Last Friday, a crowd of urban cyclist gathered at dusk in Dufferin Grove Park for the second annual Bike Pirates Bike Rave. Over the next hour or so, the scene would turn technicolour as darkness set and the riders various lights and glow sticks punctuated the night with shining rainbow streaks. Soon the troupe set off into the city, multiple stereos playing electronic tracks that suited the animated lights near perfectly.

How does a bike rave work? It's pretty simple, actually. After the riders deck out their bikes (and sometimes bodies) with all manner of lights and glow sticks, A communal playlist is prepared for the event, which everyone who has a stereo starts at the same time. Preparations made, the riders then take to the streets en mass. Voila! You have a moving, pedal-powered dance party.

Here are 20 highlights from this year's Bike Pirates DIY Bike Rave.

Photos by Jesse Milns

Kultura selected its best in Filipino arts, wares, and street eats, and in return received a rousing turnout and approval ratings for its eighth festival yesterday at Wychwood Barns. Part of a week-long effort by the Kapisanan Philippine Centre to promote Filipino culture throughout the city, which included workshops, exhibits, and performances, it closed with its fair share of hoopla.

Yesterday the main attraction was undoubtedly the the food event Kain Kalye (pronounced "kah-in kal-yay") which means "street eats" in Tagalog. Participating vendors included Lamesa, Barrio Fiesta, Tocino Boys, Kenneth Envidia, Kabalen, Kanto by Tita Flips and many others.

Tickets for the various bites were tiered at $3, $5, and $7, and in this culinary jumble you could go the more traditional route if desired and try sweet, deep-red Longganisa sausage, fish balls doused in sweet soy sauce and chilli vin, noodles, or choose one from many miles and miles of pork and beef skewers.

Else you could opt for choices inspired by more recent trends such as pork belly kadyos served with coconut rice and jack fruit salsa, or Boy Bawang Fried Chicken Sliders.

While the kwek-kwek battered fried quail eggs were a first time try for me, fried to perfection and pretty tasty, the wait mid-afternoon neared thirty minutes for only a few bites. Not many choices for vegetarians, either. It didn't help that many of the vendors ran out of their $3 items (and the Ube Chocolate Chip Cookies!) during this time, which meant I had to wait in another line afterwards to refund, upgrade, or exchange those tickets.

Though I will say waiting in the heat encouraged me to down cup after cup of $1 drinks available at every stand, ranging from my favourite, fresh watermelon juice with calamansi and chillies, to coconut lychee juice, cantaloupe water, and mango mint lemonade, not to mention plantain banana and jackfruit spring rolls with ice cream for dessert.

Out of all the Pinoy entries, I was impressed most with the joint efforts of the people over at Horse & Carriage. Rather than an established restaurant outfit like most of the other street eat booths, this was a collective of food lovers which included a doctor, a writer, and others, though I recognized one of the cooks as being from The Ace over on Roncesvalles.

Cooked on a slow-roasted spit, carved pieces of lechon kawali was served atop white wonder bread, but not before the latter was slicked with a sugary butter concoction and then torched to crystallize. Same deal for their Longganisa, which were less sweet than the traditional variety, and both were served with atchara, a pickled unripe papaya.

Oddly Horse & Carriage had one of the shorter lines, but this might be testament to their quick plating which was not always happening elsewhere. All in all, since the quality and care put into the dishes at this event would likely best even the gutsiest roadside kitchen shack, if you want to try everything, I recommend going early next year.

The Roundhouse Craft Beer (and food truck) Festival took over the lawn in front Steam Whistle Brewery this past weekend and proved itself to be Toronto's beer festival of choice for local-beer-lovers. Now in its second year, the outdoor event boasted an all-Ontario line up of craft breweries pouring signature brews along with exclusive small, seasonal batches made just for the occasion.

Encircled by Toronto's most distinct landmarks and towering skyscrapers, crowds soaked up the sun and drank in the jovial vibes over plenty of cheers-ing, mellow tunes and tasty eats some of our favourite food trucks.

