In Review: Recent News, Happenings, and Events

In Review: Recent News, Happenings, and Events
By Emily Leeson

A new weekly market is set for Thursdays at Macdonald Museum in Middleton from 4-7pm beginning on May 31 and running to Thanksgiving week. Over 30 vendors have signed up so far. According to Janice Slauenwhite, director of the museum, everything for sale will be homemade, home-baked, or homegrown. “We have D’Aubin’s doing a sausage cart, other vendors with prepared foods, baked goods, several veggie vendors, artists, crafters, eggs, meats…a great variety,” she says. They’re hoping to have live music and it will all take place outside on picnic tables under the trees.

The Middleton Visitor Information Centre is moving into the museum! Opening on May 19, the Visitor Information Centre will be open 9am to 5pm each day. With the busy sunny season now in full swing, the Macdonald Museum will now be open seven days a week until Labour Day. Located in the former MacDonald Consolidated School building, which operated as a school between 1903 and 1979, the museum hosts a variety of collections entered around historical artefacts of the area. Exhibits include a Clock Collection of over 150 antique clocks and pocket watches from the Nova Scotia Museum’s collection, and a re-created classroom and general store. There is also a research library for genealogical-historical research, and a gift shop.

Book Bikes will be rolling into Valley libraries this summer! The Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) has received a community development grant from the Department of Communities, Culture, and Heritage to offer bikes for loan this summer. “The Book Bikes program will be offered in Berwick and Wolfville in early summer, and later in Annapolis Royal,” says Tim Jackson. “The grant also provides funds for bicycle fixing stations, which will be available in the three locations.” The hope is that by offering free bikes to borrow, the libraries will increase access to recreational bikes, promote the Harvest Moon Trail and active living in public libraries, and promote bicycling awareness for fitness, enjoyment, and transportation. The 7-speed freewheel style bikes will be available for adults to borrow during library open hours; borrowers must have a valid AVRL library card. Helmets and locks will be provided as part of the loan, and the bikes will be equipped with bells and lights, as well as a basket.

Cadance Academy Celebrates Year End With Dancing Through Oz. The dance school is mounting a full-length story ballet based on the much-loved Wizard of Oz! The school’s 140 dancers are re-creating the story and incorporating many different dance styles, from ballet to acro, with the main characters weaving their way through the many pieces as the story is told. Dancers auditioned for the various lead roles and they will be danced by the school’s most senior students. The role of Dorothy will be performed by Abigail MacEachern, who has danced with the academy for 14 years and is currently in advanced ballet: “I was so surprised when I was chosen to play Dorothy,” says MacEachern, “I’m super excited to be playing her in my last performance as a Cadance student. It’s going to be an amazing show!” The other main characters include The Tin Man, who will be danced by Erinn Nafthal, and The Scarecrow, performed by Netanya Backhouse. Alba Gjelaj appears as The Lion, while Adrie Cameron brings Glinda The Good Witch to life. Izaak Oulton will be performing the role of The Wizard. The Wicked Witch of the West will be danced by Olivia Lee whose experience in musical theatre helps her to dance the role with the necessary evil required. There will be two performances on June 2 at the Horton High School Performance Centre. The afternoon matinee starts at 1pm and the evening show begins at 6:30pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students, children, and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at Cadance Academy in New Minas, (902) 679-3616, and available for purchase at the door.

This year, Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Company will celebrate its 27th season with new Canadian drama and unique adaptations of cherished classics. The 2018 Season includes the world premiere of Animal Farm by Fire by Allen Cole and Ken Schwartz, a musical drama based on the classic novel by George Orwell; North Mountain Vanya, adapted from the Chekhov classic, by Ken Schwartz, and Elapultiek by shalan joudry, a new work commissioned for the fireside stage about connections between. Elapultiek (ehl-ah-bool-dee-egg), “we are looking towards,” marks the first time Two Planks and a Passion Theatre has commissioned an Indigenous playwright from Nova Scotia to create a new work for the company. In the time of Idle No More, a young Mi’kmaw teacher and a Euro-Nova Scotian biologist meet at dusk each day to count a population of endangered Chimney Swifts. As the relationship deepens over time, they struggle with their differing views of the world. Each ‘count night’ reveal deeper complexities within their connections to land, history, and ecology, and reconciliation on a personal level. The productions begin previews July 4, 2017. North Mountain Vanya and Animal Farm by Fire open July 7, 2018. Elapultiek opens August 25. Two Planks will also present a series of pre- and post-show conversations with historians and artists throughout the summer (for details visit twoplanks.ca).

The Wolfville Farmers’ Market is now into its 26th season! “We are moving into our 26th with a renewed sense of purpose,” says Market manager Kelly Marie Radcliffe. A few bits of market news: The Wednesday Market will now be year-round, the WFM2Go program now has over 25 vendors offering over 200 products which are delivered weekly to seven hubs (Berwick, Canning, Wolfville, Windsor, Bedford, Dartmouth and Tantallon), and the Food Buck Program will be back again for the third year in row helping families who are experiencing food insecurity to participate in the Market. “We launched our Nourishing Community Food Bucks Endowment Fund this past year with the support of the Rotary Club of Wolfville and the Wolfville Community Fund with the hopes of raising a $100,000 endowment to make this an annual sustainable program,” says Radcliffe, “This year the Women of Wolfville (WOW) have most generously contributed $2300 towards our $3000 goal for the 2018 program.” The market building is also getting an update — a metal roof is being installed and a 20kw array of photovoltaic solar panels will be installed as well.” We are grateful for the support of ACOA, Bullfrog Power, the Town of Wolfville and a few inspiring individual donors,” says Radcliffe. A few other initiatives coming this year include the launch of the market’s ‘Take a Take a Bag Leave a Bag’ program at the Info Booth where you can donate a bag or borrow a cleaned reusable bag. “You will also notice more compostables being used by vendors as the Market starts to bulk orders these for them,” says Radcliffe. “By the end of the year, we also hope to have a reusable coffee mug and cutlery program, which will make good use of our commercial dishwasher during the Market and require a cadre of volunteers to run.”