Holiday Spirit Craft Show in Bear River Nov 28

In the first of what we hope will become an annual event…
Holiday Spirit Craft Fair
November 28th, 9am – 5pm.

Over 25 tables are booked by artisans from southwest Nova. Don’t miss what is sure to be a spectacular display of one-of-a-kind pieces from potters, textile and fibre artists, woodworkers, jewelers, instrument makers, basket-makers, painters and more!
The festivities include a silent auction, live local music AND a gingerbread house competition and on-site gingerbread men decorating. (Please call 467-0481 for more information on anything gingerbread-ish.)

Vendors still looking to book a table please call 467-0489

where: The Rebekah Music Hall, 1886 Clementsvale Rd, Bear River
when: Saturday, November 28
9 am – 5 pm

Stan Carew performs in Bear River- Nov 22

Stan Carew of CBC Weekend Mornings and his band the Magpies, along with Bear River’s Cody Peck, will perform an eclectic mix of songs and stories in a fundraising concert at the Oakdene Centre in Bear River.

Who: Stan Carew & the Magpies; Cody Peck
When: Sunday, November 22, @3pm (possible 7pm show)
Where: Oakdene Community Centre, Bear River
Cost: $15 or $12 advance tickets (children free)

Purchase tickets:

• Yarmouth – Mark’s Music Store
• Digby – Digby Convenience
• Bear River – Cherrybrook Grocery
• Annapolis Royal – Bainton’s Leather     .

……or call Linda @ (902) 467 3184

If you can donate baked goods, please call Cathy at 467-3101. If you have large wall hangings or quilts to use for decorations and baffles, please contact Linda at 467-3184

Music – Caledonia performs Nov 13.09

Who: Caledonia
Where: Rebekah Music Hall, 1886 Clementsvale Road, Bear River
When: Friday, November 13, 8 pm
Cost: $10 and refreshments by donation

A review from the Globe and Mail’s essential track list:

…”Halifax rockers come along with a kicking good song that has a little bit of reggae, a lot of slamming guitars and a way of stacking up the vocals like pancakes on a Sunday”

Music – Kim Bishop Oct 17.09

The Bear Rhythm Music Society and the Rebekah Music Hall present another fabulous Saturday night of music with singer/musician Kim Bishop and friends.

who: Kim Bishop
where: Rebekah Music Hall, Bear River
1886 Clementsvale Road
when: Saturday Oct 17, doors open at 7:30
cost: $10/$8 for members (memberships available)
Refreshments by donation.

The Rebekah Music Hall entrance.

Music – The Smokin’ Contra Band Sept 25.09

The Rebekah Music Hall (1886 Clementsvale Road, Bear River) and Bear River Music Society are excited to present the following fall lineup:

SEPTEMBER:

Friday September 25th, 7 pm: The Smokin’ Contra Band.
A Halifax-based lively traditional band playing an entertaining and foot-stomping assortment of old-time jigs and reels with a whisper of bluegrass.

First set is a contra dance. No partner necessary, come prepared to doe-see-doe and twirl round and round.
Suggested donation $10.

OCTOBER:

Saturday October 17th: Kim Bishop.
More details to come.

NOVEMBER:

Friday November 13th, 7:30 pm: Caledonia

An Indie rock band from Halifax. Check them out at: http://www.myspace.com/caledoniatheband

A review from the Globe and Mail’s essential track list:

…”Halifax rockers come along with a kicking good song that has a little bit of reggae, a lot of slamming guitars and a way of stacking up the vocals like pancakes on a Sunday”

Music – Harvey Marcotte Sept 12.09

who: Harvey Marcotte
where: The Rebekah Music Hall, Bear River
when: Saturday, September 12.09 at 8 pm
what: fundraiser for the Bear River Historical Society

Harvey Marcotte is an energetic performer of fiddle, guitar and mandolin. You won’t want to miss his performance of original music.

This event will raise funds for the Bear River Historical Society and includes a silent auction of items donated by local artists as well as a dessert auction to tempt your palate!

Refreshments will be available.

