ADEDA News

From Peter

It’s a wonderful time of the year to be a “foodie” here in Annapolis Digby, with burgeoning crops filling our fields, and the roadside stands and local farmers’ markets bursting with fresh produce. For the past week or so I’ve been gulping down more fresh local berries and vegetables that a foraging brown bear. We make a habit at “Chez MacLellan” of visiting the markets and subscribe to a local Community Sustainable Agriculture initiative, so I can pursue a healthy indulgence without fear of stepping on the scale.

Outstanding in their Fields
Another tune that dances through my fertile, if often unfocused, mind at this time of the year is Murray McLauchlan’s “The Farmer’s Song”, a lyrical tribute and heartfelt thank you to those hard working folks who make sure we have this gift of plenty. Last week a report out of Halifax suggested that the amount of local food being purchased by consumers had declined over a ten year period. But the good news was that this trend seemed to be reversing markedly due to determined local marketing and more access. One of the initiatives introduced by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture was its “Meet Your Farmer” campaign, which featured a local farm family from Lawrencetown.

Savour the Flavour
You can “cultivate” your own summer countryside experience this month in a number of ways, whether you live in Annapolis Digby or make the smart decision to come and visit with us. There are always the excellent agricultural exhibitions for the counties of Annapolis (August 16-21) and Digby (August 25-28) of course. And you can share the home grown taste of our region at a zesty upcoming event in Annapolis Royal later this month. If you want to also indulge your creative juices in support of our agricultural endeavours Annapolis Highland Vineyards, an award winning local winery, has announced a contest looking for submissions for their 2010 vintage label designs.

A “Cornucopia” of August Offerings
Whatever gets you moving around Annapolis Digby this month – and wherever you find yourself in our area – there’s equal abundance in things to see and do. Annapolis Royal has an ambitious program of events celebrating the 300th anniversary of the renaming of the town; and at the other end of the Annapolis Basin the town of Digby has an equally impressive array of activities, beginning of course with this week’s annual Scallop Days festival. And to experience a special cultural treat, don’t forget that our neighbours in Clare are hosting the Festival Acadien de Clare, the oldest Acadian festival in the world, which continues until August 15. Keep checking the Upcoming Events section of our web site for information on these and other offerings.

Crafting A Framework For Success
While August is undeniably a great time to kick back and enjoy our region’s fresh foods, fine wines, and fun events, a talented team in our local workforce is celebrating in a slightly different way, with a business success story. Lewis Mouldings of Weymouth is anticipating a banner year for its global woodworking enterprise. The Digby County manufacturer of finger-pointed pine mouldings has announced solid sales projections and the accompanying financial support of the province’s economic development agency.

Sharing Our Blessings
It is indeed a good time to celebrate the good fortune and good times that come with living where we do. But it’s also rewarding to know that folks in our area can take a moment to remember that there are other parts of this world that don’t share in our abundance of resources and opportunities. Over the weekend Annapolis County supporters of a school in Thailand held a “Gigantic Bake and Yard Sale” as part of their ongoing campaign to support young Burmese refugee children. The project was started by a Canadian journalist originally from Middleton, and let’s hopes that this event, and all future endeavours, will see their goals met.

“Fore” Warned
With all the activities going on this week, I’ll be close to home celebrating the Digby Scallop Days festival. Especially the street parade on Saturday, where I hope to share the event with the first of my two grandsons born over the past year. But before that, I’ll be participating in the Tartan Classic golf tournament , a charity event for the Digby Area Learning Association, and where all the participants are encouraged to wear kilts (and yes I will) or at least some regalia of Scottish correlation. Now even after all these years I remain the ultimate “duffer” so if you see me – stand clear. No matter where - because I can spend so much time in the woods that I risk the moniker of the “Smiths Cove Sasquatch” (better than the” Yarmouth Yeti” one supposes). And after all that activity, golf, parades, etc., there’s the prospect of a feed of those delicious, world famous, Digby scallops. Join me – figuratively speaking – and Bon Appétit!

Till next week;
Peter

Peter MacLellan
Annapolis Digby EDA
86 Atlantic Avenue
PO Box 271
Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
Canada B0S 1H0

Tel: (902) 638-3490
Fax: (902) 638-8106
E: communications@annapolisdigby.com