Mayfair in Rosedale Park – May 8th and 9th

Wednesday is the last day to buy Ride-All-Day passes for Mayfair! There will be more rides than ever, including the amazing Cannonball drop ride.

The Ride-All-Day pass costs $40. It’s good for all the mechanical rides at Mayfair. The rides will be running this Friday from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, as well as all day Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

You can purchase the Ride-All-Day passes at Summerhill Market, 446 Summerhill Avenue, and at Mooredale House, 146 Crescent Road. You receive a voucher, which you exchange for a wrist bracelet at the park.

For more Mayfair info, call Mooredale House, 416-922-3714, ext 103.

Mayfair 2014 Ride-all-Day Bracelets

Mayfair in Rosedale Park will be on May 10th this year. You can get Ride-all-Day bracelets, good for all the mechanical rides, but only during the advance sale period…

April 23rd to May 7th

You can purchase vouchers for the Ride-all-Day bracelets at Summerhill Market, 446 Summerhill Avenue, and at Mooredale House, 146 Crescent Road. The vouchers will be on sale from April 23rd to May 7th only. Then redeem your voucher at the park on Saturday, May 10, when you will receive your bracelet.

Mayfair’s Eve – Bonus Rides

All the rides will be running for four hours on the night before Mayfair, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday, May 9th. You can come to Mayfair on the Friday night, redeem your voucher and try out the rides — then come back Saturday for a full day of fun!

Stay for Friday dinner in Rosedale Park

The whole family’s invited on Friday night! The Mayfair beer garden and BBQ will be up and running Friday May 9th, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. We’ll be serving Steam Whistle, and Summerhill Market is bringing their famous gourmet ribs! (Weber’s burgers and Life Choices hot dogs will also be on the grill.) A great time to hang out with friends, at a really big neighbourhood barbecue!

Three days left till Mayfair in Rosedale Park

An eerie calm before the Mayfair madness erupts! James and I were walking through Rosedale Park this evening while a whole house league’s worth of families were picking up new soccer jerseys for their kids’ teams. Come Friday night, the entire field will be lit up with giant carnival rides, and many of the same families will be bringing their kids to a BBQ dinner in the beer garden!

Saturday morning will see the costume parades threading through Rosedale and Moore Park, joining on Summerhill Avenue just before 9 am for the grand opening of the big day itself. This local tradition was started in 1946, and people say it’s the longest-running neighbourhood fair in Toronto. Proceeds go to support Mooredale House, and it’s a wonderful fun time for the whole family. Hope to see many of you there!

Parade routes – Mayfair in Rosedale Park, May 12th

Mayfair parade routes – Rosedale and Moore Park

Each Mayfair Saturday morning starts with the two neighbourhood parades. Kids dressed up in costumes (this year’s theme is “Mayfair at the Movies!”) join the parade routes as they wind through the local streets.  The Moore Park parade sets out from Moorevale Park on Welland Avenue, at 8:15 a.m. The Rosedale parade starts from Whitney Park on Glen Road, at 8:30 a.m. They meet up on Summerhill Avenue at the foot of the railway bridge, and march together to the entrance of Rosedale Park. Kids dressed up for the theme receive prizes from the Mayfair costume spotters as the parade nears the park. When they get there at 9:00 a.m., the rides are ready, candy floss is spinning, and the Midway Games are open!

Musicians, antique cars, perhaps some police on motorbikes or horseback… This neighbourhood parade tradition started with the first Mayfair in 1946. This year, it’s on Saturday, May 12th. If you’re up and around, come out and cheer them on!

Ride-all-Day bracelets – Mayfair in Rosedale Park

The Monkey Maze, coming to Mayfair in 2012.

Mayfair 2012 will be on Saturday, May 12th, at Rosedale Park. We’ll have a great collection of rides for the entire family from World’s Finest Shows, and the ride-all-day bracelets are available for $35.

Advance sale locations are Summerhill Market, 446 Summerhill Avenue, and Mooredale House, 146 Crescent Road. From now till May 9th, you’ll be able to purchase vouchers which get redeemed at the fair for the ride bracelets. These bracelets will provide all-day admission to the mechanical rides at Mayfair.

You’ll also be able to pick up and use your Ride-all-Day bracelets from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday, May 11, at the “Mayfair’s Eve Preview.”  That’s four bonus hours of rides, all for the one price!

To avoid disappointment, plan to get your vouchers early. Remember, the last day to purchase vouchers is Wednesday, May 19th!

The Egg of Columbus

Friday night at Mayfair

Mayfair 2011 was one of those weekends when things just clicked. The rides were great, everyone had a good time, the weather held up (till close to the end!)… but the big news has to be the first Friday night Mayfair in about half a century.

