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THE FULL CANDIDATE QUESTIONS

Author: September 30, 2016

Nova Scotia’s municipal elections are on October 15. We asked all our local (Windsor to Middleton) Mayoral candidates to answer a few questions presented by our readers. We printed a selection of the questions we gathered from the community, paired with a selection of the responses from the local candidates who responded. Below you’ll find the full list of questions and answers. We asked the candidates to keep to 50 words per answer. Some replied to more than one question with their answer, in which case, we’ve printed the answer twice.  1. From Laura: What do you plan to do…
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Kaelyn’s Book Club By Regan Alford

Author: September 22, 2016

Kaelyn’s Book Club Regan Alford   Wee Ones Selection – Fifteen Animals! by Sandra Boynton (Workman Publishing Co., Recommended reading ages 4 and Under)  The amazing Bob! The amazing Boynton! Because who else but Sandra Boynton could imagine 15 Bobs in one book? Actually, that’s 14 Bobs, and one Simon James Alexander Ragsdale the Third (he’s a turtle), which gives Fifteen Animals! the added dimension of being a unique counting book ― count the Bobs, count the pets, count the bunnies, count the fish.   Little Ones Selection – The Ladybug Race by Amy Nielander (Pomegranate Communications, Recommended reading ages…
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What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens – Poisonous Plants

Author: September 22, 2016

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What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens – Poisonous Plants By Melanie Priesnitz, Conservation Horticulturist   As the autumn leaves drop, the berries and fruit on shrubs and trees start to stand out and show their colours. A showy, yet deadly, berry that shines this time of the year can be found innocently hanging on the Daphne plant. The berries are enticing as they are scarlet red and glossy. They look good enough to eat, but are far from it. The Daphne plant contains two extremely active and deadly toxins: Mezerein, which is an acrid resin that causes a…
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Wolfville, Acadia, and the Performing Arts By Janet Kirkconnell

Author: September 22, 2016

Wolfville, Acadia, and the Performing Arts Janet Kirkconnell It is doubtful that any other small town in Canada has as many venues for the performing arts as Wolfville has, chiefly because of the university. The Deep Roots Music Festival profits from this. While its opening concert is in University Hall, most of Deep Roots’ other major concerts are held in Festival Theatre, the old university rink transformed for the Atlantic Theatre Festival into a state-of-the-art theatre (praised this year for its phenomenal acoustics by the Afiara String Quartet). Still bearing the name Festival as a reminder of past glory, it…
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Marcel D’Entremont to Open Sunday Music in the Garden Room’s 2016-17 Season

Author: September 22, 2016

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MARCEL D’ENTREMONT TO OPEN SUNDAY MUSIC IN THE GARDEN ROOM’S 2016-17 SEASON By Janet Kirkconnell Tenor Marcel d’Entremont, accompanied by Dakota Scott-Digout on piano, will open the 2016 – 2017 season of “Sunday Music in the Garden Room” at 2pm on September 25 in Acadia’s K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre. The program includes songs by Robert and Clara Schumann, Ravel, Liszt, Schubert, Britten, Copland, and Donna Rhodenizer, among others, and an aria from Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz.      On his first appearance in Europe this past year at the Opéra de Rouen as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s…
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Dinner Out: Devour Food Film Festival is Coming Soon! By Scott Campbell

Author: September 22, 2016

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Dinner Out: Devour Food Film Festival is Coming Soon! Scott Campbell   Next to Christmas… and maybe Thanksgiving… my favourite holiday is The Devour Food Film Festival. This November the sights and smells of amazing movies and delicious dinners will fill the streets of Wolfville as The Devour Food and Film Festival hits the town.    Last Friday night I had the pleasure of participating in one of the first Devour Food Film Festival events of the season – a taste of things to come so to speak. A small group of Film Foodies gathered at Restaurant Le Caveau for…
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Charcuterie & Wine By Craig Campbell

Author: September 22, 2016

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Charcuterie & Wine Craig Campbell   Charcuterie & cheese are very popular items to have with wine, especially so during the heat of summer or early fall when one doesn’t necessarily want to cook over a stove or oven in near thirty degrees. Charcuterie also serves as a great sharing plate with friends over a social gathering or as a shared appetizer in a restaurant. It’s loosely defined as cured meat. It encompasses bacon, ham, salami, rillettes, paté, or sausage among other things. There’s a wide world of charcuterie out there. Whether it’s imported Prosciutto di Parma from Italy, or…
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Who’s Who: Birgit Elssner

Author: September 22, 2016

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Who’s Who: Birgit Elssner By Mike Butler Well, despite a bucket load of press recently regarding her amazing achievements, Birgit Elssner has never been a Who’s Who feature and I am proud to tell you all about her. I meet some very fascinating people through this column, most of whom are born and raised here in the valley, but Birgit falls into the unique category of coming from afar – moving to our beautiful Valley and making a home and establishing herself here. And what a story I have to share.    Birgit Elssner was born and raised in East…
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Mike Uncorked: Willy Loman and the Girls

Author: September 22, 2016

Mike Uncorked: Willy Loman and the Girls By Mike Butler It’s a very exciting time for live theatre in the Valley, as two unique productions get ready to take the stage. I want to tell you about them so you can mark your calendars and treat yourselves to these theatrical presentations.    First up, CentreStage Theatre in Kentville, is presenting Calendar Girls, written by Tim Firth, and based on the worldwide smash hit film starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. When Annie’s husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee…
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Stepping Up: Youth and the Municipal Elections

Author: September 22, 2016

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Stepping Up: Youth and the Municipal Elections By Genevieve Allen Hearn Let’s talk about youth engagement in municipal politics. Voter rates among young demographics are appallingly low (in Kentville’s last election, for example, only 11.2% of people in their 20s voted, compared to 54.8% of people in their 70s), and it is uncommon to see anyone under the age of forty on Council or Advisory Committees. The common narrative that exists is that youth are apathetic. However, when you start to unpack this issue, it is clear that there is more to it than meets the eye. The Bad: The…
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