On September 16th about 60 people gathered at Yorkville library to hear UTP author Stuart Henderson talk about the subject of his upcoming book Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the Sixties. The talk was the first installment in the six part History Matters Series hosted by the Toronto Public Library and organized by Lisa Rumiel of McMaster University. The goal of the series is to provide a forum for exchange between active Toronto historians and the broader Toronto community. Henderson’s reading certainly accomplished that goal! With attendance outstripping the Library’s predictions, late-comers gladly stood for the hour to listen to Henderson’s vivid tale of sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll in 60s Yorkville.
Henderson weaved the audience through a broad analysis of the composition of Yorkville in the 60s and what the community meant for those who lived and played in the Village. Starting with the European coffee houses, he demonstrated the remarkable transformation the Village took as over time it became the adopted stomping ground for musicians, rebelling teenagers, partiers, and finally, biker gangs. And of course no discussion of 60s Yorkville is complete without mention of the efforts of the establishment to destroy what was deemed a bad part of town that ruined good-hearted youth.
After enlightening everyone in attendance, the floor was opened up for questions, but this quickly evolved into a forum for reminiscing about life in the Village’s heyday. One lady described her 60s self in such vivid detail that a gentleman from the back loudly cried out “I remember you!” University of Toronto Press is very pleased to see such a positive reception for one of our authors, whose book will certainly prove even more thrilling than the brief introduction he presented last Thursday.
