May 25th and 26th weekend – Doors Open is a major event with South Etobicoke playing an important part

The Doors Open weekend on May 25th and 26th has become a major event in Toronto and this year South Etobicoke will be playing an important part in its success. [Click on link in previous sentence to access the Doors Open 2013 website.]

The Assembly Hall. Jaan Pill photo

Nine faith congregations will be opening their doors as will Humber College and The Assembly Hall and the annual Bird Festival will be held in Colonel Samuel Smith Park.

A recent news release – the text is posted below – will give you the details of an event making the Lakeshore the place to come to on May 25th and 26th!

Here’s an overview:

News Release

April 8, 2013

Interfaith Communities of South Etobicoke celebrate Doors Open Toronto

For the first time, South Etobicoke’s interfaith communities are joining together to offer visitors a unique opportunity to explore the mix of historic, cultural and religious centres congregated in one vibrant neighbourhood at Toronto’s Doors Open event on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26.

South Etobicoke is home to many faith communities, some having been pillars of the community for decades, while others feature new congregations breathing life into older buildings. Doors Open Toronto offers an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to visit, explore and admire the architecture and history of this neighbourhood over this one special weekend.

Participating South Etobicoke Faith Communities

Christ Church/St. James Anglican – 194 Park Lawn Road
Church will be open for tours on Saturday May 25 from 1pm to 5pm.
On Sunday May 26 we welcome visitors to join in the Worship Service from 10am to 1130am. Tours will be available from 1pm – 5pm.

Christ Church Mimico historic cemetery and memorial garden – 329 Royal York Rd. The Christ Church Mimico Memorial Garden and Cemetery will be available for tours on Saturday and Sunday May 25 and 26 from 9:00am-5:00pm. Located at 329 Royal York Rd, beside the Go Station, it will be of interest to those who enjoy history as many area Pioneers are buried there.

Cornerstone Christian Fellowship – 414 Royal York Road
Open 10am-5pm Saturday and 10am-1:30pm on Sunday May 26. Tours and discussion available on Saturday. Consider checking out our 10:30am Sunday worship service with snacks, tours and discussion available after.

Martin Luther Church – 2379 Lakeshore Blvd. West
Open 10:00am-5:00pm on Saturday May 25th and 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm on Sunday May 26th. Visitors will be able to enjoy modern stained glass windows, produced with an exceptional variety of glass in the colours of the rainbow that symbolizes the church year and church life. Organ recital (pipe organ with 564 pipes) Saturday 2:30 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 p.m. Short film about Lutheranism daily on the hour. All welcome to attend the service on Sunday 11:00 a.m. “Celebrating 500 Years of Lutheranism”.

Wesley Mimico United Church – 2 Station Road
Open 10am-5pm on Saturday May 25. Guides, self-guided tour brochure. Historical documents and archival material, photos, original blue prints. Romanesque Revival style church listed on Toronto’s Inventory of heritage properties. All welcome to attend service at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday.

Mimico Baptist Church – 80 Hillside Avenue (corner of Hillside and George)
Open 8:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday May 25 and 9:30am – 1:00pm on Sunday May 26th. On Saturday we will be holding our annual yard sale both indoors and outdoors. We will have people available to give talks and tours. On Sunday you will be joining us for a worship service and Children’s Church between 11:00am and 12:20pm. Talk and tours available before and after the service.

Bosnian Islamic Centre – 75 Birmingham Street
Open from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The simple design of the mosque reflects and supports the human desire and need for quiet contemplation & reflection. Some examples of Islamic art & calligraphy will also be on display. Volunteers will be on hand to explain the form and function of the space and answer questions you might have regarding our faith and our community. We will be celebrating a wedding at 2.00pm on Saturday. We look forward to seeing you.

St. Margaret’s Anglican Church – 156 Sixth Street
Open 10am-5pm on both Saturday and Sunday May 25 and 26. Guides and self-guided tour brochure. Barbecue lunch 11:00am- 3:00pm. Organ recital 4:00pm Saturday. Games and crafts for children. All welcome to attend service at 10.30am Sunday.

Sufi Canadian Cultural Centre – 270 Birmingham Street
Open Saturday 11:00am-12:30pm and Sunday 11:00am- 5:00pm. Visitors can expect Sufi music performances with “whirling dervishes”; free tea and refreshments. All visitors are invited to stay for our weekly gathering on Saturday night which includes a free communal supper.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius – 3338 Lakeshore Blvd. West
Open from 9:30am to 5:30pm on Saturday, May 25 (not open on Sunday the 26). Church interiors tour/discussion throughout the day. Tour of main floor (lounge) cultural display area. Doors Open also just happens to coincide with our parish’s Women’s Association’s

Annual Rummage Sale in the hall

Additional unique buildings and spaces in South Etobicoke are also featured during Doors Open weekend. Humber College (both the Humber Centre for Justice Leadership, 3120 Lake Shore Blvd W, and Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, 21 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.) will feature the latest in technology-based learning in a first-class educational environment.

The fully restored Assembly Hall (1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.) features a large performance hall, community rooms and gallery spaces.

The public is invited to visit both locations from 10:00am-5:00pm on May 25 and 26.

4th Annual Spring Bird Festival

As an added neighbourhood highlight, the 4th Annual Spring Bird Festival at Colonel Samuel Smith Park will be taking place Saturday, May 25, 9:00am-1:00pm. Enjoy a morning of guided bird walks, live birds, reptiles and amphibians, backyard habitat building, art workshops, children’s activities, and educational displays. The festival is located at the southern end of the park. Bird walks are hourly, beginning at 9:00am.

The 14th annual Doors Open Toronto presented by Great Gulf offers an opportunity to take a peek behind the doors of more than 150 architecturally, historically, culturally and socially significant buildings across the city.

Since its inception in 2000, Doors Open has attracted more than two million visits to nearly 600 unique locations across Toronto. It is Canada’s largest Doors Open event and one of the three largest Doors Open events in the world.

Doors Open Toronto is produced by the City of Toronto in partnership with the broader community.

A complete list of venues for 2013 will be released at the end of April. Look for updates at http://www.toronto.ca/doorsopen, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DoorsOpenTO and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DoorsOpenTO.

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www.toronto.ca/doorsopen

Media contacts:
Ruth Grier
Lakeshore Inter-Faith Network 416-259-1722 ruth.grier@bell.net

Wanda Buote
Principal, Lakeshore Campus Humber College
416-675-6622 x 3332 wanda.buote@humber.ca

Giannina Warren
Economic Development & Culture, City of Toronto 416-395-7318
gwarren@toronto.ca
www.toronto.ca/doorsopen