Check out these thirst-inducing highlights from the 2013 festival.

Photos by Jesse Milns

Tracking the history of cinemas in Toronto is no small task. There are well over 100 movie theatres to account for, some of which have left little recorded history. I've already taken a small stab at presenting some of our city's cinematic history with a look at some of Toronto's more significant lost theatres, but given that I've devoted time to shopping malls, grocery stores, butcher shops, gas stations, etc. it seems only right to include a more thoroughgoing visual account of movie theatres.

The gallery below is still far from complete, of course, but provides a decent overview of the city's cinematic legacy. Some of the noteworthy theatres not included below include the Runnymede (now a Chapters bookstore), Mies Movie House, the Brighton (Roncesvalles & Galley), The Mount Pleasant and Regent theatres, The Hollywood and Hyland near Yonge and St. Clair, The Cinema, the Yonge/Elgin, The Royal and a host of others.

It's actually quite amazing how many of these buildings are still standing, if not in use as theatres. Once one knows where to look, evidence of Toronto's former movie theatres is quite widespread. Toward that end, a great basic resource is this list of cinemas past and present that have graced our city streets, though the cinema treasures archives are also a valuable resource. For a more in depth look at the history of movie theatres in Toronto, the best resource is surely Silent Toronto, which has images and accounts of many of the theatres not pictured below. Also worth a look is this exhibit summary from the Ontario Archives, which has extensive holdings featuring the province's lost movie theatres.

Enjoy the images below, and share your memories of Toronto's cinematic history.

PHOTOS

Comique Theatre (Yonge & Dundas area), 1910

Auditorium Theatre (Queen & Spadina), 1910

Rialto Theatre (Yonge & Shuter), 1916

Odeon Theatre (1558 Queen West), 1918

Madison Theatre (Bathurst and Bloor, site of current Bloor Cinema), 1919

Capitol Theatre (Yonge & Castelfield), 1921

Colonial Theatre (Queen & Bay), 1921

The Fox (Beaches), 1934

University Theatre (now a Pottery Barn), 1940s

Tivoli Theatre (Yonge & Richmond), 1940s

Midtown (where the Bloor Cinema is now), 1941

The Revue (Roncesvalles, interior), 1941 via Ontario Archives

Joy Theatre (Queen & Jones), 1946

Fairlawn Theatre (Yonge & Fairlawn), 1947

Eglinton Theatre (Eglinton & Avenue area), 1947

Nortown Theatre (Eglinton & Bathurst area), 1948

Shea's Hippodrome (Queen & Bay), 1954

Towne Cinema (Yonge & Bloor), 1950s

Willow Theatre (Yonge & Ellerslie), 1950s (source unknown)

Kingsway Theatre, 1958

Alhambra Theatre (Bloor & Bathurst), 1960

Odeon Theatre (Yonge & Carlton), 1960s

Bay Theatre (Bay & Queen), 1962

The Uptown (Yonge & Bloor), 1970

Broadway Theatre (Queen & Bay), 1972

Westwood Theatre (Bloor & Kipling), 1974

Imperial Six ad via Silent Toronto

Coronet Theatre (Yonge & Gerrard), 1979

Rio Theatre (Yonge & Gerrard), 1980

Photos from the Toronto Archives unless otherwise noted

A recent OCAD grad is taking something inherently ugly and unpleasant and trying to make it pretty and functional. Hyun Sunwoo has created Moon, a new spin on Toronto's garbage bins. Since 2008, the City has installed 12,000 of the bins we have currently, which have been repeatedly criticized for breaking down, being unaccessible, and being generally unfun to use.

Sunwoo has submitted his invention for the James Dyson Award, which comes with a $46,000 prize. The design is simple—a ball sits on a rail, and you push it back for disposal. There are no hinges and no petal, so it's not as likely to get broken. There's a smaller sidewalk footprint, and the bins are more accessible. The new design is just a prototype, of course, and hasn't been sent to council for approval, so don't hold your breath or get too hyped about the proposed design yet.

What do you think? Is this a better garbage bin for Toronto?

