STORIES

The trail project kickstarted with Gofundme funding, several community partners and fundraisers. The Climb trail, which helps separate hikers and cyclists, was done entirely through volunteer work and was completed just before the association was formed in July of 2020.

By this time in 2022, at the end of Phase 3, the association hopes to have 10 trails completed. Now, going into the winter, the attention will turn to more grant applications and keeping the momentum going.

The WMBA and Ski Wentworth also funded a fire rescue basket for the Wentworth Volunteer Fire Department, which cost close to $4,000, for remote rescues for people like bikers, hikers and those out on the ski hill.

• The Cobequid Education Centre Cougars football program hit a half-century milestone with the kick-off for the 2021 season and celebrated the achievement during a home game on Oct. 17.

During halftime of the Cougars game against Bay View High, former coaches and players came together to recognize the longevity and success of the program, which includes numerous provincial titles and the development of some of Truro and area’s finest athletes.

“Football became the energizer,” said Keith Mackenzie, the program’s second and most successful coach, during the ceremony, referencing the early days of CEC. “We being the coaches were gung-ho, and the kids were gung-ho, and when you start something and have a little bit of success, you have a lot of people jump on the bandwagon.” Former coach Mike Mackay added his perspective on the team’s influence over the past 50 years.

“I know it was an important part of my life and it impacted a lot of other people in the Town of Truro. The lessons we learned playing football have been very valuable. It has helped guide a lot of things I’ve done in my career … in my life,” said Mackay, the women’s high-performance manager for Basketball Canada.

NOVEMBER

• Truro hosted Atlantic Canada’s first professional women’s hockey event Nov. 12 and 13 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

The Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association (PWHPA) Secret Dream Gap Tour event featured four teams; Calgary/team Scotiabank, Montreal/team Harvey’s, Toronto/team Sonnet, and Boston/team Bauer. All four games saw strong attendance.

The final saw Calgary edge Montreal 2-1 in a shootout.

“Truro has been amazing,” said PWHPA head of sponsorships and partnerships Chelsea Purcell, following the championship game.

“We hadn’t been out in Atlantic Canada yet, so it was really exciting for us to be here and what they put on here made it very professional for the players. That is what we’re looking for, to create that professional environment.”

• A new chairlift is being installed at Ski Wentworth as demand for outdoor recreation soars.

The lift will be based on the edge of the parking lot by the bunny hill; riders will pass overtop the bunny hill through a treed area, rising above the Helter Skelter slope and arriving next to the current chairlift.

Although skier turnout each season can be weather-dependent, the demand is growing. Manager Leslie Wilson said another lift is needed to accommodate uncomfortably long lineups for the summit on busy days.

A crew from the Doppelmayr/garaventa Group, based in Quebec, will arrive in May of 2022 to install the towers and lift system throughout the summer, in co-ordination with the Ski Wentworth crew.

The existing chairlift was installed in 1987, and the T-bar is from the late 1950s. It is part of the late Dave Wilson’s vision for the ski hill.

• Michelle Robinson is a prolific, well-published, funny and fun-loving author of more than 40 children’s books who recently moved with her family from Somerset, England to the village of Tatamagouche, on Nova Scotia’s north shore.

She laughs gleefully as she reaches down to fetch a copy of HOW TO WASH A WOOLY MAMMOTH from a bookshelf.

“That’s one of my most popular books,” she says, as she relays how the idea was born, with a childlike twinkle in her eyes. “And that was inspired by me spotting the mastodon on top of Mastadon Ridge.”

Robinson’s books are filled with brightly coloured pictures and have neat titles such as: Do Not Mess With the Mermaids; When Cucumber Lost His Cool; Grandma From Mars; When Jelly Had Wobble; Ten Fat Sausages, Odd socks, and so on.

DECEMBER

• Sirens screaming through the night air, “the taste of broken glass”, the fear of not knowing whether he and his friend would live or die. These are the memories and images that continue to haunt a young crash victim whose car was smashed into a utility pole by a “grossly impaired” driver who sped away from the scene, even passing another vehicle in his haste to be gone.

“When I close my eyes, I am brought right back to the day this happened … my whole life has changed, my goals and dreams for my future have all been put on hold as I try to recover,” Bailey Dunphy wrote in his court impact statement of the night he and his friend Mason Cameron were slammed into from behind as they drove along East Prince Street on Aug. 25, 2020. Adrian Gordon Lively, 44, has pleaded guilty to two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm. Judge Al Bégin accepted a joint sentencing recommendation for Lively of two years in a federal penitentiary and a 2.5-year driving suspension after he is released.

• A Tatamagouche general store is one of three across Canada being awarded over $35,000 for having a positive community impact.

Jenna Jamieson knew she was in the top 10 of Purolator’s True North Small Business Grant Contest, but was surprised with the news during a video interview.

Thousands of nominations and submissions were made across Canada. The prize entails $20,000 cash, $15,000 for marketing and $500 for Purolator shipping. Making the award extra special was that her business received 21 community nominations – the most out of all the businesses nominated across the country.

The business serves the Tatamagouche and North Shore area with locally sourced and eco-friendly products – an especially important facilitation for producers during COVID. The grant will help purchase a much-needed walk-in cooler and implement a zero-waste bulk section where customers can bring in their own containers to fill and weigh food.