
Main Street Music
This summer, Friend s of Fundy will be bringing live music to the Streets of Alma every Saturday and Sunday! Each weekend, artists will perform outdoor sets on Main Street in front of Outpost Alma from noon to 2pm. Performers include Sarah and James, Paul Toner, Fundy Ceilidh, Shane Douthwright, Kendra Gale, the Swing Cats, Daniel McFadyen, Samael Pelletier, and Before the Mast. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.
Join us on July 7th at the Albert County Museum Courthouse for Water Surrounds Us.
"Water Surrounds Us" is a new program created by Ventus Machina for the spring of 2022. Along with guest Hubert Francis, the group will be premiering Jean-François Mallet's, "How the Petitcodiac River became Muddy" in the original Mi'kmaq language with English and French subtitles and beautiful projected illustrations. The remainder of the program features the premieres of new compositions by James Kalyn and Jérôme Blais, and multiple James Kalyn arrangements of dearly loved, "water-themed" melodies.
The 65-minute program promises to be family-friendly and fascinating for all ages. Tickets are available on Eventbrite by following this link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/360650694937 This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.
Love your Trails, Love your Community Updates
In June, we had the pleasure of celebrating the grand reopening of the Shepody Trail, a non-motorized, greenway portion of the Trans Canada Trail, in Riverside-Albert! As part of this project, the community has started a Trail Ambassador program. Trail Ambassadors give back to the trails they love by:
- Using a checklist to provide feedback around safety and issues
- Engaging in positive use of public lands
- Following Leave No Trace practices
If you would like to report a portion of the Shepody Trail that needs to be repaired you can use this form: https://www.friendsoffundy.ca/en/shepody-trail/
The Gallery Space on School Street
This summer the community space above Outpost Alma is being transformed into a gallery space! Stop in to see the Fundy Studio Tour installation and get a tutorial on bird-proofing your windows. Additionally, the space hosts a craft night each Wednesday at 6pm - bring a current project and join in!
The School Street Gallery Space will host its first traveling exhibition at the end of the month from AX Arts and Culture Center in Sussex. Ellen’s Tour, curated by Bonny Hill, celebrates the life of Ellen Watters, the 1m rule, and women in sport. The show features the work of Nat Cann, Gerry Collins, Bonny Hill, I-Chun Jenkins, Heather McCaig, ReBecca Paterson, Julia Porkhun, and Julie Whitenect. The exhibition will be arriving in the last week of July, with a vernissage to follow - details to come!
Pollinator Gardens Update
Pollinators like bees, butterflies and birds play an essential role in our ecosystems, but their habitats are dwindling. Planting pollinator gardens, which are filled with flowers in varying shapes and colours, is one of the best (and most beautiful!) ways to help protect our local pollinators. As part of the United Way Day of Caring on June 10, the region had volunteers from businesses in the Greater Moncton Area spend the day sprucing up pollinator gardens. If you’re at the Albert County Museum, Forestdale Retirement Home, Outpost Alma, or the Alma Village Square make sure to check out the hard work these volunteers put in.
Regional Destination Development Community Conversations
Over the past few months, the Regional Destination Development Network met with businesses, elected officials and residents of Hillsborough, Riverside-Albert, Alma, Sussex, St. Martins and surrounding areas for community conversations. These conversations were held to provide an update to the community on Phase I of the Destination Development process, to present a summary of the data produced to date, and to invite attendees to contribute their comments and thoughts to inform the strategy.
The final report of Phase I, containing the research done by the working group and the input from the community conversations, will be available to download from the Rural Upper Bay of Fundy’s Regional Destination Development Project’s website: https://www.ruralfundyregiondevelopment.com/