Fall Fair : HVRA

This is the big social event of the HVRA year, bringing together the whole range of Harbord Village residents for fun, music, socializing, and a silent auction. It takes full advantage of Margaret Fairley Park (Brunswick and Ulster) on the first Sunday afternoon after Labour Day.

Find out about plans for the next Fall Fair a few weeks before the date by looking for a news story in our website sidebar. Then watch for even more information as the date approaches!

Also click on green links in the list below to see details and photos from past years back to 2017.

Then this page gives a celebratory account of the unusual 2016 event, with photos and descriptions of activities. A few more photos from years before that end the page. Indulge your nostalgia!

Fall HVRA Newsletters from years past also carry stories and photos from each year’s Fall Fair, going back to Fall 2003.

2025 Fall Fair

2024 Fall Fair

2023 Fall Fair

2022 Fall Fair

2021 Fall Event with a difference

2020 Fall Fair cancelled, with regrets

2019 Fall Fair

2018 Fall Fair

2017 Fall Fair

2016 Fall Fair: shift in location

In 2016 it was a big street party on Brunswick just south of Ulster, closed to traffic with the consent of neighbours and the city. That’s right beside the usual location of Margaret Fairley Park, currently undergoing renovation. The weather was glorious, the food from local businesses was delicious, and the silent auction was the best ever.

The photos displayed below were taken by Richard Longley (identified in captions as RL), Christian Mueller (CM), Margaret Procter (MP), Anne Stevens (AS), Merrill Swain (MS), and Wendy Trueman (WT). Put your cursor over the photos below, then click on the arrows to move through the slide shows.

Visitors

Several hundred visitors made the most of the fine weather and each others’ company. Use the arrows to move through the slide show.

The crowd, including HVRA chair Tim Grant (straw hat, centre) with organizer Christian Mueller (straw hat, centre left) and MC Gail Misra (foreground left, grey dress) (MP).
The scene: looking north on Brunswick (WT).
Cooks borrowed from Harbord House, making delicious food (AS).
Maria Pasquino and Mary Newberry (AS).
Friends ham it up for the camera (AS).
Susan Shirriff and Merrill Swain, with food tables in the background (AS),
Visitors and dog under the tree canopy (RL).
Richard Longley (centre) and Anne Stevens (background) look for their next shots. MC Gail Misra and organizer Christian Mueller confer on announcing the next music group (MP).
A family group enjoys the boulevard (RL).
Enjoying the shade near the corner of Ulster and Brunswick (MP).
Mother Loet Vos and daughter Mickey Vos at the bake sale table (AS).
Ward 20 Councillor Joe Cressy with residents; singer Murray Powell in background. (MP).
Helen Breslauer and Anna Barnett making travel plans (MP).
A dog waits for his turn at the Fall Fair food (MP).
Eating and listening (RL).
A curbside scene (RL).
Jan Muszynski and his dog attract admirers.

Kids caught the infectious enthusiasm, entertaining themselves and everyone else by dancing, playing, drawing, eating, and having their faces painted by volunteers from St. Stephen’s Community House. Use the arrows to move through the slide show.

Preparing for line-dancing (RL).
Hoping for a raffle win (AS).
Face-painting is a serious business (RL).
Facepainting can be on your arm if you want (RL).
Do you like it?
A pair of inventive designs (RL).
A flower design for face-painting (RL).
Rainbow design for face-painting (RL).
What design will this be?
A shy girl smiles for the camera (MP). 
A young dancer waiting for the music to start (MP).
A thoughtful young artist (MP). 
Using the Brunswick road surface for his own game (RL).
Waiting for the pitch on the Brunswick boulevard (RL). 
It's a home run! (RL)
A baby's first Fall Fair, with the silent auction table in the background (MP).
Two young HVRA supporters, with Yasmin Pallan smiling behind them (MP).

Entertainment

The Nags’ Players provided roaming entertainment, and seven musical groups kept us singing and dancing. Where else could you get free shows like this?

