August 2nd has been declared “SUNFLOWER SPIRIT DAY” in Tatamagouche. Brian Hicks the Communities in Bloom judge will arrive to inspect all our hard work getting ready for Communities in Bloom 2008. The Sunflower was picked as the unofficial flower of Tatamagouche and we encourage everyone to get in the Sunflower Spirit. Be sure to purchase and wear your Sunflower Spirit T-Shirt on this special day. T-Shirts are available at The Train Station Inn, The Fraser Cultural Centre and North Shore Business Centre for $10.00. LET’S SHOW THE JUDGES WHAT GREAT SUNFLOWER SPIRIT THE RESIDENTS OF TATAMAGOUCHE HAVE!! Many activities are planned for this day.

For information on the activities and much more, download the July newsletter brought to you by the North Shore Community Development Association HERE.

Once again North Shore Community Development Association is getting ready for Communities in Bloom 2007. Tatamagouche finished with 3 Blooms out of a possible 5 Blooms for 2006 and Honourable Mention for Community Involvement and Floral Displays. Our overall scores improved over 2005 and it was easy to tell that the entire community put forth a great effort. Driving or walking Main Street you could see many more planters and window boxes filled with beautiful flowers. The hanging baskets supplied by the Village Commission were great!

Plans have started for 2007 and NSCDA hopes that everyone will get involved making this year even better that last. Our goal for 2007 is to reach 4 Blooms – what an accomplishment that would be and it is certainly attainable with the continued support from businesses, local groups and individuals.

If you have any ideas or would like to get involved… please, call Lisa Redmond at 657-3811, Esther MacKenzie at 657-2980 or drop into North Shore Business Centre, 225 Main St, Tatamagouche.

Are you between the ages of 15 & 18 ?
If so we would like you to participate in the research project on your food choice behavior.

The study will involve participating in a 90 minute focus group discussing how you choose the foods you eat.
Participates will receive a $20 Truro Mall Gift Certificate. Please call Letitia @ 893-6227

Are You Between the ages of 19 & 40 ?
If so we would like you to participate in a research project on food choice behavior.
Participants will receive a $20 Gift Certificate from Foodland or Truro Mall.
For More Info Call Letitia @ 893-6227

TATAMAGOUCHE - Roll out the barrel!! Staub die lederhosen ab, (dust off your leather pants), Strap on your lederhosen (leather shorts) and dust off your dirndlkleid (ladies wear). It’s Oktoberfest Time in Tatamagouche! The 27th Annual Oktoberfest celebration will take place this year on September 29th & 30th at the North Shore Recreation Centre.

The famed Oktoberfest began with a Royal Bavarian wedding in 1810. The groom, King Ludwig I, decided to commemorate his marriage to Maria Teresa of Saxony, by proclaiming that a state fair be held in Munich in conjunction with the fall harvest and to his regions most famous product - beer. Tradesman and merchants arrived in Munich from throughout Germany to join in the merry-making. They examined the crops, sang songs, danced and sampled the first beer of the season. The celebration was such a success that Ludwig issued a Royal Decree that saw Munich enjoying a fall festival each year. Oktoberfest has become an annual celebration in many countries of the world since that time.

Sponsored by the North Shore Bavarian Society and held the last Friday and Saturday in September, the annual North Shore Oktoberfest draws thousands of visitors to the Village of Tatamagouche. All events are held at the North Shore Recreation Centre in Tatamagouche. With a great deal of work by volunteers, the Centre is transformed into a Bavarian Dance Hall with concession stands throughout the hall that offer traditional foods that range from Oktoberfest sausages and German sauerkraut to delicate cheesecakes and other delicious treats. The North Shore Bavarian Society is awarding a cash door prize this year to one of the lucky ticket holders.

All amenities are available at each of the three events, which include a Friday Evening Dance, Saturday afternoon Beer Gardens, and a Saturday Evening Dance. Beverages will include domestic and German Beers, local wines and imported spirits, a Schnapps Bar, coffee and soft drinks.

Shadow Security from Halifax and their event security division will once again be on hand with experience that has provided security for over 185 artists and 1.2 million attendees. Last year they were a welcome addition to the annual event.

