Photo: Keg Stand by yourhandinmine, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7 and SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

Saturday, November 7:

FESTIVAL | Day of the Dead Festival
This two-day festival at the Harbourfront Centre continues the Mexican tradition of remembering the dead and celebrating their lives with stories, music, and food. Community organizations will be making altars (known as ofrendas) for their deceased loved ones, there will be Mexican crafts and food on sale, as well as troupes of wandering musicians and dancers. Learn how to make the unique mole sauce, or take in a performance of traditional Mexican songs by Café con Pan. Runs til Sunday.
Harbourfront Centre, 255 Queen's Quay West, Free, 12 pm - 6 pm

MARKET | St. Lawrence Market 205th Anniversary
To give you some idea of how much the St. Lawrence Market is part of the fabric of Toronto, it's was around a good thirty years before the city itself was founded. This weekend the Market celebrates its 205th anniversary with festivities including food, cooking demonstrations, children's crafts and games, and live entertainment. After Hours, the Human Statues, and the Dirty Dishes will all be performing, and buskers including Mysterion the Mentalist will be delighting the crowds. Other highlights include the Native Earth Performing Arts show The Really Really Fast History of Toronto and the 6 pm lamp-lighting ceremony..
St. Lawrence Market Complex, 92 Front St. E., Free, 9 am to 4 pm

MUSIC | Make Some Noise with Timber Timbre and Bruce Peninsula
Two of Canada's hottest folk/country acts play a very humble venue Saturday in the North York Central Library. Both Bruce Peninsula and Timber Timbre (otherwise known as Taylor Kirk) can regularly pack a downtown venue, especially since Timber Timbre's record was picked up by the indie heavyweight Arts and Crafts label. Here's your chance to see Kirk's haunting brand of folk for free in a very intimate setting, along with the progressive sounds of the Bruce Peninsula collective.
North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Free, 8 pm

Photo: "Absolutely Orange" by Reza Vaziri, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

FAIR | Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Now in its 87th year, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the largest indoor agricultural fair in the world. This year it includes a wine competition, a giant vegetable challenge, horse shows, the SuperDogs, a rodeo, a petting zoo and lots more. Tonight the show will be officially opened by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in a free ceremony full of pageantry and pomp. Lots of great food, drink, stuff for the kiddies, and of course your favourite large domesticated mammals. Runs til November 15.
Ricoh Coliseum, 100 Princess Ave., Free today before 9:45 am, $16 - $30 otherwise

FILM AND PERFORMANCE | ArtCore
This event asks the question, "Where is the line between art and pornography?" and quickly provides its own answer: "It doesn't really matter because watching hot artsy movies in which people have sex is fun." Clips of art influenced by porn, and porn influenced by art will be shown, and apparently some include hot dogs, Barbie dolls, and fruit. Feminist porn, art installations involving suggestive donuts, it's all here. Just make sure you don't get accidentally aroused by any art or enlightened by any porn.
Bread and Circus, 299 Augusta St., $10, 8 pm

MUSIC | Junior Boys w/ Woodhands at Lee's Palace
Hamilton-based duo Junior Boys have only released 3 full-length albums since forming in 1999, but the electro-pop outfit has certainly made the most of them. Their third album Begone Dull Care was nominated for a Polaris Prize, and they've won near unanimous acclaim at home and abroad. They hit Lee's Palace tonight with Woodhands, a hyper-excited band consisting of a man who is probably Toronto's best drummer in Paul Banwat and the city's best (and only?) keytar player Mr. Daniel Werb.
Lee's Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., $20, 9 pm

Photo: "Passing a Streetcar" by sjgardiner, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

FILM | 17th Annual Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival
Presented in association with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Rendezvous With Madness Festival will screen 30 films over the next week and a half accompanied by artists' talks examining representations of mental illness on film. This year's festival focuses on dysfunction in the family, and includes new movies by award-winning directors Chris Landreth, Helma Sanders-Brahms, and Lea Pool. Runs til November 14.
Workman Arts, 651 Dufferin St., and Workman Theatre, 1001 Queen St. W., Passes $40 - $100, various times

ART SALE | Art Off the Lot
Art Off the Lot takes over a vacant Chrysler dealership on King Street this weekend to bring you some of the finest visual art talent from across the country. The exhibition/sale is artist represented, which means there are no middle men between you and the art producers themselves. It's also juried to ensure a high standard of artistic merit. Perfect for collectors, art buyers, and those just looking to see some fresh new work. The pay what you can donation goes to produce future exhibitions. Runs til Sunday.
1030 King St. W., PWYC, 7 pm - 10 pm tonight

COMEDY | Don't You Forget About Patrick Swayze
Well it looks like we've got a franchise on our hands. It all started when John Hughes died earlier this year and comedian Darryl Pring staged a sold out evening of improvised recreations of three of the beloved director's best-loved films from the 1980s. Now that Patrick Swayze has passed on, another adored star of decades passed is gone and the folks at the Comedy Bar are doing improvised recreations of Ghost, Point Break, and Dirty Dancing. Not sure what an improvised recreation is exactly, but these folks are making a career out of these nights. If Molly Ringwald goes missing, you know where to look.
Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., $10 for one show, $20 for both, 8 pm

