Canary District Celebrates the Topping off of YMCA with a Block Party
If you spend most of your Wednesday nights hanging out in inflatable bouncy castle, eating great food from trucks, and watching performances in the middle of the street, this might be a routine hump day for you, but for the rest of us, the YMCA Block Party provided a great mid-week excursion.
Although there were reports of thunderstorms, the weather held up beautifully as the local community flocked to the corner of Front and Cherry Street to experience live music, performances, and the opportunity get a better look at the eventual flagship YMCA, slated to open in 2015. This event was not only my first ever Block Party, but also the first chance to see the future site of the Pan Am games and Canary District in person.
Being able to stand a few dozen feet away from the historic CNR building and the former site of the infamous Canary Restaurant was a treat. The original Place School, which was built in 1859, juxtaposed with the recently topped off YMCA provides something to this development that makes it feel special and the Block Party brought many people together to experience that.
With that being said, we all were there to celebrate the YMCAs new flagship location. The 81,000-square-foot YMCA building will become one of the largest YMCAs in Toronto and will provide not only all the amenities that YMCA has been known to offer, but will become a great addition to this developing community.
The local and future community came out in droves with their families, pets, and had an amazing time. It was great to see families and their children having great times with the inflatables, balloon animals, and face painting. I ran into two young boys who had green masks painted on their faces and would mimic Star Wars Jedi actions and sound effects. It was so infectious that I had to join them.
The atmosphere was lighthearted and cheerful as the event continued. The Food Dudes and Caplansky’s Food Trucks were on hand to provide great food to all those attending. I quite enjoyed the Food Dudes Captain Crunch Fish tacos, and Caplansky’s Smoked Meat Sandwich looked amazing.
The YMCA Community Block Party was held on Wednesday May 30th in partnership with EllisDon, DundeeKilmer, and the YMCA. I found it to be a great community bonding event and I look forward to any and all future block parties.
The YMCA is set to open in 2015 after the Pan Am Games.