Photos provide by Dyson Canada Ltd.

The Taste of the Danforth turned 20 this year and to celebrate hundreds of local restaurants and food vendors set up street-side to dole out delicious street eats, lemonade and sudsy beverages. The Mayor was there and so were 1.5 million other fun-seekers looking to have a good time and let their hair down a bit.

Relive the experience in our slideshow of the 2013 Taste of the Danforth.

Photos by Jesse Milns

Photo by William Self in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto events on August 13th, 2013

FOOD | GE Café Chefs Series: The Ups and Downs of Opening a Restaurant
The GE Café Chefs Masters of Food series has been ongoing at Evergreen Brick Works since the beginning of the year, and tonight the much-anticipated Summer edition goes down. The programmers of this series see the role of the chef as vital in any environment's "food system", as this individual's choices can steer consumers and the community towards locally grown produce, healthy eating, and other sound choices. This evening's workshop, The Ups and Downs of Opening a Restaurant, will be delivered by Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth, the team behind Edulis Restaurant, chosen as Best New Canadian Restaurant by Enroute Magazine. Interactive cooking demonstrations and a gourmet meal make up the body of this event, and as with previous workshops, there will be wine tasting, this time with Bachelder of the Niagara region as the featured winery.
Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview Avenue) 6PM-9PM $75

FILM | Strait Jacket and Mommie Dearest Double Feature
Yonge-Dundas Square has your outdoor film fun this evening, with a special mother/daughter double feature! Tonight's clever pairing is Straight Jacket, a 1964 film starring Joan Crawford as a newly-rehabilitated axe murderer, and Diane Baker as her daughter, a sculptor. What an interesting combo this film will make with Mommie Dearest, a 1981 biopic about Joan Crawford herself (played by the lovely Faye Dunaway), and her stormy, abusive relationship with her daughter. Mommie Dearest did very well at the box office when it was released, and has gone on to become a minor cult classic.
Yonge-Dundas Square (1 Dundas Street East) 7PM

BOOKS & LIT | Theft By Chocolate - A ROM Mystery
This afternoon, Luba Lesychyn reads from her novel, Theft By Chocolate. This mystery is a "museum heist", inspired by both the author's experience working at the ROM, and an '80s heist at this museum that remains unsolved, and was a genuine 'head scratcher' for the security industry on a worldwide scale. In Theft By Chocolate, this event has been transposed into a 21st-century context, and a 'chocoholic' sleuth protagonist is poised to solved the mystery. Lesychyn will chat about the novel's background and also read some excerpts, followed by a book signing.
Royal Ontario Museum Glass Room, 4th Floor (100 Queen's Park Avenue) 12PM free (with museum admission)

COMMUNITY | We Should Know Each Other
Tonight, Hashtag Gallery hosts a social event that began in Calgary, called We Should Know Each Other. This is a networking and community building event begun in 2008 by Calgary-based artist, Mark Hopkins, designed to gather groups of people to share stories, laughs, and make connections. The idea of this event is to expand your 'circle' and meet new people from different businesses and professions, with different perspectives. Lizz Hollick hosts this fourth TO get together.
Hashtag Gallery (801 Dundas Street West) 7PM

Also Of Note

The David Rubel Quartet Featuring London's Nat Steele on Vibraphone
Live Video Art Workshop sessions @ Moniker Gallery

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Still from Strait Jacket

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday is, perhaps not surprisingly, defending - or at least not outright scolding - Rob Ford in the wake of his weekend adventures on the Danforth. Holyday, who was recently elected to Queen's Park, said the three cellphone videos taken Friday night are "inconclusive" as to whether Ford was drunk while appearing in an official capacity. "He's human like the rest of us," he told reporters.

Toronto police chief Bill Blair has appointed a retired judge to help lead a review of use-of-force policy in the wake of the death of Sammy Yatim on board a streetcar last month. Dennis O'Connor has presided over previous inquiries and sat on the Ontario Court of Appeal for 15 years. He'll make recommendations and examine best practices from around the world.

