It’s that time of year again! After an action-packed June and it’s time for our annual Bike Month wrap-up party: the East York Canada Day Parade! This will be our ninth time riding in the parade and we’re calling all cyclists to join us for the most fun you can have on two wheels (or one, or three, or four, or however many wheels your bike has!). The East York Canada Day Parade has been a neighbourhood tradition for more than 60 years—and a neighbourhood legend since we joined the festivities starting in 2010! Just bring yourself, your bike, and as many family and friends as you can and meet us on the north side of Dieppe Park on Cosburn after 9:00 am on Sunday, July 1. We’ll have some time to decorate our bikes before the parade leaves at 10 am for the Canada Day party down the street in Stan Wadlow Park. May the best bike costume win! (And seriously, someone really must dethrone Felicity this year!)
Ward 29 Bikes and friends in the Canada Day Parade
You think about joining us for the East York Canada Day parade every year, and this year you’re actually going to do it! This is our eighth year and you’re out of excuses! From modest beginnings in 2010 (we’re not entirely convinced that the parade actually existed before we started riding in it), the East York Canada Day parade has become the most fun cycling event of the year. Oh sure, there are bands and floats and community groups and thousands of spectators sitting along the route, but we all know that the parade is really all about having fun and looking silly on our bikes.
Who will win the costume competition this year? Felicity is the three-time defending champion, but the rumour mill is abuzz with news that Val has a secret weapon this year. Is there another candidate who can beat them both? Don’t miss the next exciting chapter in this once-a-year serial thriller! We meet on the north side of Dieppe Park (on Cosburn just east of Greenwood) at 9 am on July 1 for bike decorating; the parade leaves the park at 10 am. Be there!
Ward 29 Bikes and Friends in the East York Canada Day Parade
When: Saturday, July 1, 2017. Decorating begins at 9 am, parade leaves at 10 am, arrives at Stan Wadlow Park around 11 am.
Where: Meet on the north side of Dieppe Park (on Cosburn just east of Greenwood). You won’t be able to miss us.
Who: You! This is a family friendly event. The streets are closed to traffic for the parade and cyclists of all ages participate every year.
Why: You know you want to. You know you need to!
How: Come by bi-, tri-, uni-, quadri-, or any other kind of human-powered cycle, whether upright, recumbent, road, hybrid, urban, mountain, folding, tall, tandem, cruiser, or any other style.
This can mean only one thing.
Bicycle bells, cowbells, school bells, oh my! Bells on Danforth returns this Saturday for its sixth annual edition! Hundreds of cyclists will be riding the length of Danforth Avenue, ringing bells of all descriptions until we arrive at the Crossroads of the Danforth. Meet at 10:30 on Saturday morning at the west end of the Bloor Viaduct, across from Castle Frank subway station.
Bells on Danforth 2017
Saturday, June 24, 10:30 am (ride leaves at 11 am)
Start: Prince Edward Viaduct Park (across from Castle Frank station)
Finish: Crossroads of the Danforth (Danforth Avenue & Danforth Road)
Full details are on the Bells on Danforth website.
Ward 29 Bikes is hosting a bike-themed Jane’s Walk again this year. Join us at 11:30 am on Saturday May 6 in Playter Gardens (northwest corner of Danforth & Cambridge, one block west of Broadview).
This walk starts on the Danforth and moves west to Sherbourne. Along the way, we will explore and discuss some of the challenges that cyclists face in commuting around the city and specifically around the Danforth. We will then continue the walk to the world of the possible. We will see some great examples of how Toronto is becoming a cycling city and we will discuss some of the exciting projects on the horizon and some of the community initiatives that really make biking in the city a pleasure. Throughout the walk consider:
- How would the Danforth landscape change if it became more bike friendly? What would the impact be to the roads, the businesses, the environment?
- What examples from around Toronto can be applied to improve biking on the Danforth?
- How would increased cycling benefit Toronto? What is the best way to promote cycling?