The Friday Evening Dance begins at 8 p.m. and an Awards Ceremony at 10 p.m. will recognize the businesses in Tatamagouche who decorated their shops and storefronts for the Oktoberfest celebrations. First, Second and Third Prizes will be awarded.

The Beer garden on Saturday will be held from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Saturday Evening Dance from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Die Holzhacker Bub’n and the Saxons will be playing German & Canadian music
at all three events and a free children’s show that will include many activities is scheduled for Saturday, September 30th from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Tatamagouche Creamery Square. There will be ample on site parking to accommodate huge crowds and Markie Bus Tours from Truro will be operating again this year.

Visitors are encouraged to visit tourism and business operators in the area who decorate
their shops for the occasion and many offer Oktoberfest Celebration Specials. As well as the Oktoberfest there are many things to see and do in the area. For example: the Hidden Jewel Shop of Treasures in Pugwash is offering 30% off dresses, shirts and tops for the weekend. View a wide selection of handmade quilts from various quilters at the Fraser Cultural Centre at the Annual Oktoberfest Quilt Sale. A visit to Jost Vineyard’s in Malagash is a must and on September 16th drop in during their 8th Annual Grape Stomp and watch the fun as stompers squish grapes for charity.

Be sure to visit Sugar Moon Farm while in the area which just recently was selected by
Halifax’s Hip Weekly Newspaper and their food panelists as the “Best Reason to Take a Drive.” Enjoy buttermilk pancakes, baked beans and sausage, with maple syrup.

For those who enjoy lip-smacking, palate-pleasing German cuisine, visit the German food section at Sunrise Mercantile, just 2 minutes west of Tatamagouche. At this new “hot spot” for gourmet foods from around the world, owners, Dave and Suzy Belt will feature free in-store sampling of German treats the week leading up to Oktoberfest. If you want to take home some delectable German foods, Sunrise Mercantile is the place to go for a complete selection of spaetzle, sauerkraut, mustard, malzbier, curry ketchup, potato dumplings, rotkohl, spices, pickles, preserves, breads, cookies, chocolate, marzipan, and even “original” Fanta orange drink - all imported directly from Germany. Sunrise Mercantile is also launching their fall music concert series beginning Friday, September 22nd with classical music by the Tatamagouche Chamber Ensemble; continuing with a Celtic Christmas concert by the harp group, Maeve, and finishing with an intimate acoustic Christmas concert by balladeer Dave Gunning. While shopping at the Mercantile, also plan a few extra minutes to sit for a while in their new cafe, where you can enjoy a leisurely dessert, coffee, or tea, while overlooking a spectacular ocean view.

On October 7th & 8th ride the chairlift at Ski Wentworth for a spectacular view of all the fall colors in the beautiful Wentworth Valley for the annual Wentworth Valley’s Fall Festival of Colors. For more details visit skiwentworth.ca

“The North Shore Bavarian Society thanks the many volunteers and Society Members who volunteer their time to make this event a success.” ” The Oktoberfest celebration requires a lot of hard work but as people continue to return each year to celebrate and others volunteer their time, the spirit and the comradeship continues throughout the year.”

Tickets to the Oktoberfest can be purchased at The Balmoral Motel, Tatamagouche, Fulton’s Pharmacy, Tatamagouche and River John, Sunrise Mercantile, Tatamagouche, Mingo’s Music Sales, Truro and the Amherst Wandlyn Inn.
For more information call 657-3030 or 657-3104 or visit www.nsoktoberfest.ca

During November of 2005 surveys were sent to over 70 local volunteer groups. The purpose of the survey was to determine what is needed by these groups to make it easier to encourage more people to volunteer and to help them sustain the people they have. The groups that responded to the survey were invited to attend a Supper Meeting held on Feb 20th in the boardroom at North Shore Business Centre. The results of the survey were presented to those attending followed by much discussion. Many great suggestions were made and North Shore Community Development Association hopes to implement as many of these suggestions as possible.

