club, Sir Casimir Gzowski, a distinguished Polish engineer and ancestor of the popular Canadian broadcaster, Peter Gzowski, the Queen's Plate was inaugurated on June 27, 1860, at the Carleton racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The prize of 50 guineas was originally awarded by Queen Victoria. Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, is patron of the event, and various other members of the Canadian Royal Family have been in attendance through the years.

wikipedia.org: Queen's Plate

Keele had the Carlton Park Race Course laid out on his property in 1857. This was the site of Canada’s first Queen’s Plate race June 27, 1860, now the oldest consecutive thoroughbred horse race in North America. The first Queen’s Plate was won by Don Juan, a 5 year old bay gelding, owned by James and John White, ridden by Charles Littlefield.

cunneyworth.com: West Toronto Junction

The Junction, as it is known today and where this week's Ugly Duckling roosts, has a long and interesting history. Much of the area is built on the site of the old Carleton Race Course where the first Queen’s Plate was run.

nationalpost.com: Ugly Duckling: Junction history
Posted: May 30, 2009, by Shari Kulha

Now it's time to learn the ABC's of the QP and place a bet for the 1st Jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown. The other gems in the Crown are the Prince of Wales Stakes (Sunday, July 12th at Fort Erie Racetrack) followed by the Breeders’ Stakes (Sunday, August 2nd at Woodbine Racetrack).

heritagetoronto.org: The Queen’s Plate Turns 150 
Horse race’s humble beginnings began in the Junction 
From “The Plate: 150 Years of Royal Tradition from Don Juan to the 2009 Winner” by Louis E. Cauz and Beverley Smith
Posted on January 7, 2013 by Kaitlin 
"A one hundred and fifty year-old tradition began in 1860, when the first Queen’s Plate took place on what was then a quiet estate near the Toronto suburb of Carlton (sometimes spelled “Carleton”).">>>
By David Wencer, originally published June 15, 2010

Press-Release: Junction Community Countdown Reviving the Historic Night of 1909

Press-Release: Junction Community Countdown Reviving the Historic Night of 1909
Credit: Junction Historical Society

For Immediate Release

Junction Community Countdown
Reviving the Historic Night of 1909

Who: Mayor David Miller
Samantha Martin and the Boom Times Band
The Boom Times Cabaret
Junction Historical Society
West Toronto Paint and Wallpaper, celebrating its 100th year in the Junction

What: Amalgamation Celebration - West Toronto Junction joins the City of Toronto
Mayor David Miller accepts the Key to the City on the 100th Anniversary

Where: Humberside Collegiate Institute, Gymnasium, 280 Quebec Avenue

When: Friday, May 1, 2009 6 pm - 11 pm

Junction Community Countdown
Reviving the Historic Night of 1909

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Junction Historical Society - April 23, 2009) On the 100th anniversary of Amalgamation -- amid music, dancing, and cabaret-style comedy -- Mayor David Miller will accept the Key to the Junction to mark the historic date when the City of West Toronto Junction joined the City of Toronto as an equal partner.

The May 1st celebration will be a recreation of a similar countdown in 1909 when reportedly thousands of Junction residents gathered to mark this important municipal amalgamation with various festivities and "squeals of delight".

The May 1st anniversary celebration is organized by the Junction Historical Society and sponsored by West Toronto Paint and Wallpaper, which has been adding colour, spirit and prosperity to the Junction since 1909. The Second Annual Junction Homecoming and the Humberside Alumni Association are inviting current and former residents to come and have a hysterical time under the historical murals of Arthur Lismer, of the Group of Seven.

The Junction anniversary and countdown to Amalgamation features cabaret-style comedy, live music by Roots rising star Samantha Martin, a community art sculpture created under the direction of artist Reid English and Latitude 44 and displays of spring floral splendour by Martin’s Flowers - another local business with over 110 years of history in the Junction.

Door prizes will be given away each hour with a grand prize drawn at countdown. The evening will end with dancing to music of the last 100 years and the countdown to amalgamation!

