This year I created 2 calendars.
The Out and About Nova Scotia Calendar 2017 is in its 5th year. I love going over my photos from the past year to produce this calendar to enjoy throughout the year. It has become a family favorite.
This year, I decided to produce an Antigonish Town and County Calendar. We live in such a beautiful part of Nova Scotia and you may want to share this with your family and friends.
Both calendars are available online. Click on the link below the photos for details.
Sherbrook Village stretches along the St. Mary’s River, a peaceful cool spot to get away from it all and relax under a shady tree and watch the river currents. Of course in the 1860s the river was a hub of activity with gold, timber and tall ships. The village recreates life of the times with people in costume that tell the stories of the time. The back yard gardens have pumpkins and cottage crops, cows and geese, and the washing up on the line in good Nova Scotia tradition. It is fascinating to visit the different houses and businesses, sit in the one room school house and explore inside and out.
A couple of years ago I enjoyed a 3 day Photography Camp at Sherbrook Village with Wally Hayes. It was a great way to explore the village, stay and do night shoots, explore the water mill and short hike to the lake and a couple of trips to the beach and headlands. This is a wonderful way to have a learning vacation in a unique environment. Our group learned photography tips and had the opportunity to practice and share our photos.
Other learning opportunities at the village include black smithing, sewing and hands on history.
There is a working forge with the blacksmith, a telephone exchange, a print shop all in working condition. See carding, spinning and weaving and learn how these were part of daily life. Just a short walk from the main village is the water wheel and saw mill. Here’s an example of the fun activities that are posted on the Sherbrook Village Facebook page:
Sawmill & Goldmine Frolic at The Old Mill Trail
Join us for excitement and a few laughs around the mill for our friendly woodsmen’s competition. Competitions include hatchet throw, kettle boil, double buck saw and spike drive. Competitions are free and open to everyone!Members of the Heritage Goldenville Society will show visitors how to pan for gold (the real thing, not fool’s gold!).
There’ll be samples of our “good as gold” recipes for baked beans and brown bread.
The What Cheer Tea Room is open daily with home cooked meals. The pies are real old time pies – rhubarb, apple, blueberry, strawberry depending on what’s in season.
Antigonish has long been a centre for the arts and artists. In the past year there have been a lot of new additions to art exhibit spaces and the arts are flourishing. There are many wonderful galleries and exhibits to explore and enjoy as you stroll along Main Street and then take a drive for more. See how many you can visit and be sure and add your comments and suggest any others that you find.
Main Street Mural Andrew Murray
Starting from the Post Office end of town and heading East on the right side of the street:
Starting from the Post Office end of town and heading East on the left side of the street:
Slideshow of a few of the locations:
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Off Main and out of town:
July in Antigonish an Arts Celebration. The Casket, June 26, 2012 by Richard MacKenzie
Denise Davies is a travel writer, photographer, filmmaker and entrepreneur. This article appeared in the Highland Heart, June 29. www.highlandheart.ca
The Gathering of the Arts, GoArts 2011 organized by Antigonish Culture Alive (ACA). An opening Reception was held on July 4 at the Peoples’ Place Library in Antigonish. The reception celebrated the opening of the juried art exhibition. Awards were presented to the Peoples’ Place in recognition of its support to the Arts Community. And to Michael Steinitz for his annual concert series work. The reception was well attended and an opportunity to view the exhibits.
The juried Art Exhibit includes works from over 60 artists with a wide variety of media – oils, watercolor, pencil, photography, mixed media, textiles, quilting, sculpture, batik, weaving, and more. Art from L’Arche Horizons, Youth Art. Workshops and artist demonstrations. July 4-16, 2011
July 4 – 16
Peoples’ Place Library, Main St. Antigonish NS
1 minute video with a sampling of reception and exhibition.
Antigonish Photographers Exhibit
Antigonish has always been known for its thriving art community. Now photographers in Antigonish have formed a group called “Antigonish Photographers Exhibit (APx)” which will have their first exhibition beginning April 16 at the Prissy Pig Café and Deli.
