March and April are maple sugar months in Nova Scotia. An absolute must if you’re in the area then is to visit Davison’s Maple Lodge on the outskirts of Parrsboro. Charles Davison owns and operates the Lodge and he will be sure make you feel welcome when you visit. When you go, just for fun, tell him you read about the Lodge and his maple syrup in The Coast News.

Nestled in rolling hills and on the family homestead of many generations, Davison’s Maple Lodge gives you a chance to learn about harvesting maple syrup and making maple products and, a terrific opportunity to sample Charles’ good home cooking in his one-month-a-year café. For information about times the café is open or to arrange a tour, call Charles at 902-254-2562.

Liz visited Charles in early January. Charles gave her a bottle of syrup to take back to Toronto.and it is delicious!

Charles cooking for the cafe; a sign you won't miss; making maple candy maple syrup ready for eating!

Ship’s Company Theatre to Build New Facility

The Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro has been cherished by resident and visitors alike for 20 years. The theatre has consistently played an integral role in artistic, cultural and economic life, not only for the Parrsboro Shore community, but also for the arts community throughout Nova Scotia. The Ship’s Company is truly tangible evidence of the creativity which is so much a part of daily life in this part of the province.

The Ship’s Company Mission is to be a prime centre for the production and development of Canadian and Atlantic theatre It is a not-for-profit organization, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is sponsored by Human Resources Development Canada; Canada Council for the Arts; Department of Canadian Heritage; Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture.

The theatre facility is unique – it is a combination of the MV Kipawo., an old ferry which used to run between Kingsport, Windsor and Parrsboro, and a wharf built beside the ship; right now, a tent is raised each summer to house the theatre. The Kipawo, built in 1926, was the first steel hulled ship built in the St. John’s Shipyard. The Kipawo is trimmed and secured from the daily rise and fall of the tide.

M.V. Kipawo

The exciting news is that big changes are coming very soon, as a new $2 million facility will be built on the location. On December 6, 2002, The Department of Canadian Heritage Cultural Spaces Program announced an award of $595,980 for its construction. The Company is also working on other fund-raising activities to cover all the costs. Construction will begin immediately following the 2003 summer season to allow the Ship’s Company to open its 2004 Season in a brand new home

The new facility will incorporate the Kipawo. The theatre’s stage will be moved off the tented ferry dock on to a new 60 by 60 foot structure. The outward design is based on concepts of a ferry terminal and boat shed, to reflect the shipbuilding history of the Parrsboro Shore.

The new theatre will comfortably seat 150 people, in various seating configurations, and will allow for in-the-round staging, proscenium staging, and whatever other creative ideas Scott Burke, artistic director and his team come up with. Sliding doors, which can be removed, will expand performance space for large productions and events.

The Company is also working on two other major events - an Anniversary Launch to coincide with the 2003 opening of Chairmaker the Musical and the Gala Homecoming, to be three days of activities scheduled over the Labour Day weekend. For additional information about these events, visit their web site.

Two publications are being prepared to celebrate 20 years of live theatre - a commemorative album featuring photos of the past 18 seasons by the renowned photographer Thaddeus Holownia, and an anthology of some of the plays developed and produced during the last five years.

Ship’s Company 2003 Season
The 2003 season on the main stage of the MV Kipawo includes:

Chairmaker the Musical from July 4 to August 2

Chairmaker is about the Dominion Chair Company, which produced the Bass River Chair for over 150 years. (Bass River is about a half hour drive from Parrsboro.)

Chairmaker was inspired by W. Edgar Fisher’s The Rhymes and Songs of a Chairmaker. Mr. Fisher composed the lyrics for the production. He worked in the factory for over 60 years, composed as he worked, and became known as its Poet Laureate. Alastair Macdonald wrote the music and Scott Burke wrote the book.

Jacob’s Wake by Michael Cook August 8 to 31

The Ship’s Company Theatre is not to be missed, if you’re visiting the Parrsboro Shore. For more information, visit their web site (www.shipscompany.com) or call them at 1-800-565-SHOW

Ship's Company Theatre Dinner in Halifax in March

Liz attended a fund-raising dinner for the Ship's Company on March 6, 2003 at the Waegwoltic Club in Halifax. The event was well attended and was a lovely, intimate evening.

It was clear that a great deal of effort went into the dinner and the evening's entertainment. John Gracie, a three-time ECMA Male Artist of the Year award winner and 2002 nominee for ECMA Country Artist of the Year performed during the event. He even sang a song he wrote about Toronto! Frank MacKay and Réjean J. Cournoyer, accompanied by Steve Dooks, also sang one song together. Frank recently appeared in Chairmaker the Musical as Edward Fraser. He has an incredible vocal range, and it was fun to hear him and Réjean hit the high notes! To an observer, it seemd effortless. Réjean choreographed Chairmaker the Musical for the Ship's Company. This coming summer, he'll be at the Atlantic Theatre Festival performing in Sondheim's musical Into the Woods and Chekhov's The Three Sisters. Frank looked very spiffy in an immaculate white dinner jacket.