There is lots of buzz happening at North Shore Community Development Association, plans are in the works for the upcoming Communities in Bloom Event. NSCDA entered Tatamagouche in the event in 2005 and out of a possible 5 Blooms, Tatamagouche finished with 3 Blooms and Honourable Mention for Environmental Awareness. These results were outstanding considering the fact that the group was late getting started in the activities. 2005 was a learning year and the group started with small projects such as the signage and flowerbeds at each end of the village on Route 6, a storefront and residential contest and Adopt-a-Highway cleanup by the local 4-H Club.

Tatamagouche already has so much going for it; wonderful architecture, outstanding lawns and gardens, a quaint retail community consisting of numerous small shops that blend in with the culture and heritage of the area.

Committees are being formed and volunteers rounded up to help get this project rolling. Although the population of the village is approximately 700 residents plus 1200 in the rural areas, there is an incredible group of volunteers numbering in the hundreds that can be counted on to help. NSCDA is hoping these people will come forward to give their assistance in any way that they can to put Tatamagouche on the map. If you have some time to spare and would like to get involved please call Julie Langille or Lisa Remond 657-3811 or drop into North Shore Business Centre, Main St, Tatamagouche.

Tatamagouche.com website was put into action November 18, 2004, to date, there have been 22,940 visits made to the site.

Many enquiries have been made and answered by North Shore Community Development Association and Central Nova Tourist Association. Inquiries ranging, from where to find a bridge game during the summer months to the meaning of the word Tatamagouche. These inquiries come from far and wide, families wanting information on the community because they are considering moving to the area and one from a gentlemen that lost two distant relatives when the ship “Indian Chief” sank off the coast of Ramsgate, England in 1881 (these men were the sons of the Tatamagouche shipbuilder William Fraser).

Under the “events” heading you will find activities such as suppers, bingo, card parties and more listed as far ahead as next winter. This is a great tool for local groups to check and make sure there isn’t anything going on the same time as they planned an event. This prevents the overlap of events.

Many businesses are listed with links to their own web site; also the site lists local attractions, new items, photo gallery and local history of the area. A committee is being formed to keep the site more current. For more information on advertising please call Joyce Mingo with Mingo Resource Management 657-2510 or Stephen Hayman with iTechworks 890-4223.

The Colchester Regional Development Agency is organizing an event this year entitled “Come Home to Colchester 2006″. This event is targeted at people who once lived here - we’re inviting them back home for a visit. We also want to let them know that there are employment opportunities right here in Colchester.

Next month we’ll mail anyone registered on our database a letter inviting them home. We’ll also send them an employer Opportunity Guide and a local events guide. They can register on our database by visiting our website.

For a more detailed description of Come Home to Colchester or to register, please visit: Come Home To Colchester Website

Watch for all of the exciting events happening on Dec 3rd and 4th in Tatamagouche. On Saturday “The Festival of Lights” will officially open at the Fraser Cultural Centre. Be sure to visit and see all of the beautifully decorated Christmas Trees.

Many things will take place on Sunday as well. The Sharon United Church will have a joint service/hymn sing at 11 am. The North Shore Business Centre will be open from 11 am - 3 pm with many activities. There will be bake/craft sale, wreath sales, hot chocolate with the 4-H Club, Smart Car (Colchester Community Workshop) on display as well as a Country Christmas Attic, upstairs for all your shopping needs. Christmas House Tours will start at 3 pm (tickets available at The Raven Gallery $8.00). The Annual Concert & Buffet will start at The Creamery at 6:30 pm (Tickets available at The Village Florist $10.00)

All the local shops will be open for business on Sunday as well, so be sure to check out
the specials. Support your local businesses!

Representatives from North Shore Community Development Association were on hand November 13th at the World Trade Centre in Halifax for the Communities In Bloom Luncheon. On behalf of The Village of Tatamagouche they accepted an award of 3 blooms in recognition of the efforts made by all local residents of the area. Special mention was made for Environmental Awareness in regards to the River Restoration Project and the Waste Water Facility. North Shore Development Association would like to thank everyone that helped to make this event so successful and look forward to even more involvement next year.

