Sociable Spaces

Dec.19, 2018: Park People pop-up

June 2015: Dan's Table

The picnic tables and benches, planters and trellises, and shade umbrellas are now in place. This was a project brokered by CELOS, and wholly funded by the GH Wood Foundation. The builder was Mike Conway, who is an artist as well as a carpenter (and it shows!). Park friend Pete Gaffney generously made his carpentry shop available to Mike. A special Saturday Night Dinner on June 20 inaugurated the new space, named “Dan’s Table #2,” in honour of Dan DeMatteis, one of the first cooks for Friday Night Supper (it began in 2003).

The inspiration (copied from James Davis' Foodshare project)

When we heard from the GH Wood Foundation that they wanted to fund this, James was busy with other projects, so he couldn't build the sitting area for us. But he shared his plans:

The Foodshare rooftop garden image we got from James Davis

March/April 2015

this was the place that needed a sitting area

Mike built them in a back yard in April/May 2015

June 2015: seating area installed on two weekend days

people sat down right away

the trellises and the planters form the boundary

one corner is just for sitting

the other three have triangle tables

July 2015

blue shade umbrellas from Rona's, $40 each

overflow at Friday Night Supper

Cost: Wood and hardware: $6,336.01

Labour: $12,415.00

August 2016, one year later

the wood has faded to silvery gray

the plants like the trellises

Dan's Table is now the park's main social area, even when the bake oven is not on.