The 519 Church Street Community Centre

Archive for June, 2009

Construction Update

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Renovations to the Original 519: Expected Completion Fall 2009

In the past four months the contractor has made progress with the following projects:

• Continuing replacement of the electrical system
• Leveling the floors throughout the original building by removing the sub floor, leveling the joists and installing new plywood sub floors
• Additional structural work
• Drywall partitions and ceilings
• Painting
• Installation of slate flooring in the entrance and lobby

While we had hoped to re-open the original building in June 2009, we continue to experience unexpected delays.  Renovating a century-old building is not a simple task and our priority is to complete the renovation responsibly to ensure the building will serve us well into the future.  In order to ensure we have a beautiful and properly finished building we are now projecting that construction will be complete in the Fall of 2009

Thank you!

We at The 519 truly appreciate the patience, cooperation and understanding that you’ve given throughout the construction process.  The end is in sight!  Please contact Helen Rykens at 416-355-6772 or helenr@the519.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Tags: Construction, Renovations
Posted in Construction | No Comments »

The 519 will have you seeing stars!

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Celebrities return to the Green Space on Church for 2nd Annual Starry Night Event

If you’re looking to add an elegant, outdoor affair to your pride schedule, look no further than Starry Night, The 519’s Friday night kick-off to Pride Weekend.

Celebrity bartenders will once again shake, stir and mix-up drinks under the night’s sky in Church Street’s beautiful Cawthra Square Park. DJ Deko-Ze will set the tone for the night, followed by a live performance by Australian band OKA. The 519’s Honourary Patron and Pride Toronto Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Salah Bachir will be Starry Night’s special guest.

The 519 is proud to have Ian Abinakle on the team this year as our Pride Event Planner. Ian’s experience and knowledge in artistic programming and outdoor festivals is a definite asset to this year’s events. “We’re really excited about this year’s entertainment” explains Ian, “the line-up includes great local artists like Denise Benson and Dr. Draw and surprise performances from internationally renowned DJs from Toronto, Brazil and Mexico.”

Starry Night is a free event being held on Friday, June 26th, 2009 beginning at 8pm in Cawthra Square Park – the only green space on Church Street. It kicks off a weekend of free festivities in the Park including Saturday’s Open Air Affair featuring R&B, Electro and Rock music and Sunday’s Tree House Party which boasts a line up of fabulously eclectic DJs.

Celebrity Bartenders for 2009 include Traci Melchor (eTalk), Gavin Crawford (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Adamo Ruggiero (Degrassi), Maggie Cassella (OUTtv), Andrew Nichols (CBC Newsworld), Nina Arsenault (Canada’s most famous transsexual), Deb Pearce (Proud FM), Shaun Proulx (Proud FM) and others.

Tags: Adamo Ruggiero, Andrew Nichols, Deb Pearce, Event, Gavin Crawford, Maggie Cassella, Nina Arsenault, Pride, Resource Development, Shaun Proulx, Traci Melchor
Posted in Events, Resource Development | No Comments »

Poetry of Resistance

Monday, June 8th, 2009

The 519 hosted a day of the Poetry of Resistance Festival on Thursday April 30th. The first edition of this groundbreaking festival honoured The Cuban Five, a group of counter-terrorists imprisoned for life for their efforts in preventing terrorist attacks in South Florida in the late 1990’s.

The day featured a children’s social justice workshop with Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, dub poetry with The Dub Poets Collective and a Latin dance workshops with Meta Dance. Also featured were performances by both local and international poets, musicians and a presentation by Elizabeth Palmeiro, wife of one of the Cuban Five.

In line with the 519’s mission, our day was highly interactive and community-based, featuring an open-mic and collaborative painting project of the Cuban Five by local artist Sue Molyneaux. The day succeeded in increasing local awareness of the Cuban Five and inciting new connections among artists and diverse community members based on a shared desire for justice, non-violence and freedom of speech.

For more about the Cuban Five, visit www.thecuban5.org.

Tags: Cuban Five, Elizabeth Palmeiro, Lorraine Kimsa Theatre, Poetry of Resistance, Sue Molyneaux
Posted in Activism, Events | No Comments »