The Scarborough RT is closed this morning due to track related issues at Kennedy Station. Shuttle buses are running between Kennedy and McCowan stations - the entire line - as a result. It's not clear when things will be back up and running and it doesn't look good for the morning rush hour. Is this a taste of things to come?

Mahmood-Reza Arab is waiting for his day in court to contest a parking ticket. It's been 8 years. In 2005, Arab received a $100 yellow slip for parking too close to a fire hydrant. He decided to plead his case before a judge, but so far nothing's happened. As more and more people decide to fight parking tickets, the city's backlog has grown to several thousand cases. Last year 74,000 people were added to the waiting list.

The Don River Valley bike trail is getting better signage after a cyclist complained about a frustrating, unannounced closure. Enbridge, the company making repairs in the valley that necessitated the shut down, will now post signs at the entrance to the path and limit down time to outside rush hour. Earlier this week some cyclists had to bike a distance down the path only to find it was impassable.

Get ready for an invasion of concrete robots. A hundred 113-kilogram Lovebots, the creation of OCAD U industrial design student Matthew Del Degan and a team of assistants, will soon appear around Toronto to commemorate good deeds and acts of love submitted by members of the public. Careful you don't stub a toe on someone else's good karma.

Is it the Skydome or the Rogers Centre? Officially it's been the latter since 2005, but that hasn't stopped the original title - selected during a naming contest in the 1989 - remaining in common use in Toronto. Now, a branding company wants to get 50,000 votes (read: Facebook Likes) in an attempt to get the stadium re-named the Rogers Skydome. Does it matter what the stadium is called?

IN BRIEF:

• Shooting victims now in stable condition, police say [CP24]
• Police lay 11 charges in Toronto nightclub shooting [CTV News]
• Police seek identity of pedestrian killed in collision [CBC]
• Beer Store profits $700M-yearly from near-monopoly, study finds [CBC]
• Jays lose 5-1 to Oakland A's despite strong outing from Happ [Toronto Star]

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Lisa D/blogTO Flickr pool.

There were lots of DineSafe inspections this week, and I'm happy to report there wasn't a single closure. But many conditional passes popped up in windows, including one for the newly opened Brawley Restaurant and Lounge. It was their very first inspection...so much for beginner's luck.

Rob Ford's behaviour was not the only thing in question on the Danforth this weekend. Hot Pot Cafe got itself a yellow card after getting dinged with five infractions.

Here's this week's DineSafe round-up.

Cici's Pizza & Wings (1618 Queen Street W)
Inspected on: August 7
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 3, Significant: 1)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

East Side Mario's (151 Front Street W)
Inspected on: August 8
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional Pass)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 1, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Eggsmart (645 Bay Street)
Inspected on: August 6
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 2, Significant: 1, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated

Hot Pot Cafe (1336 Danforth Avenue)
Inspected on: August 8
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant:2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Liberty Shawarma (716 Queen Street E)
Inspected on: August 7
Inspections finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 8 (Minor: 1, Significant: 4, Crucial: 3)
Crucial infractions include: Employee fail to wash hands when required, operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated, operator fail to maintain hazardous foods at 60C (140F) or hotter

Riz Restaurant (1677 Bayview Avenue)
Inspected on: August 8
Inspections finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions:8 (Minor: 2, Significant: 6)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Toronto Kosher (3459 Bathurst Street)
Inspected on: August 7
Inspections finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions include: 5 (Minor: 3, Significant: 1, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous foods at 60C (140F) or hotter

The Brawley Restaurant and Lounge (1184 The Queensway)
Inspected on: August 7
Inspections finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions include: 3 (Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

This house at 20 Cluny Dr. has the potential to be an urban oasis with serious steeze. The Rosedale mansion is nearly fit for Beyonce, if you ask me. The bones of the place are stunning, and they have true class. But there are perfectly tacky touches, like the spangly chandeliers in the dining room. They're the giant hoop earrings of home decor, but they just look kind of great and retro anyway.

