Mary Allen Neighbourhood Association

06/08/2026

**Mary Allen Neighbourhood, you are NOT going to want to miss this one!** 👇

Our neighbourhood is losing some absolute legends at the end of this month. Long-time residents, neighborhood staples, and storytellers extraordinaire Michael, Ambrose Kirby and Amber (their dog) are packing up and heading West to British Columbia! 🌲✈️

But before they go, the trio will be giving us the ultimate parting gift: **A Wild Storytelling Walking Tour.** 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️🐕💬

If you know Michael, Ambrose and Amber, you know they are wonderfully eccentric and hold the secret history of our streets. We’re talking about the epic pranks, the legendary neighborhood antics, and what it was *really* like growing up in Mary Allen back in the day.

💥 **CALLING ALL KIDS!** 💥
We want you there! The trio doesn’t need much prompting to get a story rolling, but we want our Mary Allen kids to come armed with their absolute best, most curious questions. Ask them about the wildest thing they ever got away with, what the park used to look like, or where the best hiding spots were!

When: Wednesday, June 17th at 6:00 PM
Start: Meet up at Mary Allen Park 🌲
Finish: We will wrap up the tour at Michael's house. Come out to hear some unbelievable local history, share a laugh, and wish Michael, Ambrose and Amber the most fantastic send-off to BC! See you all there! 👋✨

06/05/2026

OPEN EARS FESTIVAL IN UPTOWN THIS WEEKEND

Fragmented Forms
⏰June 6 @ 1 pm
📍 at 22 Willow St
💵$30/$5 student with ID

Bringing together versatile experimental musicians, Fragmented Forms plays with improvisation and historical music.
Drawing from medieval music and makam, this imaginative group takes you on a journey of musical time travel.

This upcoming performance features (violin) + (trombone) + Araz Salek (tar)

VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BK6b9difN/
Fragmented Forms at annettestudios

What Brings You In .a.ting
⏰June 6 @ 3 pm
📍 at 31 Caroline St N
💵$30/$5 student with ID

Presented by OE Patron Mohan Thomas

“This project grew out of my desire to have a different relationship with the audience. What happens if I bring more of myself to playing the violin? Do you bring more of yourself to listening?” – Leslie Ting, Creator/Performer

Based on interview research and personal experiences with talk therapy, hypnotherapy, dreamwork, sandplay, somatics, and Reiki, What Brings You In explores what it means to ‘be yourself’ with another.

The words “what brings you in” are treated both as a question and as an offering: what brings us into a performance venue or communal space, and what brings us inward to discover more about ourselves through listening?

💫VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LsBHQYTih/

NIMBA: The Performative Installation
⏰ June 6 @ 5 pm
📍 Waterloo City Hall
💵 FREE!

Land of inspiration and living heritage, Guinea carries two symbols that meet in Nimba: the Nimba mask (N’Dimba), a maternal figure of the Baga people embodying fertility, abundance, and protection and Mount Nimba, a massif listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its precious yet threatened biodiversity, guardian of a balance that must be protected.

Nimba: the performative installation conveys the complexity of the relationship between humans and living heritage — which inhabits us, shapes us, and transforms alongside us. Nimba is a journey, a return to the roots, and a momentum toward the future, carried by the strength of its roots.

Aly Keita creates a soundscape that supports and shapes the physical performance. The vibraphone, in dialogue with the musical framework, transforms vibration into a perceptible wave that envelops the experience, heightens perception, and opens new interpretations of the moving bodies.

This performance is part of Open Ears Festival 2026, which takes place June 4-7, 2026.
This experimental sound festival brings a transformative sonic experience to the Kitchener-Waterloo region, designed for curious ears!

Go to www.openears.ca to view the full festival schedule and purchase your festival pass

06/02/2026

Hope to see you there!! Everyone is welcome.

05/23/2026

We've made the call to change the yard sale to Sunday morning because of the rain. Hope to see many of you then!

05/22/2026

Hoping to see many of you out and about this Saturday for our annual Mary Allen Yard Sale 🌻

Keep an eye on socials. We'll make the call by 8am whether to change to May 24th (rain date) 🌧

05/08/2026

Only a couple weeks away! The Mary-Allen Neighbourhood Annual Yard Sale!

You'll find 20+ yard sales throughout the Mary-Allen Neighbourhood, along with art, snacks, fundraisers, and free curbside items!

Registration is still open if you'd like your Mary-Allen address added to the event map of sales. There is also a link to the map of sales (link in bio on IG and in comments on FB).

See you on MAY 23rd * 9am-1pm

(rain date May 24)

05/08/2026

Mary Allen Neighbourhood Newsletter – May 2026 🌷-

Check out the latest version of the Mary Allen Neighbourhood newsletter!!

05/02/2026

Two walks happening THIS SATURDAY!

Building community one playground at a time
When: Saturday May 2nd, 2 – 3 pm

Meeting Point: Corner of Lucan Avenue and Roger Street

Walk Leader: Susan Marchiori

This walk is for families and other interested in discussing how playgrounds contribute to community building.

AND

Collecting stories of Mary Allen Neighbourhood Makers
When: Saturday May 2nd, 3:30 – 5:00 pm

Meeting Point: 15 George Street, W-K Mennonite Church

Walk Leader: Kae Elgie

Riffing on the famous Jane Jacobs quote “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody” this Jane’s Walk asks: is the same true for neighbourhoods?

The 2001 Mary Allen Heritage Conservation District Study collected stories about the City Fathers [sic] and business people who lived in the area bounded by William, Willow, Union and King.

But what about the people who’ve made the current Mary Allen Neighbourhood … e.g. the people who turned the charred ruins of Eben Oliver Weber’s furniture factory into Mary Allen Park? the people who created Mary Allen’s Accessible Hallowe’en?

Come and share your Mary Allen stories!

05/01/2026

Come join your neighbours in sharing stories of our neighbourhood.

When: Saturday May 2nd, 3:30 – 5:00 pm

Meeting Point: 15 George Street, W-K Mennonite Church

Walk Leader: Kae Elgie

Riffing on the famous Jane Jacobs quote “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody” this Jane’s Walk asks: is the same true for neighbourhoods?

The 2001 Mary Allen Heritage Conservation District Study collected stories about the City Fathers [sic] and business people who lived in the area bounded by William, Willow, Union and King.

But what about the people who’ve made the current Mary Allen Neighbourhood … e.g. the people who turned the charred ruins of Eben Oliver Weber’s furniture factory into Mary Allen Park? the people who created Mary Allen’s Accessible Hallowe’en?

Come and share your Mary Allen stories!

04/26/2026