On that Friday evening in Rosedale Park, the Beer Garden was packed with families and neighbours, and lights on the carnival rides lit up the sky. That night, and through the next day, scores of people said to me, “Why didn’t we think of this before?” An old phrase popped into my mind, “the egg of Columbus,” but I admit I had to look it up to be sure what it meant…

The story is that when Spanish nobles told him that anyone could have discovered the Indies, Columbus challenged the assembled group to make an egg stand on its end without any prop. When they gave up, he tapped the end gently and stood the egg on its broken end. “You see, my lords,” Columbus said, “it is easy, now that it is done.”

Months of planning

The Mayfair’s Eve Friday Preview took months of planning and a lot of committee work to get off the ground. When I first shared my idea on a cold January evening at Mooredale House, I was delighted to get enthusiastic support from my Mayfair Committee (these were the key volunteers who would be doing the extra work!). From there, we went to Mooredale’s President, Lewis Reford. Lewis approached the North Rosedale Ratepayers Association to get their support, and together our groups developed a plan that would be fair to the residents living near the park.

I particularly want to thank our BBQ grill volunteers, our ticket sellers and our treasury staff, all of whom stepped up to do the extra hours to make our Friday night happen. Many of these same volunteers were back early the next morning, for their regular shifts at the “Saturday Mayfair.” You were all terrific!

Community spirit

Each year, Mayfair has two purposes: it’s a fundraiser for Mooredale, and also a neighbourhood fair that strengthens our community and provides a terrific experience for our children. Mayfair 2011 was a financial success, and also a great community event. Mayfair wouldn’t be possible without an army of volunteers. There were scores of students, many of them earning their community service hours. We also had hundreds of adult volunteers, some of them dividing their time between supervising their own children, and helping with the event. I heard from several adults who were “returning” to Mayfair as volunteers this year, having last attended as children. This was the 66th annual Mayfair in Rosedale Park, and it showed that our community spirit is alive and well!

Mayfair in Rosedale Park May 13-14, 2011

"Look at me!!"

Worlds Finest Shows were already in the park today, setting up the big carnival rides. Mayfair starts up in Rosedale Park on Friday evening, May 13, at 5:00 p.m., with rides, BBQ food, and live jazz in the Steam Whistle Beer Garden. Then, Saturday morning, the whole show really gets going at 9:00 a.m., with midway games and all the hoopla of Mayfair in full swing.

While the biggest and tallest rides get most of the attention, there’s another set of rides that play an important role too. The “kiddie rides,” like the little cars and the merry-go-round, are classic rites of passage for generations of children. Can you think back to your first visit to a fair? Some of us would have to admit that we were pretty terrified about getting into one of those cars by ourselves. Our grown-up would hand us over to a strange man who would reach across and snap a threatening metal bar in place, making sure we didn’t escape from the contraption. Parents would stand along the sidelines, waving and taking pictures, while we would try to be brave and smile, all the while holding on fiercely to the handlebar so that we didn’t topple out on the turns!

Mayfair has four kiddie rides this year, all tried-and-true challenges for those small adventurers who are still too young for Canada’s Wonderland, or the Ex. Parents will be standing anxiously, beaming bright smiles as their little ones come around the turn each time. You’ll see the ones who start out cautiously, and then get bolder and more jubilant as they master each circuit of the track!

Other “kiddie” attractions at Mayfair include the classic Fish Pond – the same metal trough that their parents may have fished from a generation ago – and the Art Tent, staffed by volunteers from the Avenue Road Arts School. Parents should also steer their kids to the Ontario Science Centre Tent. OSC staff will draw out your child’s sense of wonder with hands-on activities that including making a comet, and experimenting with planets on a rope… Making the mysteries of space into something you can touch.

Mayfair on Friday evening?

Mayfair on Friday evening? Count me in!

It’s true… We’re having a “Mayfair’s Eve Preview” on Friday, May 13, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It won’t be the full-bore blast of the Saturday Mayfair, but it will be fun! Here’s what will be happening on Friday evening:

– Carnival rides! All the big rides from World’s Finest Shows will be up and running. 

– The Steam Whistle Beer & Wine Garden! Lots of seating, so this will be a great place for class reunions and neighbourhood get-togethers in the park.

– The Mayfair BBQ! Featuring gourmet ribs from Summerhill Market, on Friday night only! (Also, Webers burgers, and premium nitrite-free hot dogs for the kids.)

– Jazz in the park! The Bob Clegg Jazz Band will be on the main stage, performing from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Special rides bonus this year

Since this is the first year we’re doing the Friday evening rides, we’ve decided your kids can pick up their ride-all-day bracelets and use them on Friday evening, and still come back for more rides the next day (using the same bracelet!) And you can also buy tickets at the park, to use on rides, food, drinks, french fries, and candy floss.

