What’s up West End!

Last week we had our first ever Dinner Party, and it was super awesome. 75 West Enders swarmed the Christie Pits area for a night of tasty food and connections. We made dinner reservations in tables of six based on a personality questionnaire, and at the end of the night all of the tables met up at Gochu Libre Kantina for an afterparty.

The vibe was blessed. Not only did we have a great sense of community, we also supported a ton of local spots like Banjara, Mapo, and Zui Beer Bar. Thank you to everyone who came out! I was very impressed by how cool you all were. We will definitely do another one of these in November, more info in next week’s newsletter.

Here are some pics from the event! I was foolish and didn’t really take any but our tables did:

Big thank you to Fiesta Farms for sponsoring the event and making it such a success. If you’re not familiar, they’re an amazing family run grocer in the West End. They also have a great newsletter that tells you what local produce is fresh and what’s on sale - check it out here!

Finally - thanks to everyone who entered our first ever Giveaway! A hearty congrats to Christina V from Bloor West Village(ish) who won the prize. Hope you enjoy some beer ‘n a book (in a bag!) Stay tuned for more down the road.

Itching to get a copy of ‘The Minute Givers’ as soon as possible? You can support a West End bookshop (and a local author…who yes, is my wife) by preordering today! Just make sure to hit the “Shop Local” button.

Alright, enough talking about our stuff. There’s a lot of good spooky things happening in the West End.

Let’s get to ‘em.

Want your brand to reach 13,000+ locals? Click here.

I bloody love a dang bagel. And in Toronto, particularly West of Bathurst, they can be a wee bit scarce (at least quality ones.) But as of last weekend, that scarcity abated, if only a bit, with the opening of Company Bagels at 92 Ossington ave.

Owner, Mark Matone, made the dubious but oh-so “I want to believe” claim that he’s eaten a bagel every morning for the past decade. If true, that is 3650 bagels — and that’s only for breakfast! So he likely knows what he’s on about re: bagels. I’d add to that the beautiful bagel blisters in his photos make my mouth water.

Read more here.

This story is really more of a “Downtown” kinda thing, but since there’s nothing more “West” than a sunset, I’m going to allow it. This weekend, the last Torontohenge (the phenomenon where the sun aligns perfectly through several major east/west cooridors) of 2026 occurs, Sunday at 6:18pm.

For the instagram-loving crowd, it’s a must see (and snap). For the rest of us…try not to stare into the sun too long, eh? The best places to catch it are on King West near Roy Thompson Hall, and on Bloor St. just west of Yonge.

Read more here.

We have another (much smaller) West End Raccoon event! Look at us go! Every year the Junction Historical Society does a Ghost Tour/Pub Crawl, and we’re collabing this Friday for a special Raccoon readers night!

In this tour you'll hear spooky tales of the Junction's past, while enjoying great drinks of the Junction's present.

​Toronto folklorist Neil Ross will take us on a tour through some of the city's most haunted areas. You'll hear stories like the infamous Woman in White, who still lurks in dark corners of the neighbourhood.

​Here's how the night will work:

It’s going to be a lot of fun, and like the dinner party a great way to meet other cool West Enders. I did post this on our Instagram yesterday, which accidentally resulted in us selling out most of the tickets (thank you everyone :)). 10 spots are left!

Get tickets here.

Okay this is about as affordable as we can get in the West End! For $350k you can grab this studio apartment at 215 Dovercourt. It may be so small that I had to include 2 photos of the hallway in the gif, but it actually has a lot going for it.

There’s a ton of natural light coming in through the big windows, you can see some greenery, plus you get a balcony AND parking spot. You’re also super close to Ossington station. But again - two photos of the hallway.

Check it out!

Crokinole - Learn & Play at Board Games Arboretum @ Games Arboretum - Thurs 7pm. Arguably the most Canadian tabletop game...ever! Come play, and be shocked at how good people are at Crokinole. Details.

Halloween Trivia at The Alpine @ The Alpine - Thurs 7pm. It’s like regular trivia...but spookier! Plus a costume contest. Details.

Buff-Hehehe - A Buffy the Vampire Themed Comedy Show! @ Tallboys - Thurs 8pm. Just try to read the title of this show without immediately doing the Michael Jackson “hee hee!” Details.

Town of Hardcore @ Lithuanian House - Fri 4pm - Sun 4am. You know what’s hardcore? Two dollars of every ticket from this hardcore fest (with after parties at The Garrison) goes to the Parkdale Food Bank. Details.

MONSTERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO: Art exhibition featuring monsters drawn from people’s imaginations. @ Gallery 1065 - Fri 6pm. Take a step into the creepy corners of other people’s minds as their imaginary monsters are brought to life through the magic of art. Let’s see AI attempt that! Details.

