Ka'Wine & Dine

Location: Queen Street East

Date photo taken: 2 June 2019

Last week, Toronto made history. The first NBA finals game ever played outside the United States was won right here. It might have taken 24 years, but the Toronto Raptors are in the finals. A huge factor in this impressive achievement is Kawhi Leonard, who the Raptors acquired last summer. The problem is, he's a free agent after this season and most reports indicate he wants to return home to California. Sports fans in the city want him to stay here. Ka'wine & Dine is one of the creative ways businesses across the city are showing their love. By placing one of these decals in their window, they are promising to provide free meals to Kawhi for life if he stays here next year. Other businesses have taken the campaign and added their own twist (the one by the Adult Safe Hockey League is one of my favourites). If you're not a business, you can still show your love by making a donation to a charity supported by the "Give back for Kawhi" campaign.

Hockey Heritage Mural - Summit Series

Location: Rail underpass on Davenport near Caledonia Park Rd.
Date photo taken: 10 September 2015

It was 45 years ago this week that Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in game eight to clinch the first Canada-USSR Summit Series. That moment, with Henderson celebrating and being embraced by teammate Yvan Cournoyer, was captured by Canadian Press photographer Frank Lennon. That image has been recreated on a railway underpass at Davenport and Calendonia Park as part of a hockey heritage mural. At over thirty metres wide it depicts personalities and moments from Canada's golden years of hockey, from 1951 to 1993. Created by the Davenport Arts Community, they endeavour to go beyond the creation of static murals, incorporating augmented reality and interactive animation into their designs, a process they call murography, allowing the viewer to interact through their smartphone. I wish I had known this when I visited the site. If you've interacted with the mural, please leave a comment below and share your experience.