Free! Everyone is Welcome.
Join in Community and Old-Fashioned Fun!

Contact: Kristen Buckley, Chair, Amalgamation Celebration
Tel: 416 5466136
junctionamalgamation@gmail.com

Cristina Senjug, Volunteer
Cell: 647-885-1247

link:
eventful.com: West Toronto Junction Amalgamation Celebration: Reliving the Historic Night of 1909 in Toronto, Canada at Humberside Collegiate Institute

West Toronto Junction Amalgamation Celebration: Reliving the Historic Night of 1909

Poster: Come Home to the Junction!
West Toronto Junction Amalgamation Celebration 1909 - 2009
Credit: West Toronto Junction Historical Society

Toronto festivals and events

Junction Amalgamation Celebration: Reliving the Historic Night of 1909

Date: Friday, May 1, 2009

Time: 6 pm - 11 pm

Address: Humberside Collegiate Institute
280 Quebec Avenue
Quebec and Annette Streets

TTC: From High Park subway station, take the #30 Bus to Annette.

Description: The Junction Historical Society and West Toronto Paper and Wallpaper present:

Amalgamation Celebration 1909-2009

Come Home to the Junction and Celebrate the Union of Two Great Cities

with

[ V ] 2nd Annual Junction Homecoming

[ V ] Free Family Activities presented by Junction businesses and Community Organizations

[ V ] Boom Times Cabaret Amalgamation Talk Show

[ V ] Dance and Mingle to 100 Years of Canadian Music

[ V ] Live Music featuring Sam Martin and the Boom Times Band

[ V ] Countdown to Amalgamation with Neighbours, Family and Friends!

Cost: Free

On the 100th anniversary of Amalgamation -- amid music, dancing, and cabaret-style comedy -- Mayor David Miller will accept the Key to the Junction to mark the historic date when the City of West Toronto Junction joined the City of Toronto as an equal partner. The May 1st celebration will be a recreation of a similar countdown in 1909 when reportedly thousands of Junction residents gathered to mark this important municipal amalgamation with various festivities and "squeals of delight".

For more information contact:
Phone: 416-546-6136
web: www.wtjhs.ca
email: junctionamalgamation@gmail.com

links:
Toronto festivals and events calendar: Junction Amalgamation Countdown: Reliving the Historic Night of 1909
insidetoronto.ca: 2009 marks anniversary of Junction City, Toronto amalgamation
By Lisa Rainford
insidetoronto.ca: Celebrating the 100 years after amalgamation in The Junction
By Lisa Rainford
City of Toronto: Toronto's 175th Anniversary: Events: West Toronto Junction Historical Society

Junction Historical Society Exposition: The Evening Telegram
Originally uploaded by IT Ceremony.

Make a Jane's Walk Happen in the Junction: Lead a Tour

Tour Guide Invitation: Lead A Jane Jacobs Walking Tour:

Third Annual Jane’s Walk in Toronto: May 2 & 3, 2009
Credit: maytree.com

"Jane’s Walk is not a tourism initiative, it’s a chance to go deeper in neighbourhoods you don’t know, or want to know better."
Tips For Tour Guides
compiled by Jane Farrow with contributions from Tim Groves, Heather McLean and Leigh Thorpe

LEAD A JANE JACOBS WALKING TOUR
3RD ANNUAL JANE’S WALK IN TORONTO
MAY 2 & 3 2009

Jane’s Walk is the street-level celebration of Jane Jacobs legacy. The Centre for City Ecology sponsors this event across North America which combines the simple act of walking with personal observations, urban history and local lore as a means of knitting people together into strong and resourceful communities. Over 6,000 people explored over 140 neighbourhoods across Canada during last year’s Jane’s Walk.

We are inviting you to lead a tour in an area where you live, work or play. It simply involves planning a route, thinking through the stories, places and people you want to talk about, then walking participants through it – you decide what’s important. If you like, you could share the guiding duties with a few other resourceful friends or colleagues....