Look Across the Water Premiere Screening (Wavelength @ St. Anne’s) @ St. Anne’s Parish Hall - Fri 7pm. Wavelength presents the Toronto premiere of Look Across the Water, a vibey, DIY folk-horror feature shot on the Toronto Islands. Details.

Fantasy Fight Night @ Trinity St. Paul’s Centre - Fri 7pm. Now, buff men simulating violent acts to each other may not seem like it could be attached to animal wellfare...but in this case you’d be wrong! Details.

Colle Collage Night @ Coffee & All That Jazz - Fri 7pm. “Join us at Coffee & All That Jazz for an evening of collage-making. No experience needed. All supplies provided.” Details.

BRAND NEW BITCH! RETURN OF THE MOMMY!!! @ The Wych - Fri 9pm. Pro drag a bit daunting? This drag show is for newbies! Also, a discounted cover if you show up in costume. Details.

5th Annual Grand Haunt @ The Grand Order of Divine Sweets - Sat 11am. Calling all scavenger hunters -- this one’s got a grand prize that’s a chocolate skull....filled with an honest-to-god $1000 in cash! Details.

Loohoo Cute N Creepy Market @ Loohoo - Sat 12pm. I like a lil cute with my creepy. Enjoy a witchy artisan market, perfect for spoopy season. Details.

TalkDeath’s Cemetery Scavenger Hunt @ Park Lawn Cemetery - Sat 2:30pm. “TalkDeath’s Cemetery Scavenger Hunt encourages people to appreciate and learn about local cemeteries and their histories through a guided search of the grounds.” Details.

A Fall Photography & Social Walk @ High Park - Sat 3pm. “The idea is to get outside, enjoy the fall colours and meet some new people while we’re at it. We’ve also put together a photo scavenger hunt with some High Park-specific riddles, little fall treat bags and a few prizes.” Details.

Fates & Fortunes Nature Walk in High Park @ High Park Nature Centre - Sat 5:30pm. A witchy, spooked-up take on a nature walk. Details.

What’s for Dinner (Halloween-themed Rock n’ Roll show) @ Rainhard Brewing - Sat 8pm. What elevates a rock show from the live music section to the events? A fully costumed audience, that’s what. Details.

Illustrated Recipes @ Hot Pizza - Sat 7:30pm. Like recipes but hate words? Illustrate ’em instead at Hot Pizza! Details.

fetNOIR: Blood Ball - Vamps & Vampires Theme @ Ground Control - Sat 9pm. There’s just no way I can write a better description than the one on their poster: “Ground Control to Major Dom...Music for horny vampires by DJ Lazarus.” Details.

CARNIVAL FAIRy Party @ Bampot House of Tea - Sat 9pm. Just imagine a spooky circus, add a dash of queer-friendliness, and you more or less get the picture! Details.

Artist Tour at 8x7 with Karim Charlebois @ 8x7 - Sun 12pm. “8x7 presents a public carving performance by Montreal-based sculptor Karim Charlebois. The artist will be situated at a carving station with a work-in-progress piece, letting the wood shavings accumulate on the floor.” Details.

Pumpkins, Potions & Tarot @ Teddy Beer - Sun 1pm. Pumpkin painting. Because who likes dealing with pumpkin guts? Details.

Seed Harvesting Pollinator Garden Tour @ 102 Tyndall Ave. - Sun 1pm. “Our Seed Harvesting Garden Tour is one of our funnest events of the year. Ask all your questions about which native plants work well in different light and soil conditions, and harvest the seeds you want to take home. We’ll discuss how to dry and store seeds until you’re ready to plant. Take a free native plant home.” Details.

Disco Descendants Halloween Family Rave @ The Piston - Sun 2pm. Because of course there’s a family-friendly candy-fuelled costume rave on a Sunday — it’s the West End, after all! Details.

Magic the Gathering: Commander @ Danu Social House - Sun 5pm. Time to bust out your favourite legendary creature (no, I don’t mean your spouse!) for a game of all-skill-levels-welcome MTG Commander! Details.

Bloordale Ghost Walk @ Bloordale - Sun 6:30pm. A spooky walk through Bloordale’s most terrifying spaces, visiting the ghosts that haunt them. Led by Shari Kasman, Unofficial Mayor of Bloordale and Expert in Haunted Establishments and Supernatural Matters. Details.

Thanks for reading the West End Raccoon, please enjoy our West End Pet of the Week! Submit yours by responding to this email, with your preferred name/nickname/initials and neighbourhood for a chance to be featured. (Calling all bird, lizard and fish people — I like ‘em weird!)

As always, if you know a friend or family member who might be interested, please share the newsletter with them: www.westendraccoon.ca

Hope you folks have a fantastic weekend.

Cam Smonk & Xavier