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Lots of Great Local Reads for Kids

Author: August 9, 2019

Lots of Great Local Reads for Kids By Laura Churchill Duke As the author Beverly Cleary says, children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something teachers make us do at school. In the Valley we are blessed with so many great local authors who write books specifically for kids. The best ways to find these books are by asking a librarian at your local library, or by stopping by one of our bookstores. Box of Delights in Wolfville and RD Chisholm in Kentville always carry a great selection of local reads. Here are some of our favourites for…
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A Telling in Pictures

Author: August 9, 2019

A Telling in Pictures By Anna Horsnell Doretta Groenendyk’s paintings elicit a smile. There is something familiar, something comfortable, that pulls the viewer into a world of colour and whimsy and storytelling. We recognize the landscape. We feel the playfulness. As an illustrator and author of 11 children’s books (and illustrator only on 4 more), the Canning artist has created an enviable career around her priorities of family and getting outside. She does not see her work as author and illustrator as separate. “I see things in pictures first,” she explains. “The stories or ideas that I want to communicate,…
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What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens: Reading the Forest Around You

Author: August 9, 2019

What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens: Reading the Forest Around You By Riley Scanlan, B.Sc Honours, Environmental Science Stepping into an old growth forest can be a calming, inspiring, or even breathtaking experience, but what is it exactly that makes old growth forests so beautiful? So worthy of our attention? Just as you gain insight from reading a book, reading the forest around you can empower you to better connect with nature. Reading a forest is as simple as taking the time to acknowledge what is actually going on around you, thinking about how it all works together…
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The Dome Chronicles: Skunked

Author: July 18, 2019

The Dome Chronicles: Skunked By Garry Leeson In 1972, a boxcar from Toronto containing a menagerie of farm animals and an eager young couple pulled into the station platform in Kingston, Nova Scotia. They were bound for a deserted hundred-acre farm on the South Mountain, determined to preserve the foundations of farmsteads past while constructing a geodesic dome. They were pioneers of the future, armed with respect for tradition and an irrepressible sense of humour. They didn’t call themselves farmers. They were back-to-the-landers. Farming was industry and their calling was sustainability. Over the next forty years, through flood and fire,…
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Museum Page: The Kentville Heritage Centre Opens its Doors to the Past

Author: June 17, 2019

The Kentville Heritage Centre Opens its Doors to the Past By Lynn Pulsifer The residents of Kentville haven’t heard “a train a-coming, coming round the bend,” since 1990. However, the small Via Station that was originally built in 1988 to sell tickets to ride the train has now taken on a new purpose. On Saturday, May 18, the Via Station became the new home for the Kentville Heritage Centre. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, and official opening by Town Crier Lloyd Smith, over 80 people, ranging in age from 9 to 90, who had gathered along Station Lane to watch…
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The Museum Page: D-Day Commemorative Coin Honours NS Soldier

Author: June 17, 2019

D-Day Commemorative Coin Honours NS Soldier By Ellen Lewis “The Royal Canadian Mint has issued a new coin (Special Edition Silver Dollar) to mark the anniversary of D-Day, and it turns out that Ellen Lewis, our summer student here at the Kings County Museum, is the granddaughter of the soldier featured on that coin! We asked Ellen to write about her connection to the coin.” –Bria Stokesbury, Kings County Museum June 6, 1944 marked a day in history when the lives of thousands of men from countries around the world changed forever. The D-Day attacks on five beaches in France…
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The Dome Chronicles: Percy’s Pickup

Author: June 17, 2019

In 1972, a boxcar from Toronto containing a menagerie of farm animals and an eager young couple pulled into the station platform in Kingston, Nova Scotia. They were bound for a deserted hundred-acre farm on the South Mountain, determined to preserve the foundations of farmsteads past while constructing a geodesic dome. They were pioneers of the future, armed with respect for tradition and an irrepressible sense of humour. They didn’t call themselves farmers. They were back-to-the-landers. Farming was industry and their calling was sustainability. Over the next forty years, through flood and fire, triumph and catastrophe, they persevered, unwittingly sowing…
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What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens: Dandelion Wine

Author: June 7, 2019

What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens: Dandelion wine By Melanie Priesnitz, Conservation Horticulturist “Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered…sealed away for opening on a January day with snow falling fast and the sun unseen for weeks…” –Ray Bradbury This is the year I will find time to forage for yellow flowers and make dandelion wine. Dandelions to me are a herald of spring and all the glory that goes with the season. I cannot look at a field of dandelions without feeling youthful joy. Memories abound from seeing…
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Vineyard Spotlight: Domaine de Grand Pré

Author: May 30, 2019

Vineyard Spotlight: Domaine de Grand Pré 11611 Highway 1, Grand Pré Now family owned and operated, Domaine de Grand Pré winery is the oldest farm winery in Atlantic Canada. In the 1970s, the property was owned and operated by Roger Dial as the Grand Pré Winery. In 1994, Swiss-born Hanspeter Stutz established the business, Domaine de Grand Pré, on the site and started his family’s journey towards making their mark on the Nova Scotia wine industry. Along with his family, Hanspeter re-opened the doors of the renovated winery in 2000. Since then, the family has been working together to create…
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Tidal Bay Appellation Reflects Classic Nova Scotian Style

Author: May 30, 2019

Tidal Bay Appellation Reflects Classic Nova Scotian Style Tidal Bay: it’s the signature wine of Nova Scotia and designed to pair perfectly with seafood and ocean views. Developed by Nova Scotia wineries and winemakers to reflect the terroir, coastal breezes, and cool climate of the area, Tidal Bay was launched in 2012 as the first appellation for Nova Scotia. A crisp, aromatic white wine, all Tidal Bay wines must follow the same set of standards, created by a committee of winemakers, sommeliers, and wine experts, and are strictly enforced throughout the winemaking process, from growing to bottling. All Tidal Bay…
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