Toronto Historic Sites events Feb. 22-Mar. 28

The City of Toronto Historic Sites present several events in February and March that provide enriching entertainment for all ages while connecting visitors to Toronto’s rich history. Visit www.toronto.ca/museum-events for more information.

GIBSON HOUSE MUSEUM   5172 Yonge Street, at Park Home Avenue

Limited free parking on site; nearby paid underground and street level parking.

Hours: Wednesday to Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m., Thursday: 1 to 8 p.m.

Regular admission: Adults $6.19, Seniors/Youth $3.54, Children $2.65 (plus tax)

gibsonhouse@toronto.ca  416-395-7432

A TO Canada with Love Exhibition

Gibson House: A Centennial Legacy

February 22 – May 28

This exhibit will explore how the Centennial celebrations of 1967 contributed to the creation of Gibson House and other local initiatives in North York. This exhibition is presented as part of TO Canada with Love, the City of Toronto’s year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions honouring Canada’s 150th birthday.

Tea and Tour Sundays 

1 to 4:30 p.m.                                                          

There’s a seat for you at the harvest table in the historic kitchen on Sunday afternoons throughout the year. Relax and have a chat over tea and homemade cookies. Enjoy a tour of the lovely, 1850s farmhouse. Included with regular admission.

MACKENZIE HOUSE  82 Bond Street

Hours: Saturday & Sunday: 12 to 5 p.m.

Regular Admission: Adults $6.19, Seniors/Youth $3.54, Children: $2.65 (plus tax)

Children (4 and under): Free. machouse@toronto.ca  416-392-6915

Mackenzie House Celebrates Black History Month

Weekends in February, 12 to 5 p.m.

Toronto has a rich legacy in the literature and the newspapers of the early Black community in Ontario.  Visit Mackenzie House on weekends in February, and learn more about some of the Black Victorians of Toronto, featuring those who published newspapers during the era.  Visitors can take a piece of this important history home when they print a souvenir copy of Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s newspaper, The Provincial Freeman, in the re-created 1850’s printshop. Included with regular admission.

The Dumplings of Toronto: Exploring Toronto’s diverse communities through pies, pockets, and pitas 

Saturday, February 25, 12 to 5 p.m.

The foods we eat tell compelling stories about our identity and our city.  Dumplings are universal and highlight both the ethnic diversity and cultural similarities of Toronto’s communities and neighbourhoods. Once a month Mackenzie House Museum invites visitors to explore Toronto’s immigrant communities through the dumpling. Visitors will enjoy cooking demonstrations on our historic 1860s wood burning stove, learn about various cultural traditions and recipes, and sample dumplings from around the globe. Join us on Saturday February 25, 2017 to learn about the Kibbeh (Kubbeh, Kubbah), a popular dumpling enjoyed throughout the Middle East.

THE MARKET GALLERY 2nd Floor, South St. Lawrence Market, 95 Front Street East

Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday & Monday. Admission by pay-what-you-can donation (suggested donation $2.) Paid parking in the area. 416-392-7604. marketgallery@toronto.ca

Unearthing Toronto’s Oldest Marketplace: The Archaeology of the North St. Lawrence Market

November 19, 2016 to March 18, 2017

The North St. Lawrence Market is about to undergo a major rebuild. As part of that process, the citizens of Toronto will have a rare opportunity to look into the City’s past as the building site undergoes a major archaeological dig. The exhibit will use archaeological finds from the site along with historical maps, art works, photographs, and artifacts to tell the story of North America’s longest-running continually operating food market, established 1803. As the dig continues through the fall and winter of 2016/2017 new information will be added to the exhibit showing how historical understanding can change as new research is conducted.

MONTGOMERY’S INN   4709 Dundas Street West at Islington Avenue

Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., Closed Mondays & Holidays.

Regular Admission: Adults $5.71, Seniors/Youth $2.86, Children $1.90 (plus tax)

Free parking   montinn@toronto.ca   416-394-8113

Montgomery’s Inn Winter Farmers Market

Every Wednesday from, 2 to 6 p.m.

Buy direct from local farmers and food artisans. Organic fruit and vegetables, organic wine, cheese, bread and prepared foods as well as ethically raised meat, honey and more! Free.

Thirsty Thursdays

Thursday, February 23, 7 to 10 p.m.

The last Thursday of every month is Thirsty Thursday Tavern night at the Inn. Enjoy a glass of beer, wine, or a Thomas Montgomery specialty in our restored 1847 barroom! Montgomery’s Inn. Irish stew, fresh baked bread and live traditional music. Admission is pay what you can!  Cash bar, $5.00 for a bowl of stew, while supplies last.

Neapolitan Connection Concert Series

Saturday, February 25, and Sunday, February 26, 2 to 4 p.m.

Join us for classical music at the Inn in partnership with Neapolitan Connection. Tours of the museum and refreshments are included in the ticket price. Tickets available at http://www.neapolitanconnection.com/.

