We invite you to join us for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30p.m. at the John McKenzie House (34 Parkview Ave). This will be an in-person event and refreshments will be served. It is very important that we get as many members out for this event as possible as we review the formal business activity of the association and vote in WCRA Directors from the general membership.

As per formal protocol, we will be voting in Directors to the WCRA. If you are interested in submitting your name for a Director position, please provide your full name, contact information and a short profile (optional) by email to willowdalecra@gmail.com in advance of the AGM. Alternatively, you can declare yourself during the meeting when the moderator invites candidates.

We encourage new memberships, and membership renewals at any time.  Membership is $20 for the year (per household).  Payments can be made by cheques, or through our website. If you are not sure of your membership status, please email us at willowdalecra@gmail.com

Learn how to stay safe online in a relaxed, easy workshop. We'll go over how to spot common scams and protect yourself on the internet — no tech experience needed!

Saturday, May 10
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
21 Hendon Ave

Call 416-733-4111 to sign up. FREE for members and non-members!

After its world premiere in 2011, Hannah Moscovitch’s moving play returns to Toronto for a limited engagement. Confined within the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto, Dr. Janusz Korczak struggles to protect the children at his orphanage from the horrors of the Second World War. Based on the WWII advocacy work of Dr. Janusz Korczak, The Children’s Republic is a reminder of the hope that can still be found in a world devoid of freedom and the necessities of life. Veteran actors Alon Nashman and Sarah Orenstein are joined by four young actors from TanenbaumCHAT and directed by Richard Rose. Produced by Willowdale's own - Sebastian Biasucci 

For tickets visit: https://hgjewishtheatre.com/2024-2025-TheChildrensRepublic.html 

Presented by 

Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company and Koffler Arts in partnership with TanenbaumCHAT.

Come join your neighbours for a pleasant walk, along sections of the northern reaches of Wilket Creek in Willowdale, while we listen for and see birds, including resident ones and those in migration. The walk lasts about 2 hours (with an option to leave after one hour) and returns to the starting point. Volunteers knowledgeable about Willlowdale's birds will be guides. Children are most welcome! All walkways are paved, with accessible curbs for strollers, walkers and wheelchairs.

Everyone is welcome, whether you are new to birds or a long-time birder. Bring your family and friends! Those who know their birds can help us see and hear them, but no prior bird knowledge is necessary.

The link to eventbrite is:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/willowdale-bird-walk-from-lee-lifeson-art-park-tickets-1303046359739?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1

Looking for the perfect Season’s gift? Look no further: celebrate the New Year in style!

Experience the magic of the award-winning Kindred Spirits Orchestra, under the inspiring leadership of Maestro Kristian Alexander, a proud representative of Bulgaria’s rich musical heritage. The Kindred Spirits Orchestra embodies excellence, uniting musicians from diverse backgrounds and connecting with the Bulgarian community, whose musical traditions trace back to Orpheus and resonate through Bulgarian folklore to contemporary opera stages.

This festive concert is set to be the Crown Jewel of the season, offering an extraordinary experience.

Adding to the magic of the evening are our special guests: internationally renowned bass-baritone Geo Chobanov, a celebrated Bulgarian singer returning to Canada by overwhelming popular demand, and the abundantly talented Canadian soprano Alexa Frankian.

Together with the full 78-musician orchestra, they will present a one-of-a-kind, world-class New Year’s Gala featuring arias, duets, and beloved operatic masterpieces by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Rossini, Gounod, Tchaikovsky, and more.

The event will be hosted by Mark Wigmore from Classical 96.3 FM, adding his unique charm to this unforgettable celebration.

All proceeds will go toward supporting exceptional talent, including young and underprivileged musicians.

Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration!

Purchase your tickets NOW: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/10006165C88D30DE?_ga=2.79161362.7240739.1731076162-1846857259.1731076162

Can’t attend in person?
Share the gift of music with your loved ones by purchasing tickets as Season’s gifts.
Come and experience the magic of a season filled with love, hope, and new beginnings!

NeighbourLink North York's 4th We Love Willowdale Christmas Market is Saturday, November 30th at Mel Lastman Square!

 Artisan Market 2-8pm
Festive Tree Lighting Presented by the Yonge North York BIA 6:30pm

At the market you’ll find:
- 50+ artisan vendors and small businesses
- Live Entertainment & Community Sing-a-Long 
- Food Trucks (including Beaver Tails) 
- Hot Chocolate 
- Family Photo Booth 
- Kids Activities from Sunnyside Up Camp
- Santa and Mrs Claus 

- Cram A Cruiser Food Drive - bring a non-perishable food item!

You're encouraged to RSVP each attendee from your group for the market. General RSVP (13+) is a suggested $5 donation! You can also donate in person at the event! Funds raised through donations from the public go directly to supporting our neighbours this holiday season through NeighbourLink's food bank, senior, youth and newcomer programs!

You can learn more about the market and RSVP at

Christmas Market Link

S’MAD - Sustainable Market Art & Design invites you to an Ontario Culture Days & Nuit Blanche event: “The present is Everything: Future to Past”

Come by Historic John Mckenzie Houses and enjoy two days of artistic celebration featuring a collection of International Artists!

