David Cox said it was good to see the spirit back on the Danforth. The 25th Annual Taste of the Danforth festival began Friday night, mere weeks after the bustling street turned into a scene of carnage. Two were killed and a dozen more were injured in a shooting rampage on July 22. “People weren’t going to let that get them down, which is great to see, because it happened right over here,” said Cox outside his family’s business, The Friendly Greek, where they where serving fresh gyro from a stall outside the restaurant. “It’s terrible, but it’s just good to see that people are still coming out; it didn’t scare everybody away.”The festival began with a moment of silence for 10-year-old Julianna Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon, who were killed in the shooting. The opening ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mayor John Tory. It also honoured the official and unofficial first responders to the shooting, from police and firefighters and EMS to tattoo shop owner Tanya Wilson, who helped two people injured in the gunfire.“We truly believe that without those first responders, it would have been a much bigger tragedy,” said festival organizer Howard Lichtman.Canada’s largest street festival will stretch across the Danforth this weekend with food, music and performances. By Friday evening, Danforth Ave. was full of people sitting on patios or buying food from stalls set up along the street. Outside Athena Bakery, Greek pastries were on display. Yanni Kollaras, whose family owns the business, said the pastries were like the ones “we have back home.”“We try to bring a little bit of that flavour from there to here.”Kollaras has worked at the bakery during the Taste of the Danforth since childhood. “Doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, everyone just comes together and enjoys the day and the food and the festivities,” he ...
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