North Shore Community Development Association helped coordinate a Youth Volunteer Expo at the Tatamagouche Elementary School on Sept 12/05 from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

This Expo was to give parents the opportunity to check out all of the local organizations that offer activities for their children to get involved in. Representatives were on hand to answer questions that Mom or Dad might have about the group, be it, cost of joining, if there is travel involved, fundraising or if they need volunteers.

Eleven groups, such as, hockey, skating, 4-H, dance, church youth groups, scrap booking, various sports, guides and scouts attended. The groups all felt that they received very good exposure for their organization. Many parents arrived to check it out, resulting in over 40 registrations being taken.

The North Shore Calendar of Events has been published bi-weekly since June 01/05, with great success.

Groups all along the North Shore from River John to Pugwash have been taking advantage of this publication to get their events listed and out to the public at no charge. Not only are local events listed in the calendar but also listed on www.tatamagouche.com as well as put on Community TV Channel 14. Over 425 events have been listed on the web site as far ahead as December 31st and one of the great things about it, is that, groups can check this list so they can plan their event around other happenings on a specific date, so as not to overlap.

There are lots of things to do along the North Shore so look for the newest edition of the North Shore Calendar of Events!!

The votes won’t be tallied until sometime in November but the North Shore Community Development Association feels that the Communities In Bloom Project was a huge success.

The entire village got involved, over 20 businesses participated in the Store Front Contest, People’s Choice Awards were presented and an appreciation reception was held at the Fraser Cultural Centre.

Everyone took great pride in the Village and did many things to improve the appearance. Flowers were planted, gardens were weeded, streets were cleaned and lawns were mowed!

The judges were more than impressed with what they saw, offering much praise and helpful suggestions for next year.

Keep you ears open for upcoming plans for the summer of 2006.

Thanks Tatamagouche Residents for all your help in making this successful start to an Annual Event of Communities in Bloom.

Read By The Sea, North Shore Literary Festival Saturday July 23, 2005, River John, NS

Come to the sixth annual Read By The Sea, the North Shore Literary Festival in River John. The day starts at 9:30 a.m. with “Word Play for Kids". Authors Kristin Bieber Domm and Beatrice MacNeil read to younger children from their picture books. Lesley Choyce will read to kids from 12 to 15. Following the readings children can munch on snacks while participating in a writing and drawing workshop, then read at their open mic.

The Main Event runs from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 in the River John Legion gardens. Bring your lawn chair and a sun hat and enjoy this year’s featured authors, Beth Powning, Hermenegilde Chiasson, Beatrice MacNeil and Michael Redhill reading from their recent works.

Mingle with the authors at a smoked pork shop barbeque with a vegetarian option at 5:00 p.m. Dinner tickets are $12.00 each and are available at the River John library or through hazel.f@ns.sympatico.ca. An open mic starts at 6:00 p.m. Readers are chosen by lottery, ten minutes maximum.

The North Shore Community Development Association recently hired a volunteer coordinator to help local groups coordinate and publicize community events.

The coordinator will be serving the community during a 52 week program sponsored by the Human Resources Skills and Development Commission to enhance the work of volunteers.

“We felt that the volunteers are the backbone of our community and there must be a way we can help and assist them,” said association chairwoman Linda Byers.

Malagash resident Esther Smith, has taken on the position and is in the process of establishing a data base of local volunteer organizations.

She is also working on a community events calendar that will be printed every two weeks and circulated via community bulletin boards with the aid of local advertisers.

She is recruiting teenagers wanting to volunteer in the community and helping them to find an organization to work with to compliment their interests and talents.

“Working together, especially with the youth in the community, we will be able to make connections between groups needing extra hands and people having like interests,” said Smith. A survey will be sent out to all volunteer organizations to determine their wants and needs and what resources may be available to assist
their work in the community. Another service Smith will be providing is resource research to find
programs that are offered to volunteer groups to help them with individual initiatives. The newly launched tatamagouche.com web site, hosted by the association, will be used to promote activities in the community.

For more information contact:
Esther Smith
657-3811
northshorecomm@ns.aliantzinc.ca

North Shore Business Women are in Action! A dynamic group of women business owners and entrepreneurs from the North Shore area have come together in Tatamagouche, under the guidance of Linda Byers, a local consultant, teacher and coach.