Ontario Culture Days Schedule: October 6th

All Hours: Art Exhibition and museum store artisan market

S’MAD - Sustainable Market Art & Design invites you to an Ontario Culture Days & Nuit Blanche event: “The present is Everything: Future to Past”

Come by Historic John Mckenzie Houses and enjoy two days of artistic celebration featuring a collection of International Artists!

Nuit Blanche Schedule: October 5th

All Hours: Art Exhibition and museum store artisan market

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Indigenous smudging ceremony and drumming circle by Four Colours Drum Circle

1:00pm - 5:00pm: Teachings & books from the Custodians of the Medicine Wheel Garden, (Heart Lake Brampton TRCA, Cidalia and Steven WinterHawk)

6:00pm - 6:30pm: Cellist, Anupa Perara & Percussionist, Chamil Janith

6:45pm - 7:15pm: Yoga class by Shilpa Mathew (bring your own mat)

7:30pm - 8:30pm: Life drawing class instructed by Martha Johnson & Vera Kabo Tse

9:00pm - midnight: Films by RIBA member Mohammed Khizr Studio & Video art from France, USA and Canada

Produced by TOES FOR DANCE (@toesfordance), the 4th annual Common Ground Dance Festival includes energetic and grounded dance workshops for all levels in a variety of styles, compelling site performances that animate unexpected spaces, charming and evocative mainstage performances featuring both student and professional dancers with live music, and insightful artist talks through which audience members can connect with the inspiring dancers and choreographers who bring the festival to life!

The festival’s mission is intercultural, with programming that gathers a diverse constellation of Toronto’s artists and community members for the purpose of creating connection and shared understanding. We invite you to witness the beauty and power of multiple artistic expressions moving through a shared space, and to contribute your energy and presence to the experience. It is our hope that our friendly vibe, matched with the incredible talent of the artists on stage will move you, uplift you, challenge you to think in different ways, and inspire you.

Featured artists and choreographers include Dr. Sanjukta Banerjee and Harikishan S Nair, Groove Collective (Katelyn Bernard, Nia, Emma Rosborough, Kelly Gammie and Queenie Seguban), Prajakta Dravid - Atmika, Rakeem Hardy, Diana López and Victòria Mata, Barbara Simms, Sarah Hin Ching U, Raoul Wilke and Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser, and more!

More details at: www.toesfordance.ca/common-ground

Produced by TOES FOR DANCE (@toesfordance), the 4th annual Common Ground Dance Festival includes energetic and grounded dance workshops for all levels in a variety of styles, compelling site performances that animate unexpected spaces, charming and evocative mainstage performances featuring both student and professional dancers with live music, and insightful artist talks through which audience members can connect with the inspiring dancers and choreographers who bring the festival to life!

The festival’s mission is intercultural, with programming that gathers a diverse constellation of Toronto’s artists and community members for the purpose of creating connection and shared understanding. We invite you to witness the beauty and power of multiple artistic expressions moving through a shared space, and to contribute your energy and presence to the experience. It is our hope that our friendly vibe, matched with the incredible talent of the artists on stage will move you, uplift you, challenge you to think in different ways, and inspire you.

Featured artists and choreographers include Dr. Sanjukta Banerjee and Harikishan S Nair, Groove Collective (Katelyn Bernard, Nia, Emma Rosborough, Kelly Gammie and Queenie Seguban), Prajakta Dravid - Atmika, Rakeem Hardy, Diana López and Victòria Mata, Barbara Simms, Sarah Hin Ching U, Raoul Wilke and Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser, and more!

More details at: www.toesfordance.ca/common-ground

Produced by TOES FOR DANCE (@toesfordance), the 4th annual Common Ground Dance Festival includes energetic and grounded dance workshops for all levels in a variety of styles, compelling site performances that animate unexpected spaces, charming and evocative mainstage performances featuring both student and professional dancers with live music, and insightful artist talks through which audience members can connect with the inspiring dancers and choreographers who bring the festival to life!

The festival’s mission is intercultural, with programming that gathers a diverse constellation of Toronto’s artists and community members for the purpose of creating connection and shared understanding. We invite you to witness the beauty and power of multiple artistic expressions moving through a shared space, and to contribute your energy and presence to the experience. It is our hope that our friendly vibe, matched with the incredible talent of the artists on stage will move you, uplift you, challenge you to think in different ways, and inspire you.

Featured artists and choreographers include Dr. Sanjukta Banerjee and Harikishan S Nair, Groove Collective (Katelyn Bernard, Nia, Emma Rosborough, Kelly Gammie and Queenie Seguban), Prajakta Dravid - Atmika, Rakeem Hardy, Diana López and Victòria Mata, Barbara Simms, Sarah Hin Ching U, Raoul Wilke and Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser, and more!

More details at: www.toesfordance.ca/common-ground

Tuesday Night Concert Series at Lee Lifeson Park TUESDAY- 6:30-8:30pm

Unleash your creative musical potential! Join Rosalind Zhang and her buddies every Tuesday evening in August for a free, family-friendly interactive concert series at Lee Lifeson Art Park. Every week will feature a different orchestral family, which means you can meet a lot of musical instruments! 

