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Itty Bitty Art Show Raising Funds for Gallery Renovations

Author: August 9, 2019

Itty Bitty Art Show Raising Funds for Gallery Renovations By Penny Hughes, Project Manager The Itty Bitty Bistro Art Show reception on July 29 was a smashing success! We want to thank everyone that came out to at Pascalice’s Bistro in Greenwood to show their support for local artists. Artwork will be on sale until the end of August. With each sale of artwork during the show, a small commission will go toward renovations for 7Arts’ Makers Space, NOVA Gallery, and Gathering Space. There are over 40 pieces of art in the show, 4 pieces being sold that night and…
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Valley Gardeners Plan to Show off Saturday August 17

Author: August 9, 2019

Valley Gardeners Plan to Show off Saturday August 17 If you’re a fan of Canada’s culinary traditions, you’ll want to take note of the Valley Gardeners Club’s 37th Annual Open Horticultural Show, which is coming up on Saturday, August 17. This year’s show theme is “From Sea to Sea,” so the “For the Cooks” section calls for entries of Nanaimo bars, butter tarts, grunt, molasses cookies and fruit bread using maple syrup, in addition to the usual pickles, jams, marmalades, and salsas. And, of course this horticultural show will include floral arrangements, which also reflect the show’s theme. The design…
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Award-winning Hoop Dancer Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo To Perform at FODAR

Author: August 9, 2019

Award-winning Hoop Dancer Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo To Perform at FODAR Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, award-winning hoop dancer, will return to the Annapolis Valley for the Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal (FODAR), taking place August 13 to 17 in Annapolis Royal. A storyteller through traditional and indigenous dance, Kaneratonni Diabo, along with her daughter Emily, will perform an excerpt of her larger work, Sky Dancers: Bridges. The piece tells the story of the 1907 Quebec Bridge disaster which killed 33 ironworkers from the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawá:ke, located south of Montreal along the Saint Lawrence River. In late August of 1907, what…
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Kentville Multicultural Festival’s Biggest Year Yet!

Author: August 9, 2019

Kentville Multicultural Festival’s Biggest Year Yet! Submitted Celebrating its fifth year, the Kentville Multicultural Festival is set to impress on Saturday, August 24, 10am-4pm in Kentville’s Centre Square. This family-friendly event is free to attend, and showcases music, dance, art, food, stories, and traditions from diverse communities living in the Annapolis Valley and beyond. The main stage will welcome Indigenous rock and spoken word group Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers again this year, as well as new acts FIL Connection (a Filipino rock band), ViBeat Dance Studio (Bollywood and folk dances from India), Sébastien Dol (French, Acadian, and Cajun music),…
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Mike Uncorked: New Comedy Hits CentreStage In Style!

Author: August 9, 2019

Mike Uncorked: New Comedy Hits CentreStage In Style! By Mike Butler Following last month’s successful run of Canadian playwright Norm Foster’s Looking, CentreStage has chosen another Canadian playwright to feature this month with Michael Wilmot’s hilarious piece about retirement and relationships: A Red Plaid Shirt! There is something funny about retirement, has anyone noticed? Marty certainly has and isn’t sure of how to fill the void. Along with his pal Fred, Marty decides to try a new “skill.” Their wives, on the other hand, are not too thrilled with this new venture! With a little “subtle redirection” from their wives…
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Berries & Friends: What’s Growing at U-Picks Around the Valley

Author: August 9, 2019

Berries & Friends: What’s Growing at U-Picks Around the Valley By Lindsey Redden Raspberries and blueberries, and gooseberries and plums! Raspberries are $3-5/pint Blueberries are $2-5/pint Arirang Farm 620 Belcher Street, Port Williams, open 9am-6pm 902-599-4949 Spray-free blueberries, BYO boxes. Blueberry Acres 1225 Middle Dyke Road, Sheffield Mills, open 9am-5pm 902-582-1482 Blueberries. Blueberry Land 2111 Highway 359 Centreville, open 10am-6pm 902-678-4101 facebook Spray-free blueberries. Coldweather Farms 920 Gaspereau River Road Gaspereau, open 7am-dusk 902-542-2084 Raspberries. Dempsey Corner Orchards 2717 Highway 221 Aylesford, open 10am-5pm, closed Sunday 902-847-1855 facebook Raspberries, blueberries, garden vegetables. $2 farm admission Elderkin’s Farm Market 10362 Highway…
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2019

Author: August 9, 2019

2019 Spring, that year, was late to the game, The smelt-snow a blizzard and then freezing rain. The full moon in May was no day for planting, Wet fields in June and farmers were ranting. But through the good valley swam gaspereaux, The fiddleheads green, the fish fat with roe. Summer, that year, flew in fast and high, Hot as Jamaica, new moon in July. Hay fields checkered with great golden bales, Larks in the meadow, frogs in the swale. And down the good river tubes waltzed along, Sunburnt bellies and bop-a-long songs. …to be continued –Bernard Irvin

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Songs of Bread, Wine and Salt: Composer Explores Poems of Alden Nowlan

Author: August 9, 2019

Songs of Bread, Wine and Salt: Composer Explores Poems of Alden Nowlan By Kim Barlow Composer Pete Johnston has brought his two worlds together in the album Songs of Bread, Wine and Salt. Johnston spends summers in the Valley, but his work is in Toronto, where he and many colleagues converge to create innovative jazz and improvised music, and where Johnston is a bassist, composer, and educator. Last year he assembled a group called Stranger Still, with vocalists Mim Adams and Randi Helmers, Johnston on guitar, and Rob Clutton on bass, to perform Johnston’s musical settings of the poetry of…
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Who’s Who: Mark Bezanson

Author: August 9, 2019

Who’s Who: Mark Bezanson By Mike Butler Mark Bezanson was sort of like Mr. Snuffleupagus to me for the last few years! I had heard of him, seen videos, knew people that had met him, but he and I had just never been able to meet up. Well, all that changed when Mark boarded the Magic Wine Bus a few weeks ago and drank with me all day! The connection was made and now I get to write about Mark so each of you can meet him. Mark was born on the South Shore in Chester Basin, moved to Port…
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Mike Butler Recommends: Summer Reading 2019

Author: August 9, 2019

Mike Butler Recommends: Summer Reading 2019 By Mike Butler It’s the summer (finally)! I look forward to my seasonal reading articles and here is the summer 2019 edition of literature that I recommend you sit back and absorb. We’ve all heard of binge-watching right? When you sit back and take in LOTS of TV at one time, usually polishing off a season of your favourite show or a bunch of shows. Well, there’s also binge-reading! I love binge-reading: when you pick an author and read through a chunk of their books. Two authors I am loving right now are an…
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