| Festival season is in full swing. Summer is a great time | | | | started to dance exuberantly to the music. |
| to be in Toronto since there are multiple events | | | | I talked to a gentleman from the Coro Folcloristico |
| going on at the same time. I had just heard about | | | | Italia di Toronto who informed me that his group has |
| the "Taste of Little Italy" street festival and decided | | | | been singing for more than 15 years and their |
| to partake of a little free-admission Italo-style | | | | repertoire includes the whole gamut of Italian folk |
| celebration. | | | | songs, from the north to the south. I also had a brief |
| When I got there yesterday at about noon the | | | | chat with Pablo Terry, bandleader and flute player of |
| restaurants and bands were still setting up. Streets | | | | Sol de Cuba who has been brightening up the |
| were closed all the way from Euclid to Shaw and | | | | Toronto music scene for the last 11 years. |
| everyone was working feverishly to prepare for the | | | | Across the street was another band playing Latin |
| 3rd and final day of this year's Taste of Little Italy. All | | | | Jazz, followed by a group playing contemporary |
| the major bars and restaurants had big screen TVs | | | | Italian music. A few steps down from Terry was the |
| to beam the live Brazil-Australia World Cup match to | | | | Jeanine Mackie Band who got the street cooking with |
| a crowd of avid soccer fans. | | | | their funk, blues and R&B tunes. Further east another |
| At the heart of Little Italy is the CHIN Building, | | | | Italian choir, the Coro Abruzzo, was setting up for its |
| headquarters of Toronto's first multicultural / | | | | performance. |
| multilingual radio station, founded by famous | | | | A street festival always attracts interesting people. |
| Italian-Canadian entrepreneur and community leader | | | | An older gentleman on a bike decorated with a tiger |
| Johnny Lombardi. CHIN broadcasts in more than 30 | | | | tail, a green plastic superhero adorning the handlebar |
| languages in Toronto, in more than 18 languages in | | | | and a tyrannosaurus rex made an appearance. Of |
| Ottawa/Gatineau and is available via satellite all across | | | | course I had to talk to him. He said his name was |
| North America. | | | | Mickey, he's retired now and he figured decorating his |
| Little Italy is one of Toronto's most popular | | | | bike would be something to do in his retirement. |
| entertainment areas with a great variety of Italian | | | | From dressed-up dogs to dogs in baskets on bikes, |
| restaurants, trattorias, bars and cafés. Other | | | | everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. |
| cultures have also made culinary inroads and you'll find | | | | Various entertainment areas were set up for children: |
| Japanese, Mexican, Peruvian and Portuguese eateries | | | | young ones were running back and forth inside a |
| as well. | | | | very large inflatable train, a soccer challenge was set |
| Since the festival wasn't quite off the ground yet I | | | | up and at "Hoop It Up" people could test their |
| decided to treat myself to a little lunch and chose a | | | | basketball skills. Various games of chance were |
| nice window seat at "El Bodegon", one of Toronto's | | | | enticing the crowd to try their luck. |
| foremost Latin restaurants. Although the menu is | | | | Low-cost shiatsu massages were available and henna |
| dominated by meat and seafood, I opted for a light | | | | tattoos could also be obtained. Many of the local |
| meal, combining a savoury avocado salad with fried | | | | stores participated in the festival by providing special |
| plantains, one of my favourite vegetables. I had a | | | | sale-priced items on the street. |
| perfect view from my little table by the window and | | | | The Nicorette girls, dressed in devilish red dresses, |
| caught a glimpse of two celebrities making a brief | | | | adorned with diabolic tails, were handing out free |
| appearance: Jack Layton, federal NDP leader, and | | | | stop-smoking chewing gum, trying to entice the |
| Olivia Chow, now a federal Member of Parliament. | | | | smokers to give up their filthy habit. |
| Toronto's foremost political power couple, made an | | | | More freebies were to be had in the form of |
| appearance on their bikes at the street festival. | | | | "clodhoppers", a truly delicious concoction of fudge |
| At about 1:30 pm the music started to get going and | | | | and graham wafer crackers. I have to admit I walked |
| right across from my lunch spot a two-man band | | | | by the Clodhoppers truck four times just to scrounge |
| started to play Latin rhythms and flamenco. After a | | | | up another free sample of these delicious sweet |
| very satisfying mid-day meal I started strolling | | | | treats. Another bunch of people were handing out |
| through the area and chatted with a few of the | | | | free taste bags of Doritos, containing the new |
| bands. One of the music groups, Los Imbakayunas, is | | | | Jalapeno flavour. Later on I bought a pop at Kalendar |
| from Peru and tours all throughout Eastern Canada | | | | Koffee House and was promptly given a free hot |
| during the summer months and plays at various | | | | Nutella sandwich. The generosity was appreciated. |
| street festivals and special events. The hot Peruvian | | | | Freebies were available everywhere, free music and |
| rhythms and melodic sounds of the pan flute were | | | | very reasonably priced food samples (costing |
| enchanting the crowds and hips were started to | | | | between $1 and $5) made for a great low-cost |
| gently sway. Even a woman in an electric wheelchair | | | | outing on a hot June weekend. |