Designed to offer a rich experience, the concerts will be filled with tunes familiar and new, engaging conversations, and to top it off, you can help make music together! Perfect for all levels, including those interested in learning music but don’t know where to start!

Click Here to follow her on Instagram.

Future Forward Fair:

Get ready for the Future Forward Fair on Tuesday, August 27th, from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM at the John McKenzie House, 34 Parkview Ave, North York, ON M2N 3Y2! Enjoy a vibrant showcase of local youth artisans, plus free face painting and caricatures. It’s a fantastic chance for young entrepreneurs to spotlight their businesses without any event space costs.

Interested in being a vendor? Apply here.

Garden Party:

Join us for a Garden Party on Friday, August 23rd, from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM at the John McKenzie House! Enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of pot painting and a fascinating presentation on indigenous plants. Bring your own pots for a creative painting session or use one of our upcycled pots. Plus, we’re hosting a clothing drive, so feel free to bring gently used clothing.

RSVP here!

Tuesday Night Concert Series at Lee Lifeson Park TUESDAY- 6:30-8:30pm

Unleash your creative musical potential! Join Rosalind Zhang and her buddies every Tuesday evening in August for a free, family-friendly interactive concert series at Lee Lifeson Art Park. Every week will feature a different orchestral family, which means you can meet a lot of musical instruments! 

Designed to offer a rich experience, the concerts will be filled with tunes familiar and new, engaging conversations, and to top it off, you can help make music together! Perfect for all levels, including those interested in learning music but don’t know where to start!

Click Here to follow her on Instagram.

Tuesday Night Concert Series at Lee Lifeson Park TUESDAY- 6:30-8:30pm

Unleash your creative musical potential! Join Rosalind Zhang and her buddies every Tuesday evening in August for a free, family-friendly interactive concert series at Lee Lifeson Art Park. Every week will feature a different orchestral family, which means you can meet a lot of musical instruments! 

Designed to offer a rich experience, the concerts will be filled with tunes familiar and new, engaging conversations, and to top it off, you can help make music together! Perfect for all levels, including those interested in learning music but don’t know where to start!

Click Here to follow her on Instagram.

Tuesday Night Concert Series at Lee Lifeson Park BEGINS NEXT TUESDAY, August 6 - 6:30-8:30pm

Unleash your creative musical potential! Join Rosalind Zhang and her buddies every Tuesday evening in August for a free, family-friendly interactive concert series at Lee Lifeson Art Park. Every week will feature a different orchestral family, which means you can meet a lot of musical instruments! 

Designed to offer a rich experience, the concerts will be filled with tunes familiar and new, engaging conversations, and to top it off, you can help make music together! Perfect for all levels, including those interested in learning music but don’t know where to start!

Click Here to follow her on Instagram.

The Willowdale Central Ratepayer’s Association (WCRA) and Toronto All Star Big Band are looking to bring back the beloved, and widely popular Sunday Serenades. This long standing summer program had been delivered by the City of Toronto for over two decades, up to 2017. We are excited to be bringing this event back for two dates in July. Save the date and bring your dancing shoes for this one!

This free outdoor concert series will feature live swing, big band and jazz acts, Sunday evenings in July.

Looking for help with your phone, computer, or an application?… Stop by the John Mckenzie House on July 25th between 2-4pm for a FREE consultation. NeighbourLink North York will be hosting this event along with a team of tech volunteers.

The Willowdale Central Ratepayer’s Association (WCRA) and Toronto All Star Big Band are looking to bring back the beloved, and widely popular Sunday Serenades. This long standing summer program had been delivered by the City of Toronto for over two decades, up to 2017. We are excited to be bringing this event back for two dates in July. Save the date and bring your dancing shoes for this one!

This free outdoor concert series will feature live swing, big band and jazz acts, Sunday evenings in July.

The WCRA is very excited to be partnering with Yonge North BIA for this large scale community event. Be sure to check out Mel Lastman Square on July 1st, it has been programmed from noon till 10pm with all sorts of exciting Canadiana activities!

The WCRA will be hosting live music on the main stage from noon till 6:30pm. Be sure to come by and take in the sights and sounds.

More details can be found through the link below:

Yonge North Canada Day Celebrations

Prove a Villain is a radical reimagining of Shakespeare’s Richard III, 

Examining a queer woman’s doomed venture to succeed within the bounds of the patriarchy. Panoply has written new text to supplement Shakespeare’s canon, and this new piece tells a story of shame, womanhood, and the cyclical nature of oppression.

The play will be co-produced by Bard in the Park and Community Centre 55, with support from the Willowdale Central Ratepayers Association (WCRA) and Ontario Historic Society (OHS). 

We will be performing throughout June, starting in the Beaches, then touring our show to the John McKenzie House June 21-23!

Reserve your seat now using the link below:

Prove a Villain Ticket Link

Follow us on Instagram & Facebook, or sign up for our mailing list, to stay up-to-date on cast announcements, when tickets go on sale, and more!