R.H. Thomson, who directed Tiger's Heart, Salt Water Moon and Of the Field, Lately for the Ship's Company Theatre, spoke about directing and about stories. He described the five basic kinds of stories, which are actually the roots for all stories, and he was riveting to listen to!

In addition to all this fabulous live entertainment, Brain MacKay-Lyons, whose firm is designing the new facility for the Ship's Company Theatre, spoke about plans and discussed the model for the facility. Brian has deep roots in Nova Scotia - he is a direct descendant of the first European child born almost 400 years ago in the province. Brian himself was born in the village of Arcadia in the southwestern part of the province and he seems to love being a part of Nova Scotian life.

Brian has been a full professor at Dalhousie University Faculty of Architecture since 1983, and has held nuumerous academic chairs and visitng professorships at leading universities including Harvard, McGill, Syracuse, Tulane, Auburn, Texas A&M, Maryland and Askansas. Prior to returning to Nova Scotia, he lived and worked in the US, Japan and Italy.

Brian shared his feelings about his roots being n Nova Scotia, and his decision to return home as he particularly wanted to be part of community-based activities, such as working with the Ship's Company Theatre in Parrboro.

Not only are all of these people who participated in the evening very talented, they seem to be fine people and a credit to the province.

Pegasus Paragliding

Pegasus Paragliding School, located on the shore at Diligent River, just outside Parrsboro, is in the heart of the best flying sites in the Maritimes. The Cobequid Mountains, combined with steady sea breezes, provide paragliding students with a superb environment in which to develop their skills.

The area has about 14 launch areas; each slightly different from the others; so perfect is the area for paragliding, that no matter what the wind direction, Pegasus has access to an instructional site to match it.

Pegasus starts in instruction early in May, as soon as the ice is off the training hills and the ground has dried out enough, and instruction continues until October. The school offers a number of courses designed to fit flying dreams. Their approach emphasizes safety and progression of students at their own comfort level. Progression is the result of not only understanding safety issues, but also of skill development.

The Tandem Flight gives students a feel for the incredible sensation of free flight. This course is a prerequisite for The Complete Beginner course, which provides students the opportunity to attain soaring flight through development of their skills. If pilots wish to develop their skills further, in order to fly more skilfully, they take the Novice Certification Course and attain National Certification. More advanced courses are available for various levels of qualifications and certifications.

The school combines ground school and practical instruction on the training hill and on the ground handling field. Pegasus’s web site has all the details about the courses, costs etc, and loads of beautiful and enticing pictures. You’ll want to sign up as soon as you see them! .

Those of us who have never tried paragliding can try a Tandem Flight with an experienced pilot and instructor. The Tandem Flight is a chance to learn the basic procedure of launching, soaring and landing, while knowing that the instructor is right there beside you. Tandem flights cost $100 plus HST, for a group rate of four or more students. If you try it out, you’ll need to bring study boots with good ankle support, gloves, good humour and patience, full water bottle and your lunch, and sun block, your sun hat and sunglasses.

The two, in the left picture, are paragliding over the Bay of Fundy, a few hundred feet, on the beach, to the west of the Beach House and about a half mile east, on the beach, of Fox River and Port Greville. Let’s hope their bootlaces are tied up tight!

The paraglider in the right picutre is near Economy.

Gayle Shaw, a partner in Ebb Tide I, II and Shaw Country Market, took a Tandem Flight during the summer of 2002, and she loved it! Gayle wanted to share her experience with readers of The Coast News. These are her exact words:

“I went up on a flight last summer so I could experience first hand the thrill and enjoyment of the flight, to pass on to our guests. I also wanted to be able to describe in full what they could expect. IT WAS AWESOME. The flight was silent, breathtaking and incredibly beautiful. I was not afraid for one minute. It is probably safer than driving a car on the freeways, these day” (February 2003).

Old Rooms, Expanded Christmas Tree Store, and Many More New Attractions at Shaw Country Market in Port Greville

Shaw Country Market in Port Greville features antiques, collectibles, art, books, quilts, jams, jellies, fresh berries and baking, exquisite Christmas Tree items, local crafts and folk art, a warm welcome from Gayle and Terry and their team, and much more.

Gayle and Terry Shaw, partners in the complex, have been working hard to add several new features to the Market. The antique store on the second floor is arranged to depict old living rooms, parlours and dining rooms. The Christmas Tree store has been expanded and several new paintings by local nature artist Arlene Collins have been added to the gallery. Gayle and Terry are also hoping to set up Justincredible Ice Cream, named after their grandson Justin, who has fallen in love with the area and with the Market.

Shaw Country Market in winter

Gayle and Terry sincerely invite everyone who visits the area to come by and see them – tell them you read about Shaw Country Market in The Coast News.

Ebb Tide Victorian Tea Room in Port Greville

The Ebb Tide Victorian Tea Room will open for the season on the May long weekend. The Tea Room will be open daily between 2 and 4 pm, and will feature “high teas”, light lunches and in-season desserts-to-die-for!!

