Avro Arrow in the wild

A large replica of Canada's ultimate fantasy airplane, known as the CF-105 Avro Arrow, looking like it is blasting off in pursuit of bad guys is located at a park in Barry's Bay, Ontario. The town is just under 4 hours northeast from Toronto so plan your trip if you want to see the replica yourself.

The story has always been that this jet fighter would have conquered the air fleets of the whole world because it was so good, but Canada's desire to have nuclear weapons meant that the budget had to be trimmed and the plane was cancelled. Not only cancelled but destroyed. They did find one model launched into Lake Ontario and brought to the surface rather recently, so obviously they couldn't destroy it at the time, otherwise that one would have been destroyed as well. So we weep for the loss of the super supreme plane.

Barry's Bay connection to the Avro Arrow was the Canadian Polish pilot Janusz Zurakowski, whom the park is named after, who lived in the area after WWII. He fought in the war as a Spitfire pilot and immigrated to Canada in the 1950's. After the war he became a test pilot and worked on and flew the Avro Arrow. The park was opened in 2003 and includes posters, a spitfire weathervane, a gazebo and the model of the famous supersonic jet interceptor.

This Avro replica is 22 feet long and over 12 feet wide and was built by Gerard and Peter Trader along with Ron Coulas and Morris Towns.

A Spitfire weathervane

Sankofa Day Celebration in Yonge-Dundas Square

Just kidding, it's Sankofa Day in Sankofa Square, formally Yonge-Dundas Square and the celebration is on Saturday, August 23 from 10am to 11pm. The Day is special as it is the UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, observed annually on August 23rd and is a time for reflection and healing; "Looking Back. Building Forward."

The free celebration is a day of culture, community, food, art and music which will end with a free closing party featuring MOONSHINE.

From the Square's website, "Sankofa Day features a vibrant cultural showcase that includes a celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture with JERK X JOLLOF, an Afrodiasporic DJ set to groove to by Afrique Like Me, and a live performance by Indigenous artist Natasha Fisher. The stage will also feature a special free DJ set by the legendary Kardinal Offishall, presented as part of the iDREAM Awards. Attendees can also grab commemorative giveaways, explore art installations by Nicole Nomsa Moyo, watch the Everyone vs. Racism Graffiti Project come to life, and enjoy a Caribbean Film Festival screening."

Looking Back. Building Forward

Yorkville Murals 2025

Toronto’s shopping district known as the mink mile is full of art from August 23-24, 2025 as part of the Yorkville Murals with no empty spaces promised. Open from 9 to 9 over the weekend.

A couple of big chess games

Hayley Axelrad Pool Talk Inflatable

From the festival's website, "Toronto’s most dynamic art and muralism festival returns from August 23–24, 2025 with the third edition of its theme, No Empty Spaces. Yorkville Murals transforms Yorkville Avenue—stretching from Bellair Street to Hazelton Avenue—into a vibrant, interactive cultural playground. Visitors can expect a weekend packed with creativity and connection: large-scale murals, inflatable art, immersive installations, live painting, thought-provoking art talks, high-energy dance battles, pop-up shops, music, and a lively evening block party. Every moment offers something new, encouraging culture lovers to return again and again throughout the weekend."

Adam the Illustrator Big Love Inflatable on the Yorkville Rock

Birdo Pigeon Inflatable

There are a bunch of inflatable art pieces in Yorkville Park along Cumberland, west of Bellair to the big rock at the Bay Street ttc subway station. Otherwise the vendors and art stations are along Yorkville Avenue from Bellair to Hazelton - along the giant blue carpet.

Michelle Hoogveld Heart Inflatable

The YVM DAY PARTY is on Saturday, August 23 from 11 AM - 5 PM on the rooftop of the Cumberland Parkade.

See more of the festival after the jump.

Monument to the White Squirrel at CAMH

Toronto's famous white squirrel was immortalized in a rather large statue, part of CAMH’s Therapeutic Art Installations and sitting in the CAMH adjacent greenspace - TD Commons Park. The 6 foot high white rodent was created by sculptor Brandon Vickerd.

