Cherry Beach

Cherry Beach
The life guard station on Cherry Beach
Type	Public beach
Location	Toronto, Ontario
Coordinates	43°38′13″N 79°20′40″W / 43.63694°N 79.34444°W / 43.63694; -79.34444Coordinates: 43°38′13″N 79°20′40″W / 43.63694°N 79.34444°W / 43.63694; -79.34444
Created	1930s
Operated by	Toronto Parks
Website	CLARKE BEACH PARK CHERRY BEACH SPORTS FIELDS

Cherry Beach is a lakeside park located at the foot of Cherry Street just south of Unwin Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is on Toronto's outer harbour just east of the Eastern Gap.

It was originally named Clarke Beach Park after Harry Clarke, a Toronto alderman who was responsible for creating the park in the early 1930s. In 2003, the city changed it to Cherry Beach which is the local common name.^[1]

Despite its location at the tip of Toronto's formerly heavily industrial Port Lands area, Cherry Beach has still been a popular gathering place for years. There is no boardwalk or proper picnic area, and much of the surrounding areas is marshland or leftover grounds from what was once commercial industry and factory grounds. Recently the park has undergone improvements which includes a paved entranceway and a renovated washroom and swimming change room facilities.

For many years it was one of the few Toronto beaches that was clean enough for swimming, windsurfing and kitesurfing. It has change rooms for bathers and barbecue areas for picnickers. It also has an off-leash area for dog walkers. The Martin Goodman waterfront trail passes through the park.

A wooded area by the beach has been turned into soccer fields, children's play structure and a metered parking area.

In popular culture

Parts of the upcoming movie Silent Hill: Revelation 3D were filmed at Cherry Beach.

Pukka Orchestra had a local radio hit in 1984 with the song "Cherry Beach Express". The song is about local lore of how the Toronto police used Cherry Beach as a location to beat suspects. The police tried to have the song banned.^[2] Hardcore punk band Career Suicide also references the slang phrase "Cherry Beach express" (referring to the supposed police practice) in their song "Cherry Beach".

The Kids In The Hall shot several segments at Cherry Beach, including installments of their recurring "Cops" sketches.

See also

• Cherry Beach Sound
• The Beaches
• HTO Park
• Sugar Beach
• Port Lands

References

1. ^ Renaming Clarke Beach Park to Cherry Beach
2. ^ http://www.canlaw.com/rights/cherrybeachexpress.htm

External links

• Cherry Beach location and current swimming conditions