North of the Border /What’s Happening in Toronto
Home show offers tips, ideas
ORONTO — Ah, the fall season is upon us and our thoughts naturally turn to nesting. Are you up for the challenge of renovating and/or remodeling the house?
If you are looking for the latest advice in home decor, trendy design tips and friendly advice, visit the Toronto Fall Home Show at the Better Living Centre, (West Side) Exhibition Place, Sept. 18-21.
Workshops such as “Dream Spaces,” “Home Organization 101” and “Power Tools for Beginners” promise information and inspiration to home renovation novices and pros alike.
Celebrity guests include television producer/actress Mag Ruffman, who writes the syndicated column “ToolGirl” and has hosted such shows as “A Repair to Remember” and “Anything I Can Do.” Other guests include home designer Janette Ewen, decorator Mary Dobson and chefs Christopher Ennew and Rabih Abouhalka. A note: Although the show has a marketing partnership with spokesman Ty Pennington, host of the popular TV show, “Extreme Makeover, Home Edition,” he is not scheduled to appear.
Tickets are $12 and $10 (seniors and youth) and children 12 and under are admitted free, but are discounted if purchased online. For more information and a list of exhibitors and workshops, go to www.fallhomeshow.com.
‘Jersey Boys’ on stage
The highly anticipated Toronto run of “Jersey Boys,” which recently opened in the Toronto Centre for the Arts, has already been extended to Nov. 9. The 2006 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical is about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It tells the compelling “rags-to-riches tale of four blue-collar kids working their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of stardom.”
The youthful sounds of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have sold more than 175 million records worldwide. Hit songs featured in the musical include “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry” and “Can’t Take My Eyes off You.”
According to the show’s organizers, “Jersey Boys” contains smoke, gun shots, strobe lights, profane, strong “authentic Jersey language” and is not recommended for children under the age of 12.
For more information or tickets, visit the extensive Web site, www.dancaptickets.com, which also includes music and video clips and an interactive quiz to test your knowledge of the Four Seasons and “Jersey Boys” trivia.
Thinking ahead
For one night, Oct. 4, Toronto becomes “the city that never sleeps” during its third annual Nuit Blanche (literally meaning “white night” or “all night,” in French).
The idea, which originated in Paris, but is a take off from a German 1990’s festival, is to spend the night celebrating the arts and culture. More than 425,000 people celebrated the first event in 2006.
This year, about 155 venues will participate in three of the city’s regions: Zone A/Downtown North (including Yorkville, Cabbagetown and Downtown Yonge areas), Zone B/Downtown South (including the Distillery District) and Zone C/South/West (including Queen Street West and Liberty Village).
The party starts at 6:52 p. m. and ends at sunrise the morning of Oct. 5. Art lovers can choose from more than 55 venues offering everything from live dance performances, art, light and sound installations to a classic silent film screening. For more information, visit www.scotiabanknuitblanche.com.
