Fall Fair

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.

2022 Fall Fair

Sunday September 11, 2022 from noon-6pm! Details here.

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2021 Fall Event with a difference

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2020 Fall Fair cancelled, with regrets

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2019 Fall Fair

Cool and pleasant—a great day to start the Fall season. Food and drink were abundant, the live music was better than ever, and the silent auction was amazing. Kids had their faces painted, re-dug the contours of the large sandbox, and found new ways to use the playground equipment. Parents, friends, and neighbours got together at picnic tables and benches under the trees, sharing enjoyment of everything going on in Margaret Fairley Park. Much credit to the organizers Gus Sinclair and Anne Fleming, and to the dozens of local volunteers who kept things running—and had fun in the process. A selection of images below from photographers Anne Fleming, Angela Miles, Margaret Procter and Merrill Swain. Click on the white arrow or use your right-arrow key to see a slide show. 

And thanks once again to our generous donors, who furnished food, drink, and items for the silent auction, HVRA’s only fund-raising initiative. 

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2018 Fall Fair

Cool, windy, but not rainy! That was Sunday Sept. 9 in Margaret Fairley Park. People came in jackets, scarves, and even gloves—and kept warm by having fun. The volunteers worked hard, but looked as if they enjoyed it. Thanks to photographers Graham Rempe, Richard Longley, and Merrill Swain for the photos below. (Click on the white arrows to see a slide show, or use the right-arrow button on your keyboard.) 

The array of food came from Fiesta Farms, sold to us at cost and provided with exemplary service. Much appreciated! Our neighbour Harbord Bakery graciously helped us stock our bake table. Delicious!

And our generous donors once again contributed a wonderful range of items for the Silent Auction—the one and only way we raise money for the operation of HVRA itself. Many thanks to all!

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2017 Fall Fair

Sunday Sept. 10 was an ideal day of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. We made the most of the newly refurbished Margaret Fairley Park, with activities for the whole family and the whole neighbourhood. The photos below tell some of the story. Thanks to Graham Rempe for being official photographer; contributions also from Merrill Swain.  (Click on the white arrows to see a slide show.) 

The delicious food and drink was provided with the generous sponsorship of local businesses. Our thanks go to Fiesta Farms, Pizza Nova, and Tim Horton’s.

We also thank the 100 donors who stocked the Silent Auction table with wonderful items, gift cards, and tickets. Money raised here supports the ongoing activities of the HVRA (including the costs of running the Fall Fair and other events, initiatives such as the tree inventory, and also our own donations to such good causes as the Green P Farmer’s Market).

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2016 Fall Fair

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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From past Fall Fairs, a few photo memories: