Trees down, trees up

Several of our 'original trees' in the downtown have finally succumbed to Dutch Elm disease and were taken down (before falling down) this week.

I'm happy to say that that we thought ahead about the impending demise of these historic trees and started a tree planting program for the civic gardens around the Band Stand a few years ago. Ten families have donated pine or oak trees to the "Family Tree" program! These trees have settled in well and are a welcome addition to the green spaces of downtown.

Tennis anyone?

Those of you who are my age or older (I'll let you self-sort....) will likely remember when Parrsboro had a very active Tennis Club. The courts were pretty much fully booked - you even had to sign up - in the 70s & 80s.

Tennis is a fun sport for all ages and we are fortunate to have two nicely surfaced courts here in the centre of town.

Great news from Marc at Parrsboro Recreation that the courts have just been fitted with new nets! Actually lots of good info about new activities in Parrsboro on their new facebook page: check it this link. Way to go Marc....gettin us movin' again with all your fun rec ideas!

Parrsboro in the news

Nice article in The Citizen newspaper this week about recent tourism-related activities around about town. Click this link. If you live in town you may have noticed the first of the new Parrsboro banners on Upper Main St & Eastern Ave. I'll get a picture to post here when it stops raining for your viewing pleasure. More banners to come in a few weeks...!

If you really love the beach....

One way I try to sort out the real beach lovers from their fair weather imposters is to see who still likes going to the beach on cloudy, rainy, stormy or snowy days.

Beaches, I contend, are largely under-appreciated by those who only visit in good weather. Check out my "dull day" pics of the Parrsboro harbour: steel-grey, still, serene.....perfect.

Clean up fun downtown on Saturday

If you're in the Parrsboro 'hood tomorrow, dust off your rakes, grab your gardening gloves and head on downtown tomorrow for Community Cleanup Day. The event starts at 10:30 at the Town Hall and includes food! (what Parrsboro event doesn't?) hotdogs, pop, T-shirts for helpers

A great chance to visit with fellow Parrsboroians of all ages and to grow even more civic pride in our pretty town. Starts 10:30.

Fiddle Camp concert tonight

One of the other long-standing events in Parrsboro on the May long weekend is a Fiddle Camp at Ship's Company Theatre. This is a neat idea that they started about 5 years ago. Aspiring fiddlers and keyboard accompanists from near and far (mostly adults but some kids too) come here from Friday to Monday to take workshops from some of the region's best musicians: Gordon Stobe, Kendra MacGillvary, Kelli Trottier, Skip Holmes, Jeff Horhocks, Greg Simm and, of course, Parrsboro's own much-loved violinist, Timi Levy.

The instructors hosted a sold-out concert at The Kip last night and tonight there's a participants concert and who knows, based on these pics from last year, probably some dancing too - promises to be fun!

People in the air this weekend

If you're in Parrsboro range this weekend there's a neat festival happening: the 15th Annual Atlantic Hang Gliding and Paragliding festival. Local paraglider and instructor, Michael Fuller, with Pegasus Paragliding brought this fun event to Parrsboro (always on the May long weekend, in case you can't make it this year).

There's a program on the Atlantic Paraglider Assoc. website or drop by the bandstand at the top of Main Street to check the notice board to see where the flyers are.

Para-gliders, hang gliders, ultralights and power paragliders. Saw some out yesterday -they looked like they were havin' fun!

The clammers are out!

yay, summer is fast approaching in Parrsboro. Not only did three more seasonal restaurants open this weekend but we spied clammers down at Two Islands beach when we were out this weekend. I'm not sure when the season officially starts? around the first of May I think.

Took these pics - I never get tired of walking on the ocean floor, do you?

Yes, Parrsboro is on TV

It sounds like the Nova Scotia tourism ads that were filmed here last fall are airing on TV now. I was thrilled when asked to appear in these ads, which feature these aspects of Nova Scotia's Fundy tides:
- Parrsboro's high/low harbour
- the Shubenacadie tidal bore
- Cape d'Or lighthouse

A lobster fisherman from Advocate harbour is also in one of the ads and Tex, from Cape Chignecto Park is in one as well. I'm trying to get a list of the TV stations that they are showing on - will post them as soon as I get them. I know it's the specialty channels like CBC Newsworld, HGTV, National Geographic, W, etc. and they usually run between 5 & 7 pm.

My yellow lab, Belle, is also in the ads...haha, famous beach dog!

Parrsboro ranks well in prov municipal study

I caught an interesting bit of news today about a report recently released by the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies (AIMS) indicating that the Town of Parrsboro placed 13th out of 55 municipal units (towns and counties) in Nova Scotia.

AIMS judged each municipal unit on governance, finance, transportation, safety, protection, environmental health, economic development, recreation and culture.

Interestingly, Parrsboro lead the scores for Cumberland County:
The County itself ranked 20th out of the 55,
Amherst ranked 36th,
Springhill 44th
and Oxford 45th

Neat, huh?

It's offiical ~ a live webcam for the Parrsboro harbour!

Of all the cool tech inventions, I think live webcams are among the best! And I can't think of a better place to put one than at a tidal harbour. There's just so much to see: tide in, tide out, tide in any stage, lighthouse, boats coming and going, ice cakes in winter, etc.

I'm on the town's Tourism Committee and we recently went after some Nova Scotia tourism funding to see if we could pull this off for the Parrsboro harbour.I'm pleased to report that we've got a deal! A live camera should be up and running within the next two weeks. It will operate year round and will 'live feed' into the town's new website.

I'll also have a live feed into this blog...er, assuming that's possible...we'll find out! I'll post again once it's set up.

A beautiful sight

A friend of mine recently drew my attention to the fact that portions of the award-winning documentary film Rivers & Tides were filmed just a few kilometres downshore of Parrsboro, at Fox Point. I haven't seen the whole film but this YouTube clip absolutely took my breath away. I see many beautiful sights along our Bay of Fundy shore but this is an extraordinary perspective by UK visual artist, Andy Goldsworthy.

Ice boat float

Interesting to see one fishing boat still in the harbour throughout the winter. With all the ice we've had I might have expected it to take a beating but perhaps here by the wharf it's somewhat protected. Still...makes a pretty winter sight!

Awesome ice cakes at First Beach

Despite this month's cold temperatures, I've got a feeling that spring is in the air (call me crazy!) so I really wanted to get down to First Beach this weekend to check out the ice cake situation.

It's been cold enough now for a few weeks for a goodly amount of ice cakes to accumulate. The tide and freezing rain have also blended them together. My kids loved to explore these cakes when they were younger - kind of like a natural winter obstacle course. No reason not to visit the beaches in Parrsboro in all seasons!

Lobster traps on the wharf

For all that we locals joke about tourists' fascination with lobster traps (many have been purchased dockside and taken home to landlocked provinces and states to become coffee tables), I am kinda into them.

For example, I once made a flower box out of one (my petunias never looked better!) and I have spent a goodly amount of time photographing them - but the 'old' style wooden ones with the curved tops only - I'm a purist.

This is the first photo of the new metal mesh traps that has ever revealed itself to me. It was taken at the Parrsboro wharf just after lobster season last month. Mmmmnh, not so painful....

Ice cakes in the harbour

You know it's finally winter here in Parrsboro when ice cakes start to form in our tidal harbour. At high tide they float and bump gently against each other; at low tide they crunch and layer on the mud. Here's a photo I took at the Whitehall bridge, just at the end of Main Street on the inner harbour.

Old Post Office clock tower

Cool winter weather makes for nice skies and interesting lighting here on the coast. I was out walking my dog the other day when I noticed the clock tower on one of our Main Street buildings, known to locals as the "Old Post Office" - not to be confused with the New Post Office (also on Main).

The clock is no longer in operation (although I understand that someone has all the parts for it, should you feel so inclined...) but it still stands solidly at the far end of Main Street. Considering that 99% of our homes and civic buildings in the town are wooden clapboard, this 1940s angular, brick construction really stands out!