By Fred Alvarado

Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

On October 28th, Friends of Regent Park hosted October Fun Fest at the bake oven located in the Big Park. The event was a combination of Halloween Party, Oktoberfest and Fall Fest where community members enjoyed BBQ sizzled with sausages, face painting by Dina Belaia, pumpkin carving, storytelling by Jim Adams, cookie decorating by Filipinos in Regent Park, dance demonstrations by Dancing with Parkinson’s Canada, music, apple crisp cooked in the outdoor bake oven, and hot beverages provided by Cafe Zuzu, ZERO Cocktail Bar and Fred Victor.

Friends of Regent Park transformed the garden into a pumpkin patch where children selected a pumpkin to carve, listen to an indigenous storyteller or take books from the Children’s book Bank.

“Just being out here makes me happy,” said Regent Park resident Sara Albasaie who had a beautiful fox face painting on her face while enjoying the festival with big smiles; “I basically know everyone here and just see people smiling is the reason I come here for. It’s important that everyone comes out as people is wearing very cute costumes, and not being isolated because people got so used to Covid,” Sarah said.

Since 2014, Friends of Regent Park group have hosted various events in the park including Fall Fridays, Winterfest, harvest events, skating events, community cleanups and bake oven workshops. Regent Park community enjoys the activities Friends of Regent Park organize and this helps to build community engagement and social cohesion. The group consists of representatives from TCHC, condos, local co-ops and neighbouring communities. Their goal is to animate the space and advocate for: sustainability and preservation; positive food security, increased health and wellness, and inclusivity.