Oakene Centre Studio Space for Rent

There are several big, beautiful studios for rent in Bear River. For only $300 a month, you can rent a large former classroom at the Oakdene Centre, a non=profit community-owned centre. Rent includes heat, maintenance, and a Maritime ambiance.

On Clementsvale Road just minutes from a restaurant, groceries, gas and more.

Oakdene's parking lot is ploughed in the winter.

The Oakdene is also available for limited rentals. There is a medium sized gym/auditorium with a kitchen that is used for community performance, weddings, yoga and meetings.

Features original wood throughout the building

There are 4 Main Floor studio spaces

An Upstairs Gym hosts yoga, tai chi and Brownies activities

Women's toilet

All rooms are well lighted and have hardwood floors.

Original blackboards are in every room.

Main floor hallway

Inside a main floor studio.

For rental queries, please contact:

Cathy Banks: 467-3101

Robbie Bays: 467-3151

Digby County Exhibition, August 26-29.09

Digby County Exhibition, Bear River, Nova Scotia

August 26-29. 2009

Schedule of Events

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 (4H Day)

9:00 a.m. 4-H Activities (Upper Ring)

4-H Displays – 4-H Building

9:00 a.m. Judging of Craft & Flower Exhibits – Main Bldg.

Judging of Cooking Exhibits – Dining Hall

Judging of Fruits & Vegetables – Commercial Bldg.

Weighing of Horses & Oxen

9:30 a.m. Judging Beef – Middle Ring

10:00 a.m. Judging Draft Horses – Middle Ring

11:30 a.m. Dinner – Dining Hall

1:30 p.m. Ox Haul (All classes) – Pulling Arena

3:00 p.m. Light Horse Show – Upper Ring

4:30 p.m. 4-H Awards Presentation – Ent. Bldg.

5:30 p.m. Light Horse Show – Upper Ring

6:00 p.m. Tractor Driving Competition – Middle Ring

6:00 p.m.  Horse Pull (Lt., Med. & Heavy) – Pulling Arena

8:30 p.m. Ladies Horse Pull – Pulling Arena

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27

8:30 a.m. Judging of Oxen & Steers – Middle Ring

9:30 a.m. Light Horse Show – English Classes – Upper Ring (all day)

11:30 a.m. Dinner – Dining Hall

1:00 p.m. Distance Pull – Pulling Arena

Note: The distance pull contest starts at 1:00 and runs in this order:

• Light Horses

• Light Oxen

• Medium Horse

• Medium Oxen

• Heavy Horse

• Heavy Oxen

6:00 p.m. 20’ Horse Pull – Pulling Arena

6:00 p.m. Light Horse Show – Gymkhana – Upper Ring

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

9:00 a.m. Single Horse Pull – Pulling Arena

9:30 a.m. Light Horse Show – Western Classes – Upper Ring (all day)

11:30 a.m. Dinner – Dining Hall

1:00 p.m. “Free for All” Ox Haul – Pulling Arena

1:00 p.m. Horse Log Yarding – Middle Ring

6:00 p.m. Tractor Tilt – Middle Ring

6:00 p.m. Light Horse Show – Gymkhana – Upper Ring

7:30 p.m. Consolation Horse Pull – Pulling Arena

9:00 p.m. Championship Horse Pull – 6′ Pull – 2 starts

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

9:00 a.m. Steer Pull – Pulling Arena

9:00 a.m. Light Horse Show – Upper Ring – (all day)

10:30 a.m. Junior Ox Haul – Pulling Arena

11:30 a.m. Dinner – Dining Hall

1:00 p.m. Ox Log Yarding – Pulling Arena

1:00 p.m. “Free for All” Horse Pull – Pulling Arena

2:00 – 4:00 Clown – Commercial Building

6:00 p.m. Light Horse Show – Gymkhana – Upper Ring

6:00 p.m. Consolation Ox Haul – Pulling Arena

7:30 p.m. Championship Ox Haul – 4′ Pull – Pulling Arena

Music by Vince Albert

Sit back to his country music:

Wednesday 7:00 – 9:00 in the Commercial building

Thursday 2:00 – 4:00 in the commercial building

7:00 – 9:00 in the Commercial building

Friday 8:00 – 12:00 Dance in the Entertainment bldg.