Aside from the surface glitziness, this home is also endowed with a practical edge. The basement is set up like an independent apartment, with its own kitchen and washroom, so owners can either rent it to outside tenants, or have family live down there. Overall, as other writers have pointed out, the footprint and feel of this house make it seem very much like a hotel. Whether that sounds good or bad to you, here's a long list of undeniable perks to this property, too:

SPECS:

Address: 20 Cluny Dr.
Price: $8,900,000
Sq Ft: 5000+
Bedrooms: 6, including the basement
Storeys: 3
Bathrooms: 6
Parking: 6 spots, including the three car garage
Taxes: $39,700.82

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Spa with hottub
• Pool overlooking the ravine
• Detached apartment in the basement
• Wine Cellar
• Heated driveway

GOOD FOR

This home is ideal for families who have either an elderly parent or codependent young adult child who need a place to stay that's close by. It would also work well for someone looking to make a little extra income by renting out the basement apartment to a poor university student (or someone). And, naturally, it's perfect for people who love having lovely outdoor cocktail parties like the ones in The Great Gatsby.

MOVE ON IF

Move on if you're a traveler, a wanderer. This is not the place for you, and none of this opulence will make you happy. Move on if you don't really appreciate wine cellars and inground pools overlooking ravines and robust Roman columns in your hallways. Just move on.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES

Would you buy this house if you had the $9 mill?

Read other posts in this series via our House of the Week Pinterest board.

Triple Bogey Brewing & Golf Company is the newest addition to Ontario's growing craft beer market and is coming to an LCBO and a golf course near you. Founded by Geoff Tait, the former head of a golf apparel company, Triple Bogey aims to be the first ever beer targeted directly at the one game for which beer is practically an official requirement.

Tait has an extensive background in golf: having attended Humber College for a golf management program, he worked at St. Thomas' Golf and Country Club and founded a surfwear company which evolved into a golf apparel company called Quagmire.

Designed as something like the edgy alternative to golf gear (slogan: "Not fit for the fairway"), Quagmire began as two guys selling apparel out of their trunk and eventually landed the duo a lucrative contract designing gear for Arnold Palmer's clothing line, Arnie.

The partnership that was Quagmire has now dissolved, but Tait maintains that Triple Bogey, which will not only be a brewing company but also a clothing company, is a natural evolution of his former company. "Quagmire is done," he tells me. "Triple Bogey is the new Quagmire, and it's bigger and better. The focus right now is on the beer, but I have also designed a very fun line of clothing for Spring 2014 that complements the beer well."

The brand will feature products all made here in Toronto, including the the appropriately named "Triple Bogey Lager." To make said beer, Tait has contracted space from Toronto's own Great Lakes Brewery. "I got really lucky and the whole team at GLB has welcomed me with open arms," he says. "They have all been great help and I've learned a ton from them all."

And while the involvement of one of Toronto's best microbreweries might get local beer nerds salivating, my sources tell me that, despite their hospitality, Great Lakes' involvement in the beer-making process doesn't actually extend much further than providing space to brew. So, while I'm yet to sample a Triple Bogey Lager, given Tait's description of it as "the perfect, crisp, easy-drinking beer for the course," it doesn't seem like Triple Bogey's target market is going to be craft beer aficionados.

Instead, Tait clearly has his sights set on the province's golfers. "They're who I know and who are my friends," Tait says. "It's a tight-knit group of people and they offer great support."

His seemingly ingenious marketing strategy to target a game that to me practically insists upon heavy drinking will begin with Triple Bogey sponsoring the 2013 Phil Kessel Golf Classic in Brampton. "Phil is a friend that loves golf and wore the Quagmire brand," Tait says. "And it's an honor to be a part of his event and to support Right To Play."

Aside from the province's golf courses, Tait intends to market the 5% ABV Triple Bogey Lager to sports bars, restaurants, patios, and presumably the couches of people watching golf at home, given his plans to list the beer in the LCBO.

