Who’s Who

Who’s Who: Laura Churchill DukeBy Mike Butler Laura Churchill Duke is a powerhouse woman! There’s not too many times I get to sit down in the run of my day, but when I do, I take in how much I do and I think to myself, Laura Churchill Duke does twice as much as I do! I am so honoured to finally feature her in my column. Laura was born and bred in the Annapolis Valley, having grown up in Port Williams. She attended the original Horton High School and went to Acadia and earned a degree focusing on the…
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Who’s Who: Nahleen Ashton By Mike Butler Animal lovers out there (and I know there’s lots), let me introduce you to someone very special: Nahleen Ashton! I grew up without a pet, minus a plastic fish named Dolores, so being introduced to Nahleen has been a wonderful experience. This Who’s Who is literally for the dogs! Nahleen was born in Montreal, but her younger years were spent in the Laurentians in Quebec. Totally enveloped in a French culture, she spoke mostly French with her friends and neighbours but went to an English school along with her brother and sisters. Life…
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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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Who’s Who: Mike Aubé: Man, Music, and More! By Mike Butler Mike Aubé: the name is so familiar here in the Valley that it feels almost superfluous to feature him in this column, but Mike is known for his music, not for being a big personality in our community. He’s known, but do we really know him? I serve Mike coffee, own his CDs, see him out and about, pass along some hellos and chit chat when we bump into each other, but I wanted to include Mike in my column so I could learn more about him and where…
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Who’s Who: Brad Farquhar: Man Without Limits By Mike Butler Brad Farquhar is an inspiration! There’s just no other word that comes to my mind after meeting and chatting with him. There were moments during our conversation where I couldn’t blink and my mouth just hung open I was so in awe of his story and his accomplishments. Brad has gone above and beyond both physically and mentally and he’s showing no signs of stopping. Take a minute and be inspired. Let me introduce you to the one and only Brad Farquhar! Born and raised in Brooklyn Nova Scotia, Brad…
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Who’s Who: Ben Brown: Star Athlete on the Right Track! By Mike Butler Ben Brown has got all the right wheels turning for success! Ben is a probably a familiar name to almost everyone here in the Valley and beyond and I’m so excited to finally feature him in my column. Ben is a positive, hardworking, inspirational force here in our community and that inspiration has touched so many lives. Now Ben can add a little Grapevine fame and recognition to his long list of accomplishments. Ben was born in Weston, Nova Scotia but is currently residing in Cambridge. He…
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Who’s Who: Colleen Hagen: Who We all Want to Be! By Mike Butler If I have one wish, as a writer for The Grapevine, it’s that I never run out of theatre friends to feature in this column. I look at the younger generations taking summer drama camps, performing in school productions, and falling in love with theatre and I think it’s safe to say the list will grow and grow. That list, and the many youth performers on it, find their love of drama and performance from those adults who exude their own love of drama and for years…
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Who’s Who: Jordan MacPhee By Mike Butler Professional makeup artist Jordan MacPhee’s work literally makes me green with envy! I met Jordan last fall when I was preparing to play The Grinch for the CentreStage production of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was a daunting task to transform my above-average good looks into the green, mean, furry mass of unpleasantness that is the iconic Grinch, but with Jordan behind the brush, we pulled off something brilliant and enjoyable. During the 45 minutes of sitting through the makeup application, we chatted and I learned a lot about this very talented…
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