The formation of the group is the brainchild of Jeff Parker, owner of Lyghtesome Gallery. According to Jeff “Over the years the gallery (Lyghtesome) has been called upon to exhibit photography. I am a photographer myself and I am often approached by photographers to exhibit their work. But we don’t show much photography in our gallery and many photographers have been disappointed. “
“When a request was presented to us by the management of the Prissy Pig to assist them in establishing an exhibition schedule, ‘local photographers’ is what first came to mind. The Café and Deli has excellent gallery space and according to the General Manager of the Prissy Pig, “We want to support and promote the local arts scene, local photographers and musicians. “
Jeffrey explained “I put together a list of photographers that I knew of and then expanded that with the help of Steven Jewkes of the Photo Shop at the Antigonish 5 to $1 and called a meeting to plan a group photo exhibition. In our initial meeting we decided that we would put up a group show. Each of us has our own styles and interests and it will be very interesting to see the range in a show of this type. We haven’t set out any specific themes and the individual works will be selected by the photographers themselves. This first show will feature 10 photographers and the works will be on sale. “
The Antigonish Photographers Exhibit (APx) will hold its first exhibition opening with a reception on April 16th at the Prissy Pig Café and Deli. The opening reception will be 7PM to 9PM and refreshments will be served. We hope that everyone will stop in to view the exhibit and chat with the photographers. Everyone is welcome.
Photographs will be on exhibit by – Jeffrey Parker, Peter Jowett, Betty Cameron, Stan Mizgala, Danny Polson, Jennifer Polson, Anne Louise MacDonald, F.X MacDonald, Bernice MacDonald and Denise Davies. The group members are excited at the opportunity and have been appreciating the synergies in the group. Our hopes are that the group will expand and perhaps offer presentation and information nights to assist in technical training and upgrading in this continually changing field. To enjoy and learn from each others expert knowledge is one of our emerging interests in continuing the pursuit and recognition of photography as our contemporary art form.
We would like to thank our sponsors who have supported the group – Jeffrey Parker of Lyghtesome Gallery, Steven Jewkes of Antigonish 5 Cents-$1.00, and Danny Polson of Polson Design Studio and to The Prissy Pig Café’ and Deli for providing the exhibition space and facilities.
A few photos from the APx photographers. Click on the Arrow key to view the photos. Click on the “Captions” on the right side to view the photographer name and photo title.
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Group of 10 Prominent Antigonish Photographers
At the Prissy Pig 20 St. Andrews St. (corner of Main St) Antigonish
April 16 – June 30th, 2011
Reception April 16th 7-9 p.m..
Refreshments will be served, All are Welcome
APx Poster
Walk in to this tiny shop on Main Street of Antigonish and you are in the midst of a treasure trove of locally made items that engage all your senses.
The Made in Nova Scotia Store is not your normal tourist shop. Everything here is hand made by known crafts men and women, artisans, cooks and artists.
Maple Products, Jams and Jellies
Taste the jams and jellies with the flavors of Nova Scotia. Enjoy the colors and feel of locally grown wool, hand knitted and woven shawls, mitts and sweaters. Explore the exotic hand crafted candles and soaps with scents of lavender, pine, and unscented if that is your preference. Marvel at the jewelry designed with local stones and beach glass with intricate designs in silver. The choices go on and on – Mi’kmaq porcupine quill ear rings, leather moccasins; framed photos and gift cards; hand made quilts, beach stone lamps, wooden frames made from old barn wood. Every corner has unique and local items. You can find body products, blue berries, carved wooden salad servers made from Bird’s Eye Maple and even enjoy home made baked goods or buy free range eggs.
Anna DeCoste, the owner of The Made in Nova Scotia Store says “I had
Anna DaCoste, owner The Made in Nova Scotia Store
been doing crafts for years and really just wanted a place to display my own things. I have a lot of contacts with arts people in the area and the idea just snowballed in a very short time to setup the shop”.
Visitors to the shop are primarily tourists and visitors to Antigonish who are looking for gifts or mementos. They comment that they are so pleased to find a store where they can buy everything local and to easily find such a variety in one location. Everything is made locally and you can learn about the person who made it. There are author bio cards and Anna knows the artisans personally and can give details about who they are and their backgrounds. This is so different from the regular “tourist shop” where items might come from China. Everything is made locally by a known artisan. Local people come in to browse and bring in their visitors as a convenient location to find a wide variety of gifts.
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The Made in Nova Scotia Store is located on the ground floor of a handsome clapboard house that was built in 1857 by Alexander MacDonald, “Sandy the Carpenter” and was originally owned by Master Mariner and Ship Owner, Captain Dan MacDonald who lived here with his household of 13 people. It is one of the charming buildings on Main Street that gives an old world charm to the town.
The store is a boon to the artisans of the Antigonish and surrounding areas. This one-stop outlet gives crafts people a wonderful place to display their works all year round.
Winter shot of The Made in Nova Scotia Store
How to find it: The Made in Nova Scotia Store, 324 Main St. Antigonish NS, Canada (across from Shoppers Drug Mart). Browse the website for products and shipping information.
Links for more information
Article and photos (c) Denise Davies. For information on republishing please fill contact davies@eckova.com .