As for plans to appeal to folks who might like a more complex beer, don't hold your breath. Asked about any future extensions to the roster of Triple Bogey beers, Tait tells me that if he brews another beer it will simply be a light version of the lager.

For up to date info on where you can try Triple Bogey Lager, check out their website and follow them on twitter @triplebogey.

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog.

Photos c/o Triple Bogey Brewing & Golf Co.

Already a Corktown fixture for hardcore audiophiles, this purveyor of hi-fi sound systems has recently opened a sprawling new location near Queen and Ossington. Here you'll find high end components and a carefully chosen selection of vinyl. Let the drooling begin.

Read my review of Planet of Sound (West Queen West) in the services section.

With new patios at Electric Mud and Food & Liquor and a growing list of retail stores, Parkdale continues to be one of the city's best 'hoods to while away some weekend hours. Here, some summer looks from those who live, work or hang in the area including a radio host, bartender and model scout.

See all the looks in our Style section.

The 2013 CNE descends on Toronto in just a few days, just as the nights are getting cooler, the days shorter and summer vacation is wrapping up. Some people like to see out the summer at a cottage or the beach, but some of us need to usher out the hot weather where nostalgia has an air show, in a place where cats and dogs are separated by a warehouse-sized bargain market, and where the rides never change and the food wants to kill you.

Really trying to kill you.

Maybe the Ex persists because for every person who complains that it needs to evolve, thre's someone else who insists that it was perfect when they were fifteen. The truth is that the Ex changes just enough to keep everyone unhappy, and that's why it'll probably outlive us all.

Rides

I'll be at the Ex as long as the Polar Express sits at the heart of the midway, but someone still invents new rides that might, one day, hold a similarly avid place in their heart. Last year's new attraction was the Sky Ride, a chair lift that bisected the midway and was mostly known to old-timers as being barely half as long and only a fraction as dangerous as the long-gone Alpine Way.

The Sky Ride is back, along with a new zip line ride that will let the brave ride over a thousand feet from just above BMO Field to a corner of the Direct Energy Centre. The big news, though, is Mach 3, a new tilt-a-whirl that's supposed to whip riders in and out of 360 degrees at a force of three and a half gs. As with any new ride, count on long line-ups full of novelty-crazed ride fiends.

Music

Exhibition Stadium has been gone for years, but its echoes bounce back every few years with acts who might have headlined there in their heyday. This year at the Bandshell, it's Frankie Avalon (Aug. 29) and the Beach Boys (Aug. 18), as well as the 5th Dimension (Aug. 22) and Foreigner singer Lou Gramm (Aug. 23.)

The Bandshell's concert series kicks off with the Proclaimers (Aug. 16) and a show by indie superstars The New Pornographers (Aug. 17), and gives showcases to local acts like Dragonette (Aug. 25) and Walk Off The Earth (Aug. 30,) before closing with a concert by BC's Theory of a Deadman.

The International Stage is intriguing this year, with appearances by Paraguay's Recycled Orchestra, who play instruments hand-made from scrap salvaged from landfill in their hometown of Cauteura. The Creole Choir of Cuba have two records out on Peter Gabriel's Realworld label, and sing songs unique to Cuba's Haitian émigrés.

Food

The rides might be safer and the carnies less unsavoury than in the Conklin days, but the Ex will still bring a bit of danger into your life with the latest advances in "fair food" - those caloric concoctions that try to appeal to your recklessness as well as your appetite. This year's menu has been leaked in advance, with items like Bacon Nation's Peanut Butter and Bacon Milkshake and a range of Nutella stuffed into and poured over everything from ravioli to fries.

Nutella will also feature in Ed's Real Scoop's Spice Cream Cone - soft serve ice cream with every kid's favorite hazelnut spread topped with chili flakes and crispy bacon bits. The big secret was whatever Epic Burger had cooked up, which has just been revealed as a Cronut Burger - a meat patty sandwiched into the latest butter-rich pastry sensation, served with melted cheese and maple bacon jam. The Food Building can look forward to lineups of bros daring each other to tuck into one with the same culinary machismo that they used to reserved for hot sauce and mescal worms.

