Holiday activities at Toronto's Market Gallery and Market Kitchen

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:

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News Release:  December 10, 2012         

The City of Toronto's Market Gallery and Market Kitchen in the South St. Lawrence Market will hold a special holiday event on Saturday, December 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"The St. Lawrence Market holds a very special place in the lives and traditions of all Torontonians," said Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale). "This event is an ideal opportunity for families to add the market to their holiday traditions while learning about historic foods and Toronto's history."

At the event, children, families and market shoppers will have an opportunity to decorate festive cupcakes, listen to storytelling and sample gingerbread cookies from heritage recipes. Event activities include:

• children's colouring sheets and cupcake decorating (10 a.m. to noon) • a talk on Victorian Christmas traditions describing crafts, food and the Christmas tree, with a reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (noon to 1 p.m.) • traditional gingerbread demonstration and tasting using authentic historical recipes from the late 1700s and early 1800s (courtesy of the Fort York Historic Foodways Program) along with mulled-cider refreshments (courtesy of the St. Lawrence Market Tenants Association) running from 1 to 2 p.m.

All activities are free, but the Market Gallery has a pay-as-you-can policy for admission ($2 suggested). New to the gallery are souvenir items for purchase including shopping bags and reproductions of art from the City's collection, which are ideal for gift-giving.

The Market Gallery presents exhibitions on Toronto’s art, culture and history and offers educational programs for school groups and adults. The current exhibit, "The Water Czar: R. C. Harris Works for Toronto, 1912-45," highlights the career of a remarkable city builder responsible for major infrastructure projects including the R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant.

The Market Gallery and Market Kitchen are located on the 2nd floor and West Mezzanine of the South St. Lawrence Market, 95 Front St. E. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/culture/the_market_gallery.htm.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.7 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Media contacts:

Shane Gerard, Communications Coordinator, 416-397-5711, sgerard@toronto.ca Pamela Wachna, Coordinator, Collections and Outreach, 416-392-7604, pwachna@toronto.ca