The artist moved from Sarnia to Toronto and while living near Queen West he learned of the white squirrel. The very rare white rodent was spotted around CAMH and eventually became the unofficial mascot of the mental health hospital and lead to the naming of one of their internal roads as White Squirrel Way. During the redevelopment of the site and as part of the Therapeutic Art Installation project the statue was commissioned and later installed in the park in 2019.

Events at Stackt Market Toronto

Stackt Market is an interesting space located at 28 Bathurst Street, just north of Old Fort York and the railway lines, and is made of a combination of steel seacans, or shipping containers and a number of buildings, stores, food and beverage vendors and a craft beer brewery. Besides the stores being a reason to visit the area there are a lot of events and festivals put on throughout the year which you can check out on there website.

Outdoor patios, a basketball court, picnic tables, a dog park, art installations (like the hanging umbrellas) and comfy alcoves make the destination a great way to escape the stress of the city and relax with friends.

Tunnel of Love

Keep alert to some of the following events: Chillin’ & Grillin’ on Sundays, Brews and Chews, Art Month in October and Holiday Hills, a free winter festival.

TinyTO model of downtown Toronto

There is a model of the city's buildings sitting in the lobby of Toronto City Hall, just off to the left as you come in, showing many of the city's iconic landmarks such as the CN Tower and Rogers Centre (note the dome is open) in white. It is modular and ready to be updated as the city evolves.

Humber College through their Centres of Innovation Network has recently partnered with the city to update the tiny model buildings to accurately portray the city's downtown skyline. Students from various school departments (Industrial Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, User Experience Design and Game Programming) using Toronto's 3D Massing info.

The 3D model of the city core has 12 tiles (4×3 grid) with each tile being 1.2m x 1.2m with a model scale of 1:1250

Toronto Rainbow Garden at Bay Adelaide Centre

Colourful metal flowers are sprouting in the middle courtyard of the Bay Adelaide Centre towers, part of the Luminato Festival's Rainbow art installations by Hiromi Tango which includes the Rainbow Wheel at Brookfield Place. This one is Rainbow Garden which includes a circular rainbow platform along with the garden. It is nice to see bursts of colour in the city.

From the festival's website, "Amid the rush of the day, find a moment to pause, play, and reconnect. Three vibrant, site-specific environments—each infused with Hiromi Tango's signature rainbow aesthetic—invite you to explore pathways toward well-being. These installations are designed to spark joy, movement, and reflection, reminding us that mental health is an active, creative practice. WONDER with Rainbow Garden at Bay Adelaide Centre: Immerse yourself in Garden, a whimsical landscape of oversized rainbow flowers and interactive elements. This gentle wonderland invites you to embrace playfulness as a source of joy and renewal."

See more photos of the garden after the jump.

Mirvish Back to the Future The Musical

Went to the Mirvish production of Back to the Future, The Musical which you can find at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre (244 Victoria Street, Toronto) until August 31, 2025. This show follows the movie pretty well, dropping the extremist terrorists and adding a case of radiation poisoning along with a bunch of songs - some of them featured in the actual movie, the rest made for this theatre production.

It features many of the movie's characters such as Marty McFly, Doc Brown, George McFly and Biff Tannen and quite a few more. The cast looked and sounded like the movie characters and the songs also used in the movie were excellent, while the new songs were only okay. Where the musical shined was in the stage settings and special effects, they really blew me away, and it appeared that the DeLorean could drive. Marty hits 88 mph in the sports car and moves from 1985 to 1955, starts to change the past and has to find a way to get back to the future while also fixing the past before he leaves. A very enjoyable theatre experience and fans of the movie.

From the Mirvish website, "Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical, BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL is adapted for the stage by the iconic film’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and directed by the Tony Award®-winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy® winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”), alongside hit songs from the movie including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time.”