Jane’s Walk is an exceptional opportunity for Torontonians to discover their city – both places they think they know well and places they want to explore. We hope you’ll join us in offering an insider’s take on your city’s vibrant and fascinating neighbourhoods.

Jane Farrow, Executive Director, CCE & Jane’s Walk
director@janeswalk.net 416-642-5779 www.janeswalk.net

For more information, download the Tour Guide Invitation or the Partnership Outline document.

See a few photos of last year's Walk in the Junction's "West Bend"

Jane’s Walk in the Toronto Junction's "West Bend" with Duncan Farnan, May 3, 2008"

Photos @ artjunction.blogspot.com

link:
Jane’s Walk in the Junction's "West Bend"
By Hilary Bell, West Bend resident
May 16, 2008

Special Junction Premiere: Nation of Irony Mongers: Roots of the Canadian Sense of Humour with Neil Ross

Poster: Nation of Irony Mongers:

Roots of the Canadian Sense of Humour with Neil Ross

West Toronto Junction Historical Society Presents

Nation of Irony Mongers:
Roots of the Canadian Sense of Humour
With Neil Ross

NATION OF IRONY MONGERS is a new series of two minute radio vignettes produced by CBC's Content Factory, tracing the historical development of humour in Canada from aboriginal times to the present. The series begins February 9, airing on local morning shows for nine weeks.
See a special preview this Thursday, February 5, at the Annette Street Library at 8:15 pm. Written and presented by Neil Ross, the sketches recreate key moments in the Canadian comic continuum. Episodes include:

• Trickster: The Cosmic Comedian
• High Concept on the High Seas: (Well, on the waves off Port Royal)
• Brigadier General Townshend: The Cartoonist Who Decried Wolfe. MP3version attached.
• The Jokes of Bengough and Sir John A., eh?
• Doc Kelley: New Found Pie Gag in New Found Land.
• Madly Back from All Directions: Stephen Leacock, Casa Loma and the Birth of Modern Humour
• Marie Dressler and Mack Sennett: Tillie's Punctured Romance
• Beatrice Lillie: Go and Never Darken My Dior Again!
• The Dumbells: Cross-Dressing for Your Country

"Twice as Long as a Heritage Minute and Three Times as Funny!"

With Special Junction Feature:

Jimmy Frise and Greg Clark, Jesters of Baby Point

Thursday, February 5, 8:15 pm

Junction Historical Society Meeting
(Business Meeting, 7:30)

Annette Street Public Library
Lower Level, Committee Room 1
145 Annette Street, Toronto, ON M6P 1P3

(One and a half blocks west of Keele)

Admission: Free

CPR Holiday Train Steams into the Junction of History

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train Brings the Holiday Season Magic to the Junction
December 2, 2008 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

CPR HOLIDAY TRAIN STEAMS INTO THE JUNCTION OF HISTORY
By Neil Ross

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train steamed into the Junction Tuesday night, flying Canadian and American flags and a neon Christmas tree. The Junction crowd was made up of families and other residents jubilant to be allowed access to the railway yard for the first time in their lives. Apparently, the train’s stop was something of a coup for Councillor Saundercook who appeared in a box car with Councilors Nunziata and Palacio. The Holiday Train raises money for local food banks and it was a joy to be able to contribute knowing the proceeds would go to be used right here in the community as the cold weather was a grim reminder of how much we need to share in this northern clime. Also sharing were Tim Horton’s who provided free coffee and hot chocolate to the crowd. This is the tenth anniversary of the holiday train and over its decade it’s raised two hundred and thirteen tons of food and over one and a half million dollars.

