First ever Sackville Busker Festival kicks off Thursday for an event-filled weekend
It’s an action-packed weekend coming up in Sackville.
The Live Bait New Works Festival launched Wednesday and runs until August 15, with plays, readings, a book launch, and a concert in collaboration with the newly revived Tantramar Blues Society. The Tantramar Heritage Trust and the Town of Sackville have put together a roster of activities to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Yorkshire Settlers in the region, promising to “explore the impacts, both good and bad” of the settlement. And to top it all off, there will be extra activity downtown as the first Sackville Busker Festival takes over Bridge Street between Main and Lorne, with performances starting Thursday evening and happening throughout the weekend.
Wendy Epworth is owner of Mel’s Tea Room and vice president of the downtown Sackville Business Improvement Area (BIA), which is spearheading the festival with some help from ACOA’s Rediscover Main Streets initiative. CHMA sat down with Epworth on Wednesday to hear more about the Buskers Festival and how it came to be.
Epworth says when word of funding for new events and festivals to help re-animate downtowns came down the line, she thought immediately of the Halifax International Buskers Festival. “It’s a great, longstanding festival, and I’ve enjoyed it,” says Epworth. So she reached out to see if something of a smaller scale could work in Sackville. “They sent me information about what a little festival would look like here,” says Epworth, and she put together a proposal for ACOA in the spring.… Continue
“Now the fun work can begin”: Sackville BIA chair puts out call for his replacement
With two years under his belt as chair of the downtown Sackville Business Improvement Association (BIA), Anthony Maddalena is planning to step down next month, and the organization in on the hunt for a new chair.
The BIA held their annual general meeting Wednesday night at town hall, and re-elected the current slate of directors, including, Maddelena, Wendy Epworth, Judith Cane, Andrew Black, and Chris Harborne. New nominee, Greg Soper was also elected.
Maddalena says that in addition to his impending resignation, treasurer Judith Cane is also planning to step down once a replacement can be found. He says that over the past two years, the board was focussed on revitalizing and organizing the institution which had grown inactive.
CHMA spoke with Maddelena shortly after the meeting Wednesday night.
“Basically, over the last year, we’ve completed all of the work that we felt we needed to complete before we were ready to rehire for that position,” says Maddalena. “We’re at a stage now where we’re looking for new board members, because a few of us are stepping down…and then also looking to hire someone to be basically a new manager for the Sackville BIA.”
Maddalena says the details of the position, last held by Gwen Zwicker who stepped down in May 2021, are to be determined, but the goal is to have a job description developed in the next month.
The BIA is funded by a tax levy on downtown commercial properties which yields an annual budget of about $20,000.… Continue
Moot Point Tavern opens today in former Black Duck location
A new restaurant opens today in the former Black Duck space on Bridge Street, beside Quality Grocery. Moot Point Tavern will be an evening-focussed restaurant, and for the time being, will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday starting at 5pm.
Co-owner Al Barbour, of the Black Duck and Quality Grocery, says he felt it was time for a change in direction. “We had been doing the Black Duck for 10 years,” says Barbour, “and when we started it, there was a real need for a cafe.” But with more cafe options available in town, that need has dropped off, and Barbour says he now sees a new opportunity. “There’s definitely a need for somewhere to go in the evening and get some some good food and maybe a beer or a glass of wine or a cocktail.”
Barbour says there will be familiar faces at the new restaurant, though some former Black Duck staff have moved on. One new face will be taking over the reins in the kitchen at Moot Point, having recently moved to Sackville from Nova Scotia, where he worked in a number of popular kitchens.
Phil Benitez most recently worked at Canteen in Dartmouth, a popular spot opened up by chef Renée Lavallée. Benitez moved to Sackville for a relationship, and sounds positive about his new career at Moot Point. “I always like to give a helping hand wherever I can,” says Benitez, “And I just decided that Al and I could do something great together.”… Continue