Saturday 2:00 – 4:00 in the Commercial building

If you are interested in entering your Flowers, Art or crafts in the exhibition, please bring them to the Main Building – Office by Tuesday August 25,  late afternoon or evening.  They must be entered by 9 pm to be ready for judging on Wed.  Arts will be judged after 9 pm on Tuesday.  Entry booklets are available at Teresa’s Hair Styling, Cherry Brook Grocery and the Tourist Bureau in Bear River.

Check out last year’s exhibition here.

Heritage Gardening events – Sat Aug 15.09

Join with the Bear River Historical Society in celebration of our Floral Heritage. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our local flowers and the creation of a permanent historical garden in Bear River. It’s also a chance to display your favorite vase and to share it’s significance to you.

Flowers from the garden of Pamela Barron.

What:

• talk about heritage plants in the garden from Gini Proulx and Elizabeth Chisolm
• turning of the sod for future heritage garden at the Bear River Museum
• display of vases, flowers and stories from community participants

When: Saturday August 15th at 2pm

Where: Bear River Museum for the talks, flower display, sod turning and refreshments. In the event of rain, the talks will be at the Rebekkah Lodge.

Jazz, Folk, Blues & Roots Music – Aug 8.09

Where: Clementsport Legion
When: Saturday August 8, 2009, 2 pm until closing
What: Jazz, folk, blues and roots musicians plus food, silent auction and more!
Why: Concert of support for musician and friend John Murray

Tom Berry
Brock Caldwell
Jim & Sue Comeau
Mike Corbett
End of the Line House Band
Brad Hewey
Charles Langmead
Gilles Leocard
Bebe MacLean
Harvey Marcotte
Caleb Miles
Ron Murray
Trevor & Clayton Murray
Ron Parks
Greg Peck
Chuck Ryan
Andrew Shishkov
Paul Smeets
Bob Snider
Len Sydenham
Jerry Thurber
John Adams & Ian Campbell of Tumbleweed
Brian Wamboldt
…and more!

Summer Concert Series in Bear River

Rebekah Music Hall

1886 Clementsvale Road, Bear River

902.467.0357

Presents a

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

——————————————————————————-

ANDRES GODOY and RYAN LeBLANC

Sunday July 19, 8 PM
Sugg. donation $10

Godoy: “An outstanding guitarist, inventer of ‘Tatap’ style, a brilliant composer and entertainer.”

LeBlanc: “an innovative solo instrumentalist who interlaces guitar, djembe, harmonica and banjo to produce a wide variety of upbeat and passionate musical pieces.”

——————————————————————————-

CALEB MILES with Titanic Proportions

Sunday July 26, 8 PM
Sugg. donation $10

“an eclectic and adventurous blues-rock band that takes the muscle and sinew of rock, soul, and blues, adds a dash of jazz spice, and stirs it all up in an improvisational sauce that keeps things interesting…rock history gumbo!”

——————————————————————————-

BOB SNIDER, DAVID BAXTER and
CATHERINE MacLELLAN

Sunday August 9, 8 PM
Sugg. donation $15

Snider: a LOCAL, national treasure!  Baxter: “classic country folk that Willie might enjoy.”

MacLellan: “one of the most celebrated new singer-songwriters in Canada.”

——————————————————————————-

Flower Sale and Fundraiser for the Oakdene

date: Sunday, August 2nd
time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

Spring flowers from Bear River Blooms.

Bear River Blooms Farm is raising funds for the Oakdene Community Center on Sunday August 2nd. Fresh bouquets of flowers will be available for $5.00.

Lily from Bear RIver Blooms.

There will be fresh, homemade smoothies available too. People are welcome to walk through the gardens.

Yet another BR Blooms masterpiece!

Let’s raise some money for a few needed repairs. All proceeds go to the Oakdene Centre. So please, come on out and bring your friends and family too!

Crocosmia on the back steps of the Oakdene.

