Filthy dirty homemade fun
It’s probably a fair bet that St. Valentine, whosoever that borderline-apocryphal personality might be, probably didn’t think of his life’s work as culminating in an excuse for greeting card makers and confectioners to have a one-day sales bonanza. And yet, here we are.
But probably even further still from his mind would be wooden bespoke dildos.
And yet, Feb. 13 at The Gladstone, these things and more will be on display at the Erotic Arts and Crafts Fair. Basically, if it’s somehow sex-related, and made by someone on a small and/or local scale, it will be at this fair. And since all the Valentine’s Day consumerism is really just a thinly-veiled effort to get into someone’s pants (unless, of course, one is drinking alone on that day—a highly recommended alternative to awful heart-shaped candies), the least a roped-in Valentiner could do is get something a little less corporate.
And since the day is celebrated for something already a little bit off from what its namesake probably would’ve liked, celebrants are encouraged to give a syncretistic shrug and buy some wearable balloon art.
The end of an era
It sure isn’t 2003 anymore; in fact, there are those who would say it never even was 2003.
Long gone are the days of Gordon Downie and other CanCon luminaries showing up on a Sunday night to Sneaky Dee’s to check out the hubbub and buzz surrounding a local new music series. Long since launched are the careers of Torontonian superbands with a billion members, sleepy folksters, acoustic chanteuses turned sequenced dance mistresses, and more violinists and glockenspielists than can be counted in the limited space provided here.
Over a decade which saw the rise of the VICE aesthetic, the fashion-shrinkage of pants, and the death of so many previously assumed goods and institutions, the good folks at the Wavelength Music Series established their own place in the city’s consciousness.
Some say that the dwindling attendance numbers at its weekly music series, along with the proliferation of other promoters and venues catering towards a similar audience, are an indication that it has succeeded—and in doing so made itself irrelevant.
Others might say that the shine on bands that can barely play their instruments is off. Regardless, after ten long years, the weekly Wavelength series is calling it a decade.
The organization will still continue to promote one-off events, but the time it spent at Ted’s, Sneak’s, and now, The Garrison making Monday mornings difficult for the hipster in all of us, is at a close.
To mark this occasion, Wavelength presents five days of concerts, from Feb. 10 through 14.
Fun for the respectable folk
Say you actually have to show up for a job on a Monday? Not hung-over, even?
Or that buying amusing bawdy novelty items, no matter how de rigeur their craftsmanship, has long since lost its lustre?
If you are one of those respectable individuals for whom Family Day will actually be used to spend with your family, the Gleaner hasn’t forgotten you. Campbell House Museum has a full afternoon of 19th century fun and games for the entire family, including baking, dancing, and arts and crafts.
The programs run from 1 through 4 p.m. on Feb. 15.