As the big doors opened on the side of the box car the unmistakable strains of the theme to the Friendly Giant swept across the crowd. Santa Claus himself was the first performer channeling James Brown as the hardest working man at the North Pole and revealing an extraordinary set of lungs on the long notes. Also featured were Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame member Tracey Brown, CCMA winner Johnny Reid, and singer/guitarist/song-writer Shaun Verreault. The highlights included a song written on board the train just that day which seemed to be called A Change is Coming which had Junction parents dancing with their children and children dancing with each other. Another was the guitar solo during Silent Night . . . and there’s a sentence you don’t get to write very often. Actually Silent Night had been nicely adapted to the 2008 Politically Correct Carol Book to Sabbath Night, which played quite well, and considering the aforementioned guitar solo was perhaps a more apt title than Silent Night.

Junction Historical Society train expert Raymond Kennedy (trainweb.org/oldtimetrains) had been scheduled to give a talk on the history of railways in the Junction of which he is an invaluable fount of lore. Unfortunately, his talk was only briefly mentioned from the train and Raymond wisely put the event off for some later date. It’s a shame as Raymond could have given the crowd something the other speakers could not: what the trains really meant to this historic community. We’re told that if enough excitement is generated the CPR will bring the train back next year. An old Junction rebel whispers in my ear: "how much excitement would it take for them to rebuild the railway station?" but the food bank is a right now need and the CPR is to be commended.

Happy Holidays from the West Toronto Junction Historical Society Centennial Committee.

2008 © Neil Ross

Neil Ross, writer/comedian/historian
West Toronto Junction Historical Society
Centennial Committee Chair

Busy Summer Weekends at the Toronto Junction City Square

Photo: Summer Events 2008 in the West Toronto Junction

Summertime brings great free outdoor activities to the West Toronto Junction District. The Junction Forum for Art and Culture continues to present the Free Summer Concert Series in the Junction.

West Toronto Junction City Presents Free Summer Concerts and Family Fun

EVERY SATURDAY from June 14 to August 2, 2008
at the Junction City Square & Train Platform
2960 Dundas Street West at Pacific Avenue

Events, Marketplace, Workshops
10:00 am
[V] The Junction Market
[V] The [murmur] - Audio Junction Story Collectors Project
[V] Period Costumes - Dress-up & Photos
[V] Toronto Aerial Dance - Free Circus Lessons

12:00 pm
Live Concert

1:30pm
West Toronto Junction Historical Society Walking Tours

The concert tomorrow, July 5, will feature a Junction's local dysfunct band performing everything from Ska, Reggae, and Funk to Progressive and Alternative rock music.

About: dysfunct
Alternative / Ska / Progressive
dysfunct was formed in the Junction in late 2006, consisting of Elias Hilman-Huchetson on the DRUMS, Kvesche Vardo Be on the BASS guitar, and Dillon Hall on the GUITAR. They play everything from Ska, Reggae, and Funk to Progressive and Alternative rock. They more recently have added Hunter Blair on the SAX, and also sometimes play with Kevin Mistica on the TROMBONE from The GoodRats Radio. vardo and Dillon have been writing together for years and have been in serveral acts together such as A.D.D. and GLE . dysfunct has shared the stage with bands like The Good times, The Superstitions, Stop Drop n' Skank, One Night Band, 'Phil Allister'(-CEA), Cheapsuits, The Thundermonks, Corporation, The Clementones, The Johnstones, the Miles and many more. As well they have recorded and created beats on many hiphop tracks for "Sci Young" and his producer Adam Hall.

July 12: Ritmo Flamenco Dance
July 19: The Imbayakunas
July 26: Mariachi Guadalajara Band
August 2: To be Announced

After a concert at 1:30 pm join our free Centennial walking tours of the "Junction City", walk the streets of the Junction with the men and women who built it:

youtube.com: Walking Tour: Calrton-Davenport
Junction Mayor G.W. Clendenan (acted by Gib Goodfellow) and Junction journalist A.B. Rice (acted by Neil Ross) come back to life to share some fascinating tidbits from Junction history.
Credit: JunctionWalk

The West Toronto Junction Historical Society would like to thank producer and WTJHS volunteer Cristina Senjug for shooting and editing this video of the historical walking tour of Carlton-Davenport. Watch this space for Cristina's next video of the Annette Indian Road tour. Cristina was assisted by artist Peter LIU Gang. The WTJHS is grateful for their contribution in publicizing our events and the history of the Junction.