Tidnish River Walking Sticks

Morris Haugg, a lawyer in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and an old friend of Liz’s since Mt. Allison days, has been making walking sticks for almost 10 years for the Cross Roads Community Association and other clubs and organization in Cumberland County.

Morris makes several models of sticks – Souvenir, Trail, Alpine, and Rocky Mountain The wood for the sticks comes primarily from old logging roads in Cumberland County, where harvesting has taken place in the last 15 to 20 years. These trees are weed trees, and represent no loss to the forestry resources in the area. Occasionally, wood for the sticks is harvested elsewhere, such as yellow birch in New Brunswick and stripped maple in Quebec. The leather for the hand loop comes from the harness shop in Sackville, New Brunswick and the stick tips are imported from Germany.

Morris and a friend came to the Beach House for coffee and a visit just after New Year’s and he gave Liz a walking stick for the Beach House. Liz put the stick in a corner of the dining room, for safekeeping. It’s waiting there for visitors to use.

For more information about the walking sticks, contact Tidnish River Hiking Sticks, Tidnish Bridge, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada; fax 902-667-5886; or contact Morris Haugg at hickslemoine@ns.sympatico,.ca.

Alberts Corner Art Gallery

Sharon and Gerry Allabay have moved to Port Greville from Ontario. Gerry is a well recognized black and white photographer.

Sharon and Gerry have opened Alberts Corner Art Gallery for black and white photography from around the world. A visit to the gallery should be on your schedule for your next visit to the area.

Ebb Tide B&B and Ebb Tide II Host Customized Events

Ebb Tide B&B and Ebb Tide II (a lovely Victorian guest house) provide 4 season accommodations in Port Greville. Gayle and Terry Shaw, partners in the complex, assist visitors to plans retreats, customized Gourmet Getaway weekends, bridge tournaments, lecture weekends, anniversary and birthday parties, and much more! Paul Hill, a retired chef, will prepare wonderful gourmet meals to meet your heart’s desire.

Ebb Tide and The Beach House on Hatfield Road collaborate as much as possible in organizing these special events, and together can accommodate a considerable number of guests. Gayle and Liz have lots of fun working together! For more information, contact Gayle Shaw at ebbtide@ns.sympatico.ca or call her at 902-348-2245 or 902-348-2011. Liz Yorke can be reached at liz@lizyorke.com or at 416-481-4096.

Gayle and Liz have known each other since they were little girls, and by a twist of fate, they ended up developing Ebb Tide and the Beach House at the same time. Watch for the next edition of The Coast News for a report on the special events which will place over the next few months.

Extension of Street Banners from Wharton to Wards Brook

Those of you familiar with Fox River, Port Greville and Wards Brook will remember the colourful street banners which add greatly to the beauty of the area, all year long. The Shore Drive Community Association recently announced that they have approved the extension of the banners all the way from Wharton, through Diligent River to Wards Brook The flags are purchased each year from Unicef, Vancouver, and this year’s theme celebrates the art of weaving

Events in Nova Scotia

For up to date information about festivals, shows, opening and other events held throughout the year, go to www.NovaScotia.com.

Want Ads

Help with moving furniture from Toronto to Fox River, Nova Scotia: I am looking for help with moving furniture from Toronto (Yonge/Eglinton) to Fox River; contact Liz Yorke at liz@lizyorke.com or call me at 416-481-4096.

Workshops & Seminars at The Hatfield Centre: Attend one of our workshops and seminars, or use our resources to present your own; visit www.hatfieldcentre.com to learn about all The Hatfield Centre’s services.

Visitors to Maui: Thora and Wafik Loutfi, who visited the Beach House in the fall of 2001, have recently purchased a luxury villa at Kapalua on Maui. Their villa is part of the Maui Resort It has two bathrooms, one large bedroom, and a queen sofa bed and a single sofa bed in the living room, so it can accommodate up to 4 or so visitors.

The view from the villa is over the ocean. The resort includes 2 golf courses, tennis courts, two swimming pools, beautiful beaches, jogging trails, walking trails and much more. Visitors can also use facilities of beach and swimming facilities of the Ritz Carlton, which is nearby. The pictures on www.mauigetaway.com are of Thora and Wafik’s place.

For more information, contact Kay Kunisawa at getaway@maui.net or cal him at 1-800-367-5037 and tell him that you are interested in the Loutfi villa.

Four season condos north of Toronto: Visit Gary Zalot's four-season condos at www.vaxxine.com/rental and find out how easy it is to go to cottage and ski country just north of Toronto. Gary also has some space in Florida, contact him directly for more details. E-mail Gary at zalot@vaxxine.com.

Executive Bungalow in Truro, Nova Scotia: 2,500 square feet; 5 bedrooms; 3 bathrooms, hardwood floors, call 902-893-3816 or e-mail to memeandjohn@yahoo.com.