Everything Else

The Bridesmaids Uncovered show will be someone's refuge from all the macho gourmandizing. The Garden Show will also do in a pinch, and the CNE Heritage Gallery will feature displays looking back at when the Ex was a consumer fair, showcasing new technology and hopeful glimpses of the world to come.

For the kids, there's the Super Dogs and the Horse Capades, magic shows, Reptilia and a War of 1812 dress-up area. Cascade, a dance group from France, is helpfully described as "Gangnam Style meets Chippendales," and its target audience is up for speculation. Finally, there's the Air Show on the Labour Day closing weekend, shorn of U.S. military aircraft thanks to the budget sequestration, but still loud and proud with its Snowbird finale.

Photos

Share your photos of this year's Ex with us via the hashtag #CNEblogTO on Instagram or add them directly to our CNE Toronto stream. We'll post the best ones on the homepage when the Ex is a wrap.

Lead photo by Peter Grevstad, CN Tower photo by Felix Mo , Midway photo by Nunu Salgado, food and air show photos blogTO.

Toronto Public Health says using Twitter to track restaurants that practice poor food safety practices, and thus give people food poisoning, isn't such a bad idea. Researchers in the U.S. have found a way to mine Twitter to collect reports of food poisoning. The system is called nEmesis, and it picks up on geo-tagged tweets mentioning restaurants. The person's tweets are tracked for 72 hours following their visit to the restaurant for indications of food poisoning. The algorithm then looks for mention of terms like stomach ache, vomiting and Pepto Bismol to determine if a person possibly picked up food poisoning.

Public Health officials say the app could help the city's DineSafe initiative. "I'm interested in any new tool and anything that can help Toronto Public Health to identify risk factors and places that are more likely to contribute to food-borne illness," said Sylvanus Thompson, an associate director with Toronto Public Health, told the Star. According to a 2009 report, about one in six Torontonians get food-borne illness each year.

There are obvious issues with this, of course. A person could easily eat at a restaurant and become ill in the next 72 hours without the illness having anything to do with food poisoning. Or they could make false claims. The researchers plan for the app to become a tool singling out restaurants to avoid or inspect, but it might be cause for a few slander suits along the way.

What do you think? Could this be a reasonable way to track restaurants whose practices cause food poisoning?

The Fairmount Park farmers' market is a new Toronto farmers' market for 2013. The market boasts a wonderful sense of community identity, encourages volunteerism, and despite its small size, has a variety of unique vendors. At only 3 months old this market, envisioned by local resident Kim Antonius, already has a relaxed bustle that makes it all the more enticing. There's free live music and an mbira player named Moyo Mutamba regales those who'll listen with African folk stories from 3:30pm to 4:30 every week.

Here are some of the vendors to look out for at the Fairmount Park farmers' market.

Abokichi Rice Cafe
This quaint white tent doesn't look like it has much to offer but don't just let looks deceive you. Self titled rice baller Jess Mantell sells handmade classic Japanese Onigiri, her special magic seaweed, and what seems to move especially fast is her crunchy chili oil. The spicy sesame oil is loaded with flavour and sold out while I was there ($9 for a healthy sized mason jar).

Blackbird Baking Co.
Locals flock to this stall quickly devouring owner Simon Blackwell's stock of fresh daily baked breads. Blackbird Baking Co. creates their artisanal breads and baguettes out of a shared space provided to them by master chocolatiers SOMA. Using a mix of all organic flours (hard white, rye, red fife, and their very own local sourdough starter) to achieve their savoury results. They tend to get cleaned out of everything so get there early.

Coffeecology
For a quick pick-me-up and some fair trade coffee this is the spot to go in Fairmount Park. Not in need of a caffeine fix? Coffeecology also has a delivery service. And not only is the coffee delivered in sustainable mason jars (12oz. jar $12.75) but they will also grind to your machine type, and it comes via bike delivery weekly.