For more information contact:
Cheryl Stone
Bear River Blooms

6684 Sissiboo Rd.
Bear River
467-0337

Cherry Carnival, Music and Readings!-July 24-26.09

When it rains, it pours! All this rain in Bear River has sprouted us a fabulous weekend of culture and fun for all!

Friday July 24.09 – 8 pm Acoustic Musician Daniel Heikalo at the Oakdene Centre
Saturday July 25.09 – Cherry Carnival Events TODAY and TOMORROW
Saturday July 25.09 – 1 pm Newfoundland writers Lisa Moore and James Langer read at the Bare Canvas Gallery
Sunday July 26.09 – 8 pm Rock and Blues with Caleb Miles and the Titanic Proportions at the Rebecca Music Hall

Music – The Strangeboys in Bear River

Rebekah Music Hall presents The Strangeboys

When: Tuesday May 19th at 8 pm

Where: 1886 Clementsvale Road, Bear River, Nova Scotia

Cost: suggested $10 donation

Music by Kadijah – May 2.09

Bear Rhythm presents Kadijah and friends at the Oakdene coffee house in Bear River, Nova Scotia

Saturday May 2nd, 2009

7:30 pm

$8 / $6 for members (memberships available)

Bear River Peace Garden Clean Up

You are invited to be part of Bear River’s 

“Community Garden Care &

Clean-up Gatherings” 

Sunday afternoons

April thru October 

2pm to 4pm

Garden Care & Clean-up   2-3pm

Volunteer Social   3-4pm 

We will meet at the

Visitor Information Centre/

Waterfront Grounds

(Windmill behind the Legion) 

Please bring your rake, work gloves and

munchies to share.

______________________________________ 

Our beautiful waterfront park gardens and Visitor Centre are maintained entirely by volunteer efforts. 

Thank-you to everyone who lends a helping hand!

Music by Tony Cox – April 5.09

The Rebekah Music Hall in Bear River presents an evening with South African Acousitc Guitarist Tony Cox.

Opening set with David Knox.

Bear River IOOF Rebekah Music Hall (upstairs)

Tickets are $10

Sunday April 5, 2009

Music by Steve Spidle – March 21.09

Bear Rhythm Presents

Bear River’s very own Steve Spidle – Sat Mar 21.09

doors open at 7:30pm

in the Coffee House at the Oakdene Centre in Bear River.

Admission: $8 / $6 for members (memberships available)

Bear River needs Your Help!!

Main street, Bear River

Dear Friend of Bear River,

There is a current community push to deal with our critical village infrastructure issues around:

• Water and Sewage
• Parking & Road Restrictions
• Sidewalks/Boardwalks and Snow Removal

Two letters have been forwarded to me from Rick McMullen and Rob Buckland-Nicks and they will give you some background as to what is being proposed to deal with these issues. Your voice is critically needed to put some pressure on the powers-that-be to help us access some of the Federal infrastructure monies that the Harper government is currently distributing to communities in need. – Flora Doehler

—————

Letter from Rob Buckland-Nicks to our community:

Bear River’s difficulties come not from its beauty or rich heritage, nor from its proud and hard working residents or its many volunteer driven community groups and churches; or from the thousands of tourists so happy to have discovered us. Our difficulties come from being overlooked by the two dominant counties on whom we rely for political leadership.

Geography and bureaucracy have dictated that one side of the Bear River is in Digby County and the other side in Annapolis County. The towns of Digby and Annapolis have Municipal structures. Bear River is not incorporated, and having no Town Council must rely on its neighbours for some form of local governance. In short, we are sometimes reduced to searching for crumbs from two well set tables.

There are enough determined individuals to still get things done but when it comes to infrastructure, our pockets are simply not deep enough to deal with our current urgent problems. We are in desparate need of our share of infrastructure money from the federally allocated funds for “Shovel Ready Projects” in West Nova.

Greg Kerr, our Conservative government member in Ottawa, had agreed to meet with the people of Bear River provided that an Agenda be sent to his Constituent Offices and that the two Municipal representatives from Digby and Annapolis be invited to attend. When this was received he and his staff would confirm a date. We have heard nothing and yet the required materials were sent to him several weeks ago.

