On and Off the Wall

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The local arts scene cools off during the summer months but there's still a few great events to check out. For the kids Toronto Botanical Gardens presents an interactive puppet show hosted by a very special group of multi-talented fruits, vegetables, and professional edible musicians. Edge Fest takes over Downsview Park July 12 and on the same day the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre presents Bon Odori. The Consulate General of Japan presents two lunch-hour movie screenings in July. The first feature, Kaiseki Cuisine of Kyoto, highlights edibles and artwork. The second video shows the Yuzen-zome is a dyeing technique in which artists draw patterns directly on white kimono silk. On and Off the Wall returns the last week of August with what's happening in the local arts scene for September. Have a wonderful summer!

CANADA DAY

Canada Day at Gibson House

Celebrate our country's birthday with a journey to the rural community of Willow Dale, circa 1851, at the Gibson House Museum July 1 from noon to 5 p.m. Experience a taste of the past with homemade ice cream, children's activities in the Discovery Gallery, old-fashioned games on the lawn and samples of nineteenth century cookery from the historic kitchen. Admission is free. Gibson House, 5172 Yonge St. Limited free parking. E-mail gibsonhouse@toronto.ca or call 416-395-7432.

Canada Day at Downsview Park

Canada Day at Downsview Park July 1 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Downsview Park's annual Canada Day celebration features free fun for everyone. See the night sky light up with a kaleidoscope of colours. Free entertainment includes amusement rides noon to 9 p.m., 1812 Military Historical Reenactment, climbing wall, petting zoo, inflatables, balloon artists, workshops, vendors, firebuskers. Donations welcome for iRecycle and Goodwill 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

THEATRE

Puppets in the Park Theatre

Banjo Puppets presents Apples and Oranges at Toronto Botanical Gardens July 24, 7 to 8 p.m. This interactive puppet show is hosted by a very special group of multi-talented fruits, vegetables and professional edible musicians. It helps answer the questions: Where does our food come from? What's in the food that we eat? Explore ideas about healthy local food and how things grow through pop songs, storytelling and interpretive dance. Suitable for all ages. Bring your blanket and the whole family. Arrive early for a free tour of the Children's Teaching Garden. Cost: $25 per family; members $20 per family. A family is two adults and three children or a total of five people, $5 per additional person. Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Ave. E. Call 416-397-1340.

FESTIVALS

Edge Fest

102.1 The Edge presents Edge Fest July 12 starting at 2 p.m. The main stage features Linkin Park, Stone Temple Pilots, Sam Roberts Band, The Bravery, Ashes in Divide and Attack in Black. The side stage features Arkells, The Coast, Creature, The Flatliners, Hostage Life, Modernboys Moderngirls, The Stereo Hoax, Sweet Thing and USS. General Admission is $80.50. Downsview Park, 1-35 Carl Hall Rd. Call 416-872-1111.

Bon Odori

Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre presents Bon Odori July 12 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. featuring dancers from across the GTA. This event is a tradition celebration in honour of ancestors. Dancing starts at 7 p.m. Weather permitting, events takes place outdoors or in the Kobayashi Hall. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Ct. Call 416-441-2345.

ARTsu MATSURI

Gendai Gallery presents its annual community art exhibit ARTsu MATSURI until July 5. This event brings together the artworks of the Asian Canadian community. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Ct. Call 416-441-2345.

ON SCREEN

Video Screening at Japan Information Centre

The Consulate General of Japan presents two lunch-hour movie screenings in July. On July 11 from 12:10 to 12:55 p.m. view the Kaiseki Cuisine of Kyoto. The kaiseki-ryori style of cuisine traces its origins to the light meal eaten before the tea ceremony. The distinction between edibles and artwork has never been less defined as the taste of the food compliments rather than dominates the overall esthetic experience. Japanese with English subtitles. On July 25 from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. watch A Modern Eye for Traditional Beauty - Kimono dyeing. Yuzen-zome is a dyeing technique in which artists draw patterns directly on white kimono silk. This program shows the artists at work including the final processing and washing. Japanese with English subtitles. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Ct. Call the Japan information centre, Consulate General of Japan, 416-363-5488.

Shinsengumi Shimatsuki

The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre presents Shinsengumi Shimatsuki (I want to Die a Samurai) July 31 at 7 p.m. as part of its Movie Night series. This movie is written by Shimozawa Kan (creator of the Zato Ichi character) and is based on interviews gathered from the surviving family members of the Shinsengumi, one of the infamous paramilitary police forces created by the Tokugawa shogunate. This film is a realistic portrayal of this notorious force of ronin under the leadership of Kondo Isami who were created to eradicate the imperial loyalists from Kyoto. Daiei Films, 1963, colour with English subtitles. Cost: $5 members; $7 non-members. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Ct. Call 416-441-2345.

CONTINUING

Makom: Seeking Sacred Space.

Koffler Centre for the Arts presents Makom: Seeking Sacred Space. Through David Kaufman's series on the once and present synagogues of the Plateau Mont-Royal and David Cowles' images of Jewish sites in North Africa, this photography exhibition looks at how sacred space is created, experienced, preserved and transformed over time. In the Loggia Gallery until Aug. 14. Koffler Centre of the Arts, at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, 4588 Bathurst St.

Karilee Fuglem: here within our curving spaces

Koffler Gallery presents Karilee Fuglem: here within our curving spaces until July 13. Montreal artist Karilee Fuglem has created a new installation incorporating the Koffler Gallery's unique curved walls and the daylight pouring in from uncovered skylights. Her research into the local geographic environment informs the work, examining how we intellectually and physically experience a place. Here within our curving spaces links the site and time of the exhibition with the orbital pattern of the constellation Cygnus (The Swan) as located above Toronto on midsummer nights. Admission is free. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m., Monday by appointment, closed Saturday. Admission is free. Call 416-636-1880 ext. 268. The Koffler Gallery, Koffler Centre of the Arts, at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, 4588 Bathurst St.

AUGUST

Dancap Productions presents Jersey Boys Aug. 21 to Oct. 5. Jersey Boys is about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: how four blue-collar boys became one of the biggest American pop music sensations. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before age 30. Tickets are $55 to $125. Call 416-872-1111. Opening Night is Sunday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St.

PUPPETS IN THE PARK THEATRE

Banjo Puppets Presents Apples and Oranges at Toronto Botanical Gardens Thursday, Aug. 21, 7 to 8 p.m. This interactive puppet show is hosted by a very special group of multi-talented fruits, vegetables, and professional edible musicians. It helps answer the questions: Where does our food come from? What's in the food that we eat? Explore ideas about healthy local food and how things grow through pop songs, storytelling, and interpretive dance. Suitable for all ages. Bring your blanket and the whole family. Arrive early for a free tour of the Children's Teaching Garden. Cost: $25 per family; members $20 per family. A family is two adults and three children or a total of five people, $5 per additional person.