Backyard Urban Farm Company
No one takes local, fresh, and sustainable more to heart than these guys. The Backyard Urban Farm Company (or BUFCO) will build, install, design, and consult those interested in starting their very own sustainable vegetable garden. Garlic, chard, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, and more; vegetable landscapers Arlene Hazzan Green and husband Marc Green are eager to show the intimated and uninitiated just how simple it is to have good food at your fingertips.

Grassroots Organics
What would a farmers' market be without its excellent harvest of local Ontario produce? Go here for cucumbers, fresh rhubarb and, at a very reasonable $1.50 a bulb, the oft hard to find Ontario garlic.

The Fairmount Park farmers' market runs Wednesdays from 3pm to 7pm. Find it at 1725 Gerrard St. East.
Discover more of Toronto's farmers' markets via our Toronto Farmers' Markets Pinterest board.

Writing by Nick Smith. Photos by Jesse Milns.

One of two hotly anticipated restaurants to open at the historic Dineen Building at Yonge & Temperance in the last few days, this rooftop patio and dining space is a stunning addition to what is already a gorgeous heritage structure. With a well-decorated team in the kitchen, one of the city's top sommeliers managing the floor, and sweeping views of the Financial District, it's a safe bet this will soon be a very popular place.

Read my profile of The Chase in the restaurants section.

Photo by Vic Gedris in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto events on August 14th, 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY | Curator Walk-Through: "Arthur S. Goss: Works and Days"
The Ryerson Image Centre hosts an exhibition of photographic work by Arthur S. Goss, and this evening, curators John Bentley Mays and Blake Fitzpatrick will give attendees a special guided "walk through." Goss was Toronto's "official photographer" for almost thirty years, and is known for his wonderfully executed images of urban life in early 20th Century TO. This exhibition has been put together in conjunction with the City of Toronto Archives, and will reveal a different side of Goss' work: the visual "documents" he produced for various local municipal agencies and departments. "Arthur S. Goss: Works and Days" runs until August 25th.
Ryerson Image Centre (33 Gould Street) 6PM

FILM | Packaged Goods: Celeb Spotting
As we move closer and closer to Film Fest season, when many will be keeping their eyes peeled to spot celebrities out and about in TO, this program takes an interesting look at celebrity appearances in a variety of media. Celebrity endorsements are huge business, and some of the footage, made up of short films, music videos, and advertisements, will be very interesting to witness. Many of the ads were produced for foreign markets, but the secrets will come out tonight as you witness the likes of Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, Keifer Sutherland, Andy Warhol, and others lending their presence to product.
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Reitman Square (350 King Street West) $12 ($9.50 studens/seniors)

CLUBS | Birkenrock
A celebration of '90s, estrogen-laced rock goes down tonight at The Beaver! Don't be fooled by the event's moniker - you won't hear any Grateful Dead or Strawberry Alarm Clock at this shindig! This is one for the Lilith Fair set. Billed as a "'90s female alternative night", this event will be highlighting hits from an era that curators Daniel McIntyre and David Van Poppel feel was a "golden age of women in music". Spins of Sheryl Crow, Natalie Imbruglia, Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple, Paula Cole, Courtney Love, Jewel and others are promised. Should be some good retro feminine fun!
The Beaver (1192 Queen Street West) 11PM

BOOKS & LIT | Dennis Bock
Toronto author, Dennis Bock, launches his latest novel, Going Home Again, tonight at the Dora Keogh Irish Pub. Bock has previously written two historical novels, and his first, The Ash Garden, based on the events surrounding the Hiroshima bombing, was shortlisted for the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and several other awards, and won the 2002 Canada-Japan Literary Award. Going Home Again is the story of a man reflecting of a nomadic entrepreneur who attempts to make sense of his life following a separation from his wife, and a random run-in with an ex-girlfriend from his university years.
Dora Keogh Irish Pub (141 Danforth Avenue) 6:30PM

Also Of Note

Black Sabbath + Andrew W.K. @ ACC
Snowblink @ Blk Box
Chiaroscuro Reading Series

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Photo of the most dramatic wagon accident ever recorded by Arthur Goss