It is vitally important that our concerns and wishes be heard at this time, as it is unlikely that there will be this much infrastructure funding available for some time. I would ask everybody to write or Email to the Honourable Greg Kerr and politely ask him to come here and meet with us.

The Honourable Greg Kerr, M.P.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs 

House of Commons,
Ottawa (613) 995-5711
(613) 995-9857
kerr.G@parl.gc.ca
 
233 Water Street
Yarmouth, 902) 742-6808 
(902) 742-6815 (Fax)

Head of the Tide in Bear River.

 

—————————————–

Suggested Agenda to Greg Kerr by Rick McMullen & friends

Mr. Greg Kerr MP
233 Water Street
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
B5A 1M1

Kerr.G@parl.gc.ca

Dear Mr. Kerr,

It has been confirmed with your constituency office that you are willing to come and meet with concerned citizens of Bear River as well as representatives of both Annapolis and Digby counties to address issues and concerns that we would like brought to your attention and we thank you for your time. A meeting of residents, businesses, and community groups and organizations was held on Wednesday, January 28 in Bear River to discuss an agenda in preparation for our meeting with you. In light of the infrastructure funding being made available through the upcoming federal budget as released on Tuesday, January 26, 2009, the following is what we would like to discuss with you at your earliest opportunity.

Water and Sewage: Although there is partial service in the town on both points, there are grave concerns that downtown has no consistent fresh water which has led to the temporary closure of the only currently operating restaurant in Bear River. Another entrepreneur and commercial property owner attending the meeting stated that they have plans to open their own restaurant within the next few months; for such a venture, the current lack of water is very disconcerting.

A minimum of twelve residences were also identified as having both the environmentally and socially unacceptable situations of directing their wastewater either towards, or directly into, local waterways. This is despite having collecting sewer lines within meters of the homes. In recent years, one stretch of houses had the material delivered awaiting the heavy equipment, only to have it later removed and the project annulled. With the current global concerns regarding the environment, this is an unacceptable situation in when a solution is within grasp with minimum effort.

Sidewalks/Boardwalks and Snow Removal: Although the Dept. of Highways from both Annapolis Royal and Digby service the roads in Bear River regarding snow removal and salt/sand distribution, the roadsides that should function as walkways are left to receive the snow plowed from the roads. It should be noted that Bear River does having an aging subsection of its population that, as a result, are left to walk on the plowed roads. All the residents at the meeting identified this as a safety concern and a strong motivator to have sidewalks installed, and to initiate a plan to provide employment to a resident in the form of sidewalk maintenance and snow removal.

Community volunteers clearing snow and ice for Winter Carnival.

Hand in hand with this, is the current disrepair of the boardwalk on the Annapolis side of Bear River. This necessary restoration would not only provide a boost to local employment, but also bring this community asset back to a safe and aesthetically pleasing state. It was also discussed that extending this facility provides an additional tourism draw. Tourism is a very strong component of the Bear River economy.

Parking & Road Restrictions: In conjunction with the sidewalk situation identified above; road markings for parking, and placing weight restrictions on particular roads and streets can be an initiative towards making the community more friendly to both residents and tourists alike.

Note that in the email containing this letter is an attached file from ACOA. This file is an assessment of Bear River that was done in 2007 commissioned by the now defunct BRIDGS organization. I trust the file may provide some further background to the issues addressed above.

I, those attending this initial meeting, and the residents and business owners, look forward to discussing these issues with you in Bear River to develop a plan to access the funding opportunity being initiated by the government you represent at a time of your earliest convenience. Once we have a date and time settled, we will make announcements to the community and the counties of Annapolis and Digby so any resident, business interest and local representatives may attend at a location in Bear River.

Thank you for your time and efforts in addressing these concerns.

Sincerely,

Rick McMullen

Save 170,000 acres! Buy back Nova Scotia!

Irving lands for sale! Property consists of 170,000 acres in Digby, Annapolis and Yarmouth counties to be sold in three parcels.

Our lands for sale.