- How can we make roads that are effective for all modes of transportation: cars, bikes, pedestrians?
Watch for further updates and details on the event page at the Jane’s Walk website.
Only one thing is way more fun than watching a parade: being in a parade! Join Ward 29 Bikes and dozens of cyclists in the East York Canada Day Parade on Wednesday, July 1. This is our seventh year in the parade, which means that we will have brought our special blend of fun, colour, and bikes to 12% of East York Canada Day Parades throughout all of history. If that isn’t worth celebrating, what is?
Riding in this local tradition is the best way to have way too much fun celebrating your community, laughing with your neighbours, and riding your bike in parade formations. Circles, figure-eights…our pinwheel attempt didn’t go so well last year, but we’ll try again this year! We’ll be gathering at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1 on the north side of Dieppe Park (on Cosburn east of Greenwood). We’ll provide decorations; you just need to bring your bike and a smile. Check out the fun we’ve had in previous years and contact us if you want more information about the parade or to confirm your participation. Don’t miss out!
Join us this Saturday for the fifth annual Bells on Danforth, a pedal-powered parade to celebrate cycling! More than 500 people riding all manner of bikes, took over Danforth for last year’s biggest-ever edition. Let’s go even bigger this year! Meet across from Castle Frank Station at 10:30 am on Saturday, June 25. See the Bells on Danforth website for full details.
As part of the Cosburn Pape Community Bicycle Day, Ward 29 Bikes and the East York Historical Society will be running a special edition of the East York History Bike Ride. Join us for a cycling tour of some of Ward 29’s historic sites. Discover the Taylors and Playters, explore the villages of Todmorden and Chester, and learn about the history of East York and area while riding with the whole family.
This edition of the tour will leave our Cosburn Pape Community Bicycle Day hub at Cosburn and Pape at 1 pm on Saturday, June 18. Everyone who comes on the ride will receive a copy of the ride booklet containing information about all of the highlighted sites. The full tour will take approximately 90 minutes at a leisurely pace and is suitable for the whole family. The route is mostly on quiet neighbourhood streets or dedicated bike lanes, but there will be some short sections along main roads.
We’re bringing our bike festival to the neighbourhood on Saturday, June 18! Join us for a day of activities including the East York History Bike Ride (1 pm), le Tour de Cosburn, and more! Visit our hub at Bethany Baptist Church (southeast corner of Cosburn & Pape) to get your bike tuned up, learn about cycling opportunities in the area, connect with CultureLink’s Bike Host program, and get cycling information and maps. See our event page for more information.
The beginning of Bike Month is still a few weeks away but we’re starting early with a bike-themed Jane’s Walk on Saturday. This one-hour walk, led by Adam Wasserman of Ward 29 Bikes, starts on the Danforth and moves west to Sherbourne. Along the way, we will explore and discuss some of the challenges that cyclists face in commuting around the city and specifically around the Danforth. We will then continue the walk to the world of the possible. We will see some great examples of how Toronto is becoming a cycling city and we will discuss some of the exciting projects on the horizon and some of the community initiatives that really make biking in the city a pleasure. Meet at 2 pm on Saturday May 7 in the courtyard at Carrot Common (Danforth just east of Jackman, between Erietta and the Big Carrot Organic Juice Bar). More info is at the Jane’s Walk website.
It’s back! The annual East End Pub Night returns on Thursday, March 3, 2016. We’ll be setting up at Remarks Bar & Grill on Coxwell (south of O’Connor) starting at 7 p.m. Cyclists and friends from throughout the east end will get together to talk bikes, drink beer, and have a good time. This is your chance to see what your local cycling advocates have planned for the coming year and cheer us on (and maybe get involved). It looks like 2016 is going to be a big year; join us for a pint to kick it off!
Details:
Annual East End Pub Night
Remarks Bar & Grill
1926 Coxwell Avenue (West side of Coxwell Avenue, ½ block south of O’Connor Drive)
Thursday, March 3, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. until whenever.
Everyone is welcome. Contact us if you have any questions.
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