July tour highlights:
RACES, RELIGION AND BOWLS: RECREATION IN THE JUNCTION

• James Hall: Junction and Democracy
• The Carlton Race Course
• Masons, The Library and Stained Glass to Die For
• Glimpse of the Junction Theatre District
• The Legend of Minerva Reid
• Mayor Baird: Lust for Parkland
• Lawn Bowling: the National Craze
• Western School and the Legend of Miss Cherry
• The Willoughby Estate
• The Carrying Place (Indian Road)

links:

myspace.com: dysfunct
radio3.cbc.ca: dysfunct
supernova.com: Dysfunct | Reggae, Ska, Alternative | Toronto, Ontario, Canada

About Summer Concerts in the Junction:

Every Saturday from June 14 to August 2, 2008 starting at 10am, the Junction Train Platform will be alive with entertainment and activities for everyone to enjoy. Local businesses will gather in the Junction Market, where you can also get a circus lesson from Toronto Aerial Dance Theatre, take an historical walking tour courtesy of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society or contribute a story to murmur. All of this will be centred around the noon concerts representing the wide range of cultures making up the Junction. We've been dressing-up the platform area the last few weeks as well - students from the Academy of Realist Art have completed an historic-themed mural and some landscaping has been added to the area to green-it-up. So come up to the Junction for brunch, then head over to the Junction Train Platform to see what's going on.

What's in common between Odes(s)a, Staples, and Architecture?

Poster: Odes(s)a + Staples + Architecture
Credit: wikipedia, MS Word

2007 @ artjunction.blogspot.com

Munk Centre for International Studies!

My Events List for next week:

Tuesday April 10, 2007
Identities in Odes(s)a
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: 108N

Wednesday April 11, 2007
Staples and Beyond
4:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: 156S

Thursday April 12, 2007
Philosophy, Architecture, History
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location: 108N


Munk Centre for International Studies
University of Toronto
1 Devonshire Place
Toronto ON M5S 3K7
Tel: (416) 946-8900
www.utoronto.ca/mcis/


Details:

Identities in Odes(s)a

Date: Tuesday April 10
Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Room: 108N, North House

Speakers:
Tanya Richardson
Assistant Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University

Abel Polese
Jacyk Visiting Scholar, Research Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Institute in Dresden

Olga Andriewsky
Trent University

Contact Info:
Larysa Iarovenko

Description:

Tanya Richardson (Assistant Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University), "Between Cosmopolitan and Provincial: Spaces of History and the Place of Odesa in Post-Soviet Ukraine"
Abel Polese (Jacyk Visiting Scholar, Research Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Institute in Dresden), "Weird Mathematics in Odesa: Why One Odessan is a Ukrainian but ten Odessans are Russian?"

Main Sponsor:
Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine
Trent University

Professor Olga Andriewsky
Chair of History Department, Trent University
e-mail: oandriewsky@trentu.ca

Research interests: Russia as empire; national identity and imperial discourse, Russian-Ukrainian relations.
Research interests: Russia as empire; national identity and imperial discourse, Russian-Ukrainian relations.

Teaching interests: Modern Russia and Eastern Europe; Russian Revolution; Stalin and Stalinism; and Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union.

* "The Russian-Ukrainian Discourse And The Failure Of The 'Little Russian Solution', 1782-1917" in Peoples, Nations, Identities: The Russian-Ukrainian Encounter, project jointly sponsored by the Harriman Institute, Columbia University; the Seminar on East European Studies, University of Koln (Germany); and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta (forthcoming 2003);
* "The Paradoxes of Reform: Higher Education in Post-Soviet Ukraine" in Problems of Development of Ukraine since Independence (forthcoming, Canadian Scholars' Press, 2003)

Abel Polese
Abel Polese, from Italy, has been learning languages most of his life, to the extent where he is now fluent in seven, including English and Russian. He has various languages qualifications and has spent time studying at Coventry University.