Family-friendly beer garden

There’s no cover charge for the Beer Garden, and you can bring your kids in with you. (Obviously, SmartServe rules will be strictly enforced, by the trained professionals from Steam Whistle Brewing.) A perfect time to relax, enjoy some gourmet ribs and a beer, feed the family, and enjoy the jazz, and hang out with some friends and neighbours. See you at the park!

Ride all Day Bracelets – Mayfair in Rosedale Park

Photo by Karin Lawton

Mayfair 2011 will be on Saturday, May 14th, at Rosedale Park. We’ll have a great collection of rides for the entire family from World’s Finest Shows, and the ride-all-day bracelets are available for $30.

Advance sale locations are Summerhill Market, 446 Summerhill Avenue, and Mooredale House, 146 Crescent Road. From now till May 11th,  you’ll be able to purchase vouchers which get redeemed at the fair for the ride bracelets. These bracelets will provide all-day admission to the mechanical rides at Mayfair.

This year, you’ll also be able to pick up and use your Ride-all-Day bracelets from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday, May 13, at the “Mayfair’s Eve Preview.”  That’s four bonus hours of rides, all for the one price!

To avoid disappointment, plan to get your vouchers early. Remember, the last day to purchase vouchers is Wednesday, May 11th!

Parade routes – Mayfair in Rosedale Park, May 14th

Mayfair parade routes – Rosedale and Moore Park

Each Mayfair Saturday morning starts with the two neighbourhood parades. Kids dressed up in costumes (this year’s theme is “Mayfair in Space!”) join the parade routes as they wind through the local streets.  The Moore Park parade sets out from Moorevale Park on Welland Avenue, at 8:15 a.m. The Rosedale parade starts from Whitney Park on Glen Road, at 8:30 a.m. They meet up on Summerhill Avenue at the foot of the railway bridge, and march together to the entrance of Rosedale Park. Kids dressed up for the theme receive prizes from the Mayfair costume spotters as the parade nears the park. When they get there at 9:00 a.m., the rides are ready, candy floss is spinning, and the Midway Games are open!

Musicians, antique cars, perhaps some police on motorbikes or horseback… This neighbourhood parade tradition started with the first Mayfair in 1946. This year, it’s on Saturday, May 14th. If you’re up and around, come out and cheer them on!

Mayfair in Rosedale Park: Enter the memories contest

http://twitter.com/#!/RMPAMooredale/status/50960571985707008

Mooredale House has a contest going, and you don’t have to say much to enter… In fact, you’re limited to 140 characters! This is a Twitter contest, and the rules are simple. Tweet your memory of previous Mayfairs, and include these two things in your message: @rmpaMooredale and #mayfairinspace. The first is Mooredale’s Twitter account (they want you to become a Twitter follower!) and the second is the hashtag for this year’s Mayfair in Rosedale Park.

If you haven’t signed up with Twitter yet, this is your chance to get started. Just click here and sign up… it’s free!

The contest winner gets a free Ride-all-Day bracelet for this year’s Mayfair in Rosedale Park. Mayfair is on Saturday, May 14th, and there’s a bonus this year: The carnival rides will be running for four extra hours on the evening before Mayfair. On Friday, May 13th, we’re having a Mayfair’s Eve Preview from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and you’ll be able to ride the rides, have dinner in the park, and listen to jazz in the beer garden. And yes, for 2011 at least, one ride-all-day bracelet will let the kids ride on both days. Sweet deal!

The full Mayfair program starts as usual on the Saturday morning, with the two neighbourhood parades entering the park at 9:00 a.m. There’ll be games, prizes, bingo, home baking, the Mayfair Marketplace, special space-themed bouncies, and some special attractions. Follow Mooredale’s tweets, or visit the Mayfair web site.

I hope I’ll see see you at Mayfair…

Joanne Pauli
Chair, Mayfair 2011
“Mayfair in Space!”

We come in peace!

Mayfair in Space – Rosedale Park, May 14th

This year’s Mayfair will be a blast! The rides (by Worlds Finest Shows) are going to be out of this world. As a special bonus, the rides will be up and running for four extra hours on the Friday evening before Mayfair. Kids will be able to go on the rides from 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. on May 13th, as well as from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday. Good news: the ride-all-day bracelets include unlimited rides Friday evening as well! 

Vouchers for the ride-all-day bracelets are $30 each. They go on sale April 25th, and will be available till Wednesday, May 11th. The sale locations are Summerhill Market, 446 Summerhill Avenue, and Mooredale House, 146 Crescent Road.

We hope that the Friday evening preview will be a fun time for families to come out to Rosedale Park. We’ll have BBQ food and the Beer Garden down the other end of the park, and a traditional jazz combo on the Main Stage.  So let the kids try out some rides, and then bring them on over for an easy dinner in the park!