Community oven unveiled in North Point Douglas
Residents of Winnipeg's North Point Douglas neighbourhood came together on Sunday afternoon to celebrate their community, which now includes a wood-fired bread oven.
The community oven, which can bake upwards of 40 loaves of bread, was unveiled in Michaëlle Jean Park as part of the Austin Street Festival.
Leah Dekter of the North Point Douglas Women's Centre, which headed up the project, said the oven has become larger than originally planned.
"It's completely encased in a tile mosaic, so there was a large community art project that grew into the project," she said.
The festival, which took place on Austin Street between Euclid and Lisgar avenues, also featured music, dancing, arts and crafts, food, and a dunk tank.
Christie Paul, another member of the women's centre, said the neighbourhood's streets are safer when so many people gather together.
"Everybody loves a good party, loves talking to each other. I mean, this is the kind of neighbourhood [where] people are always waving out their window," she said.
"To me, it's like a small town in the middle of the city. That's always how I've considered North Point Douglas."
The Austin Street Festival was not the only neighbourhood celebration this weekend — thousands of people attended the Métis Street Festival on Saturday at the corner of Mountain Avenue and McGregor Street.