Photo: "Florence and the Machine" by jennyrotten, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

FILM | 7th Annual Regent Park Film Festival
The words "Regent Park" conjure up a lot of images in the minds of Torontonians, not many of them positive. But what Canada's oldest and most infamous housing project does have going for it is the talent and willpower of its residents, which is why the Regent Park Film Festival has dedicated itself to showcasing films made by and about inhabitants of the downtown neighbourhood. Opening night of the four day festival features films by youth on the themes of hope, identity and immigration. Runs til Sunday.
Nelson Mandela Public School, 440 Shuter St., Free, various times (6 pm tonight)

TELEVISION | Green Light - How New Shows are Chosen and Developed at the CBC
The CBC is truly the people's broadcaster, so much so that it seems they're reaching out to the people for some new programming options. Their seminar today is open to all comers who are interested in learning what it takes to write and produce a television show at the CEEB. It's completely free, and is hosted by bigwigs Christine Wilson, deputy director of English television network programming and Jennifer Stewart, director of acquisitions and development. Perfect time to pitch that idea you have a for a fresh new show about a giant who lives in a castle with a giraffe and a chicken.
CBC Building, 250 Front St. W., Free, 12 pm

MUSIC | Modeselektor at the Mod Club
Berlin duo Modeselektor formed in 1992 and went on to blaze trails in the field of electronic music for the next two decades. Their 2007 record Happy Birthday! followed their equally exclamatory 2005 full-length Hello Mom! and featured collaborations with Thom Yorke and Maximo Park, capping off nearly 20 years of music made on self-developed software and MIDI controllers. The boys bring the party to College Street tonight.
The Mod Club, 722 College St., 10 pm

Photo: "Pidgins and Red Coat" by rezavaziri, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

CONFERENCE | DesignThinkers
The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario hosts the tenth annual DesignThinikers conference over the next two days, bringing together members of the visual communication community from all over the world. The conference focuses on the ways in which design shapes business, society, our planets future, and features keynote speakers from such heavyweights as Ben Blumenfeld, communication design manager at Facebook, Terry O'Reilly of Pirate and Television, and movers and shakers from India, Mexico, the US and the UK. Runs til November 4.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West, $100 - $750

MUSIC | Dan Deacon at Sneaky Dee's
East Coast one-man electronic band Dan Deacon is known for his chaotic interactive live shows, and the narrow not-too-big but not-too-small confines of Sneaky Dee's should prove to be a perfect venue for his unique brand of lo-fi pop. In May of this year he threw down at the Deleon White Gallery, and the result was widely regarded as an unforgettable experience. He's the kind of musician who leaves no middle ground - if you like this guy you like him a lot. Better show up early if you want a chance to get in.
Sneaky Dee's, 431 College St., $12, 9 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Strong Words
This regular reading series began in 2005 with the mission of bridging the gap between artists and activists, and promoting adult literacy in the city of Toronto. Tonight it features some great writing talent, including two-time Governor General Award nominee Barry Dempster. As always, the reading is pay what you can, and donations of new and used books will be collected on behalf of the Toronto Public Library.
Gladstone Art Bar, 1214 Queen St. W., PWYC, 7:30 pm

Photo: "Untitled" by Todd Michael M., member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for MONDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

MUSIC | Pat Thornton's 24 Hour Stand-Up Set
Comedian Pat Thornton has a huge heart, and apparently massive balls to match. Starting this evening the writer for the Jon Dore Television Show and Howie Do It is performing a 24-hour long stand-up set to benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation. For the low price of $5 you can get a wristband to come and go as you please, so pop in and out to watch Thornton slowly devolve into a gurgling, joke blubbering blop. You can also donate to the Stephen Lewis Foundation from Thornton's webpage, and you really should. This much suffering is certainly worth a penny or two.
The Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., $5, 6 pm - 6pm,

MUSIC | The Misfits at the Reverb
It's the peril of any legendary band that after their heyday they will continue to limp on, shadows of their former selves. The Misfits were only churning out b-horror movie-inspired punk tunes for six years starting in the late 1970s, and yet the band continues to tour ever since it "reunited" in 2001 with only one of its original members. Since then original Misfits drummer Robo has rejoined Jerry Only and Blag Flag guitarist Dez Cadena to hit the road on a massive North American tour that makes its Toronto stop tonight. Judging by the number of Misfits t-shirts on display this Halloween the band still has a loyal following and it should be a hot ticket.
The Reverb, 651 Queen St. W., 6:30 pm

PARTIES | Playwrights Canada Press Fall Launch
For 25 years the Playwrights Canada Press has given our nation's dramatists a platform for their work, publishing dramas by members of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. Tonight they launch their Fall season with readings of recently published works by the writers themselves, including Stephen Masciotte, Don Hannah, and Daniel David Moses. One of the works being launched is The Drowning Girls, now playing at the Tarragon to solid reviews. Daniela Vlaskalic and Beth Graham, two of the show's stars and writers will be reading excerpts from the play about a man who marries and then murders three women by drowning them in the tub.
The Rivoli, 334 Queen St. W., Free, 7 pm