The Lineup: The Turnups, Murray Powell, Joe Hall (with Tony Quarrington, George Dobo, and Casey Irwin), The Nags Players and their horse, The Groovees, Nuno Cristo and three of his cavaquinho students, Paddy on the Cell Phone, and The Real Deal. Click on the arrows to see the photos.

The Turnups opening the show (MS).
The Turnups: bass player (RL)
The Turnups singing and playing (RL)
One of the Turnups (RL)
Happy Turnups player (RL).
A Turnups singer in the sunshine (RL)
Murray Powell singing and playing (AS)
Murray Powell on our makeshift stage (MP)
The famous Joe Hall singing for us (AS).
From left: Tony Quarrington, Joe Hall, George Dobo, Casey Irwin; in front, joyous kids (CM)
Dave Eddy of the Nags Players, wearing a Prince costume from last year's pantomime with this summer's running shoes (MP).
The Prince with his steed, and a spare tiger (AS).
Andrea Smith of the Nags Players, in her Queen costume, helping visitors inside the horse (RL).
The Queen of Hearts, Andrea Smith of the Nags Players (MS).
Nuno Cristo (second from left) singing and playing the cavaquinho, with three of his students (MP).
Nuno Cristo with his cavaquinho, a traditional Portuguese instrument (RL).
Paddy on the Cellphone, playing traditional and contemporary Celtic music (MP).
The Real Deal closing out the show, with an ice cream-truck behind ready to join in (MP).

The Volunteers Who Made it Happen

Christian Mueller and Wendy Trueman, co-chairs of the HVRA Fall Fair, spent a hot summer making arrangements for street closure, licensing, security, entertainment, food and drink, table and chair rental, and also of course recruiting more volunteers for the day. At least 60 people helped run the show. That’s too many to list, but you probably saw them there, enjoying themselves! Click on the arrows to move through the slide show.

Joe Cressy and Gail Misra awarding a raffle prize (AS).
Carmen Gauthier, HVRA Treasurer, selling food tickets and keeping guard over the money box (MP).
Leslie Thompson in Victorian costume behind the Heritage table (RL).
Leslie Thompson in front of the display of heritage features found in Harbord Village houses (RL).
Steve Klein behind the Membership table with Carolee Orme, his daughter and a friend (MP).
Happy customers at the bake table; Coleen Whyte and Loet Vos serving (AS).
The bake table volunteers: from left, Jo Vellacott, Coleen Whyte, and Loet Vos (MP).
Loet Vos behind the bake table (RL).
Caitlin Smith making sure we all got fed (AS).
Shira Friedman selling raffle tickets (MP).
Leslie Carlin selling raffle tickets (MP).
Gail Misra, Marilyn Martin and Mickey Vos having a good day (AS).

Donations and Silent Auction

We ate well at the Fall Fair because local businesses gave us a break on their delicious food and drink. That includes Fiesta Gardens for the burgers and hot dogs, Independent City Market for the condiments, Rasa for its chopped salad, Aroma for coffee, Crafty Coyote for pulled BBQ’d lamb sandwiches, and Kensington Brewery for beer. We also appreciate the cash gifts from Workin Moms Productions, which is filming in our area, and from the Harbord Street Business Improvement Area and the newly renovated Coin O Rama Laundromat.

HVRA Fall Fair, Marilyn Martin volunteer — Marilyn Martin, longtime and very effective canvasser for the silent auction (MP),

The 2016 silent auction was the most exciting and the most productive ever. That’s because of the organizing skills of Wendy Trueman and Deanna Hendriks, and also the enterprise of Anna Barnett, Ann Eyerman, Marilyn Martin and others who canvassed local businesses for donated items to sell. Cobs Bread, for instance, donated a year’s supply of bread and a fine basket of goodies to go with it. Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre and the ROM gave memberships. Piano Piano offered a luxury dinner, one of many local restaurants giving gift certificates for eating and drinking. Independent City Market and other stores also provided gift certificates, often with samples of their goods. Several individual donors gave event tickets for resale.

This is the one time of year that HVRA raises money for its own work. We appreciate the generosity of all 109 of our silent-auction donors! Click here for a PDF file listing them.

From past Fall Fairs, a few photo memories: