Capital Village party 


By Jaason Geerts

On September 10, many of the denizens of Craig, Ella and Newton streets got together for a fabulous street party in Capital Park.

Even before my wife Ariane and I first moved to Craig Street a year ago, we had inklings about the character of our new neighbourhood. It began when the previous homeowners, Noëlle Harris and Sean Cahill, turned down higher offers for their house in favour of a sincere couple with a baby. That hospitality has continued since.

Our initiation into the community included housewarming gifts from neighbours, homemade cookies from the Carleton students next door and the extraordinary generosity of Hester Whatman and the Buy Nothing Facebook group. There were also invitations to face off on the Capital Park rink, which is run reluctantly by Dr. Lucas Badenduck and his grumpy assistant Dr. Wouter Bleeker, and to play footie matches arranged by John Sekerka and dominated by the Sider-Echenberg family.

In early spring, soon after our daughter Éloïse Noëlle was born, she gave us the idea of hosting a park party so she could meet more of our laudable neighbours. Thanks to Machi Marinou-Bleeker, Sachiko Okuda and others, a fabulous group came together to plan the party, and the baby had the time of her life. As soon as she was satisfied that the guests were revelling in each other’s company, following first-rate host decorum, she fell asleep.

Upping the ante would require replacing the Spotify “Meet the Locals 2022” playlist with live music, but as newbies keen to avoid disappointment as a first impression, we knew it had to be top class. But Ed Sheeran was too slow for the vibe we wanted, The Weekend lost his voice and Drake had COVID. Then a far superior option presented itself.

Having heard mythic tales of the annual Ella Street Party, featuring the musical talents of local celebrity D’Arcy McGuire and friends, we arranged an introduction and prepared a pitch to persuade yet distract from our non-existent budget. D’Arcy and his wife, Marge McIsaac, who organize the Ella Street Party, generously suggested combining our events and setting up in Capital Park. And so, joined by a team of collaborators, preparations began.

Fortunately, when 2 o’clock rolled around on September 10, it was a sunny, clear day without a hint of rain. The scene was set with tents for the stage and for food and beverage stations, an array of picnic tables and lawn chairs for fans of great music, valet parking and much more.

Kids were greeted with freezies (popular), bear claws (popular), popcorn (popular), fresh fruit (neglected) and a Disney-scale bouncy castle donated by Dominique Milnes and Lyne Burton from Engel and Völkers (popular).

Adults could indulge in Little Victories coffee, (a mystery concoction brewed by Julio, who claims to be the longest reigning nearby resident), and whatever a free hand allowed them to carry.

Roast-beast-calibre edibles were also in abundance, as countless neighbours brought food to share, including Rhonda John and her famous meatballs (I had seven) and Mickyung Joo, whose Korean grilled beef earned Michelin Star status. We are grateful to Rebecca McKeen and McKeen Metro, wh0 generously donated an arsenal of delicious hot dogs, condiments and supplies.

More than 100 people attended as generations united. There were babies as young as eight days old (though the award for the youngest goes to Logan Fice, who was coyly holding out three days after his due date, but dropped by with his parents, Kevin and Katie, nonetheless), children big and small, students, parents, grandparents and even great grandparents. The award for the oldest? Well, one partygoer revealed that he’s looking forward to his 100th birthday in not so many years.

The event was a chance after years of pandemic to reconnect with old friends, to meet new neighbours and to celebrate the community spirit of inclusion and generosity that attracted us to this area in the first place and keeps so many people here for the long haul.

It was also a chance to hear four hours of fabulous music. Musical guests included Ellagance, JB and the Saturday Nights, Molly McGuire, The Dirty Sheep, Parker Estabrooks, along with local artist Jaya Krishnan on drums while he waited for his granddaughter to be born.

Marge ran the party, D’Arcy ran the music, master chef Marc Rossove ran the grill, and Ariane and I ran back to the party, after darting home to put the baby down, just in time to hear a stellar rendition of “Lost Together.”

We enjoyed the time together and are very grateful to all those who contributed to its success. Special thanks to our sponsors, Rebecca McKeen, Dominique Milnes and Lyne Burton, Eric the tire guy, Ben Sherman for the tents, the young adults who helped supervise the bouncy castle, those who brought food, all the musicians, Marge and D’Arcy and of course all those who joined us.

Once the tents were down and the equipment safely stowed, D’Arcy said, “We should do this again . . . but not until next year”.

Jaason Geerts is a newcomer to Craig Street and one of the instigators of the Craig, Ella and Newton Street party held in Capital Park.

Photos: Lorrie Loewen