Art Exhibition in the Briarly Room

Art with Friends

Presented by Mimico SNAP (Special Needs Adult Program)

Wednesday, March 1 to Tuesday, March 28

https://www.facebook.com/mimicosnap/

http://connectability.ca/directory/listing/mimico-s-n-a-p

Art Exhibition in the Community Room

From Our Perspective

Presented by Creative Village Art Studio

Wednesday, March 1 to Tuesday, March 28

The vision of Creative Village Art Studio is to provide a supportive space for artists with varying abilities in order to enrich lives through creative expression.

Operated by Community Living Toronto, Creative Village Studio offers art and photography classes as well as drop-in studio time for all ages.

http://cltoronto.ca/hubs/creative-village-studio/

Fret Not Ukulele Club

Thursday, March 2, 7 to 9 p.m.

Our monthly ukulele gathering – the first Thursday of every month, with Doctor of Music instructor Chris Wilson. Come, sing, laugh, and make music. Bring your uke, but if you’re just testing the waters and don’t yet own one, let us know and we’ll loan you one for the night. $15.

SCARBOROUGH MUSEUM   1007 Brimley Road, just north of Lawrence in Thomson Memorial Park

Hours: Wednesday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Closed Mondays

Regular admission is pay-what-you-can.  shm@toronto.ca  416-338-8807

February Weekends 12 to 4 pm.

Fall in love with homemade potato soup and scones, cooked right before your eyes. Samples and recipes available to share them with those you love. Admission is Pay What You Can

March Weekends 12 to 4 p.m.

It’s high time for pie time! Get not just a piece of the pie but the whole thing, as Scarborough Museum makes mini pie treats all month long. Admission is Pay What You Can.

SPADINA MUSEUM  285 Spadina Road
Hours:  Saturday, Sunday, and Holiday Mondays, 12 to 5 p.m.
Regular admission: Adults $7.96, Seniors/Youth (13-18 yrs.) $5.75, Children (6-12 yrs.) $4.87 (plus tax), Children (5 and under) Free. Paid parking next door at Casa Loma
416-392-6910 spadina@toronto.ca 

A TO Canada with Love Exhibition

Our Journey – An Art Map of Canadian Identity

Continuing until December 31, 2017

Our Journey – An Art Map of Canadian Identity at Spadina Museum is taking shape! And you can help: this collaborative project by Toronto artist Xenia Gonzalez acknowledges our presence on Indigenous land, which is home to many diverse Indigenous people. Come in for a visit and share your stories and be a part of this art project that aims to acknowledge everyone’s place, identities and contributions to Canadian society past and present.  This project is presented as part of TO Canada with Love, the City of Toronto’s year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions honouring Canada’s 150th birthday.

Yoga at Spadina

Sunday, February 26, 2 p.m.

This class will be led by Yoga Alliance Certified instructor Diane Grundy, who has

been practising yoga and studying yoga philosophy for over 5 years. Diane will be leading the class through a gentle/ beginner level of hatha yoga. Although the class will be at the beginner level, all levels are welcome. It is suggested that participants please bring a mat, towel, and water, and that they arrive at least 10 minutes before the class begins. Classes are limited to 12 participants, and pre-registration is required, by calling Spadina Museum, at 416-392-6910. Admission for the class is pay-what-you-wish, and monies will be donated to the museum.

TODMORDEN MILLS HERITAGE SITE

Bottom of Pottery Road, East of Bayview Avenue, West of Broadview Avenue

Hours: Wednesday to Friday, 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, 12 to 4:30 p.m.

Regular Admission: Adults $6.19, Seniors/Youth $3.54, Children 6 to12  $2.65 (plus tax)

Children 5 and under free. Free parking   todmorden@toronto.ca    416-396-2819

In the Papermill Gallery:

A TO Canada with Love Exhibition

Helen Lucas: Roots to the Present

Continues until March 5

Helen Lucas is one of Canada’s most distinguished and beloved floral painters, known

for her vibrant colours and large-scale, vivid depictions of flowers. Lucas has exhibited

her art in Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa, and Japan, and several works were acquired by public collections in Canada, as well as private international collections.

This first-ever retrospective, offered in partnership with York University’s Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, explores the remarkable career of Helen Lucas through her paintings, drawings and lithographs. From the 1960s to the present, she has used her artistry and vision to create an intimate diary of her life. With brutal honesty, Lucas invites us to consider the strengths of our own personal histories, encouraging us to view them through the lens of struggle, growth and emergence.
Funded in part by the Ontario Arts Council, this exhibition is presented as part of TO Canada with Love, the City of Toronto’s year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions honouring Canada’s 150th birthday.

For more information about this artist, visit her website www.helenlucas.com

In the Papermill Theatre:

East Side Players present Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile

February 24 to March 11

This long-running Off-Broadway absurdist comedy places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian café in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. In his first comedy for the stage, the popular actor and screenwriter plays fast

and loose with fact, fame and fortune as these two geniuses muse on the century’s achievements and prospects as well as other fanciful topics with infectious dizziness.

For tickets visit http://www.eastsideplayers.ca or call 416-425-0917.

— Ilena Aldini-Messina