Philosophy, Architecture, History

The Eighth Hermann Levin Goldschmidt Memorial Lecture

Date: Thursday April 12
Time: 12 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Room: 108N, North House

Speaker:
Claudia Brodsky-La Cour
Princeton University

Contact Info:
Edith Klein

Main Sponsor:

Joint Initiative in German and European Studies
Co-sponsored by
Foundation Dialogik
Centre for Comparative Literature
Department of Philosophy
Jewish Studies Program

Claudia J. Brodsky Lacour
Claudia Brodsky Lacour is Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University and ancien directeur de programme at the Collège International de Philosophie, Paris. She is the author of The Imposition of Form: Studies in Narrative Representation and Knowledge (1987), Lines of Thought: Discourse, Architectonics, and the Origin of Modern Philosophy (1996), and several articles on German, French, and English literature and philosophy from the Enlightenment through the present.

Lines of Thought: Discourse, Architectonics, and the Origin of Modern Philosophy (Paperback)
by Claudia Brodsky Lacour (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
It is considerably easier to say that modern philosophy began with Descartes than it is to define the modernity and philosophy to which Descartes gave rise. In Lines of Thought, Claudia Brodsky Lacour describes the double origin of modern philosophy in Descartes’s Discours de la méthode and Géométrie, works whose interrelation, she argues, reveals the specific nature of the modern in his thought. Her study examines the roles of discourse and writing in Cartesian method and intuition, and the significance of graphic architectonic form in the genealogy of modern philosophy.
While Cartesianism has long served as a synonym for rationalism, the contents of Descartes’s method and cogito have remained infamously resistant to rational analysis. Similarly, although modern phenomenological analyses descend from Descartes’s notion of intuition, the “things” Cartesian intuitions represent bear no resemblance to phenomena. By returning to what Descartes calls the construction of his “foundation” in the Discours, Brodsky Lacour identifies the conceptual problems at the root of Descartes’s literary and aesthetic theory as well as epistemology. If, for Descartes, linear extension and “I” are the only “things” we can know exist, the Cartesian subject of thought, she shows, derives first from the intersection of discourse and drawing, representation and matter. The crux of that intersection, Brodsky Lacour concludes, is and must be the cogito, Descartes’s theoretical extension of thinking into material being. Describable in accordance with the Géométrie as a freely constructed line of thought, the cogito, she argues, extends historically to link philosophy with theories of discursive representation and graphic delineation after Descartes. In conclusion, Brodsky Lacour analyzes such a link in the writings of Claude Perrault, the architectural theorist whose reflections on beauty helped shape the seventeenth-century dispute between “the ancients and the moderns.”
Part of a growing body of literary and interdisciplinary considerations of philosophical texts, Lines of Thought will appeal to theorists and historians of literature, architecture, art, and philosophy, and those concerned with the origin and identity of the modern.

From the Back Cover

“An engaging and original piece of work—a very good book. Lines of Thought will take a respected place amongst interdisciplinary studies of philosophy.”—Jonathan Ree, Middlesex University

“An excellent, highly disciplined reading; a truly interdisciplinary achievement. One of the most striking qualities of this book is the way in which Brodsky Lacour opens up broader historical, philosophical, and literary perspectives, pertaining particularly to present discussions of Modernity and deconstruction, by strictly pursuing her rigorous reading of Descartes’s and Perrault’s texts. The basis for such a mediation is the author’s excellent literary analyses and her impressive understanding of philosophical and mathematical issues. In thinking through the figures of line and architecture in and as thought and discourse, she unfolds a certain construction of modern subjectivity and contemporary theoretical problems in a highly illuminating way.”—Rainer Nagele, The Johns Hopkins University