 Buy Back Nova Scotia is a local coalition of groups that has formed to lobby the government to buy our lands back for future generations. Click on the menu and check out their “fact” sheet.  Word is finally getting out about the Irving land sale, especially in western NS, where A LOT of people are getting very worried and asking the Province to step in and buy the land. The biggest threat is massive real estate developments around the dozens of undeveloped lakes and miles of river frontage. This is going to be a big issue, and a huge opportunity for the Crown to secure a lot of land for conservation, access, etc.

Bids for the land are due April 2nd. The main thing now is to secure public ownership. It’s a once in a generation opportunity. The properties are profiled on Landvest’s website. (Landvest is a real estate broker.)

There was discussion of it today on CBC’s Maritime Noon.

The premier’s # is 1-866-267-1993 or 424-6600. Please add your voice by telling the province to ” buy back Irving’s land in southwestern Nova Scotia!” Property consists of 170,000 acres in Digby, Annapolis and Yarmouth counties to be sold in three parcels. Bidding closes April 2, 2009. It includes

• critical wildlife habitats
• old growth forests
• rare plant sites
• habitat for trout, bobcat and the endgangered mainland moose. 

From the Fact Sheet: http://www.buybacknovascotia.ca/

1.Weymouth Timberlands in Digby Co. (128,000 acres) including most of the Sissiboo River drainage area, Long Tusket Lake, Silver River, and historic New France

2.Tusket River Lakes in Clare and Yarmouth Co. (28,000 acres) including Barrio Lake, Barrio Falls and the east bank of the Tusket to North Kempt

3. Carleton River Lakes in Clare and Yarmouth Co. (17,000 acres) including the east and south sides of Ogden Lake and the east bank of the Carleton River to Lake Fanning.

To put a face to these 170,000 acres, consider:

• This is twice the size of Keji National Park; it represents 1/3 of Digby county  
• It includes the watersheds of the Bear River, Sissiboo River, Tusket River, Silver River and Carleton River 
• It encompasses two of Nova Scotia’s largest hydro electric systems, feeding over twelve hydro related dams 
• It spans 16 km of frontage on the historic Tusket River 
• It includes over 250 km of lake frontage on 69 undeveloped lakes 
• It includes a 600 km trail system, and a 300 km road network  
• The property includes historic and culturally significant areas including New France (Electric City); a WW11 plane crash site; and the Lake Jolly Clothes Pin Factory 
• It borders the Tobeatic Wilderness Area ( shares 12 Miles) and proximity to Keji Park (2 miles)

There are four ways that you can can take action:    1) Take a few minutes to look at the website to get a sense of what’s going on. www.buybacknovascotia.ca   

2) If you belong to an association/ group add your name to the list of supporters on the Buy Back Nova Scotia website.

3) Attend the rally on Sunday, March 8th, at 2:00 at the Community College Burridge Campus – Yarmouth (and bring as many folks as you can with you).   4) Send this message to others and tell all the other groups, organizations, friends, churches etc. that you’re a part of. Forward the website to them  www.buybacknovascotia.ca so they can become informed and get involved.   

4) Phone, fax or email our local MLA, Harold (Junior) Theriault

Phone: (902) 245-2991
Fax: (902) 245-6853
junior@ns.aliantzinc.ca

Richard Hurlburt, MLA for Yarmouth 742-8120
Chris d’Entremont, MLA for Argyle 648-2020

Honourable Rodney MacDonald
(902) 424-6600
(902) 424-7648
premier@gov.ns.ca
Premier, Office of the Premier
7th Floor, One Government Place
P.O. Box 726
1700 Granville Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2T3

 

Honourable David Morse
424-6647
424-0575
min_env@gov.ns.ca  Department of Environment
6th Floor, Terminal Road
P.O. Box 442
5151 Terminal Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2P8  

Honourable Carolyn Bolivar-Getson
424-4037
424-0594
bolivargetson@gov.ns.ca
Department of Natural Resources
3rd Floor, Founders Square
P.O. Box 698
1701 Hollis Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2T9
 
Thanks for taking the time to do this. We have so little time to pressure government into not forcing us to loose so much of our heritage. This is our one chance. Hopefully by working quickly and working together we can prevent this tragedy from happening.