Says Byers, “I’d had several conversations with local business women who expressed an interest in meeting on a regular basis with other women entrepreneurs. From my previous experience, I know how powerful working together collaboratively can be.”

After the initial meeting in September of last year, the group undertook a Saturday morning forum on the upper level of the Creamery. The day in October featured displays of members’ businesses and several live demonstrations, including felting with Susie Belt of Sunrise Mercantile, card-making with Tanya Dondale of The Balmoral Scrapper, skin care with Bev Robert of Mary Kay, and faux-tile painting with Debbie Rodgers of Paradise Porch.

The group is also developing a “Spa Day” product which will be hosted at member Amy Schmidt’s Deer Watch Retreat bed and breakfast. Participants will enjoy a number of pampering services by group members.

In addition, several members have undertaken collaborative initiatives such as the special occasion package featuring a dozen long stem roses from the Village Florist, owned by Annette Hunziker and a relaxing foot massage by reflexologist Susan Moore-Buckley.

“We have a wealth of knowledge and skills in this group of women,” comments Byers, “and if we did nothing else but share information, the group would be worthwhile.” Ongoing professional development adds to that knowledge base. Two members are attending the eight-week Business Builders series of training sessions presented by the Colchester Regional Development Agency, and several will be present at a two day Internet Marketing workshop to be held at the Tatamagouche Centre in March.

Other members of the group are Joyce Mingo of Mingo Resource Management, Sherry Martell of Napa Auto Parts, Mary Lynn Caruthers of Ladybug Clutter Control and Healing Hemp, Oxsana Dzura of Dzura Optimum Learning & Consulting, and Hilary Langille of Maslan Kennels.

Byers observes, “Meeting together regularly keeps us informed, helps us with problem-solving, alerts us to business & development possibilities, and enables us to use other people’s strengths.” Anyone who would like to attend a North Shore Business Women in Action meeting, held on the second Monday of each month, can call Linda Byers at 657-3407 or contact any of the group members.

The Balmoral Scrapper is having a scrapbooking contest. The contest is open to everyone. Submit a layout (12 x 12 or 8 1/2 x 11 ) of any theme that you choose along with a $2.00 registration fee. Pages will be displayed at The Balmoral Scrapper and will be judged for creativity and originality by three impartial judges.

Submit in person at “Our Place” 227 Main Street Tatamagouche,NS
or mail it to:

The Balmoral Scrapper, Scrapbooking Contest
3640 Balmoral Road, Tatamagouche, NS B0K 1V0
(Submissions to be returned to you should be accompanied by a self addrsssed, stamped envelope)

Deadline for Submissions: Tuesday, March 15th
Winners will be announced at 3pm during our
1st Anniversary Open House At “Our Place”
Saturday, March 19th, 2005

1st Prize- $50 Balmoral Scrapper Gift Certificate
2nd Prize- $20 Balmoral Scrapper Gift Certificate
During our Anniversary Open House, everyone will be asked to vote for their favorite layouts. The winner of our “People’s Choice” Vote will receive a Balmoral Scrapper T-shirt.

The Tatamagouche Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion has raised $1,300 for tsunami victims in southeast Asia.

The organization raised the funds by collecting donations at its annual New Year’s Day levee and from a number of generous anonymous donors.

Chairman of the poppy campaign, Wayne Mingo, would like to thank the community for its generosity.
The money has been forwarded to the Canadian Red Cross for relief efforts in the countries effected by the giant wave that claimed the lives of more than 170,000 people on Dec. 26.

Family literacy will be the focus of an event at the end of this month with special guest Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Tatamagouche Elementary School will host the event on Jan. 27, promoted by Literacy Nova Scotia.

“The purpose of family literacy day is to encourage everybody to read and stress the importance of reading and writing and taking part in other literacy activities to bring families together,” said event coordinator Amy Schmidt.

The event is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation in 1999 and is locally promoted by Literacy Nova Scotia.

“We want to promote doing literacy activities as a family. Reading recipes, playing scrabble, making a grocery list or writing letters all promote literacy,” said Schmidt.

Organizers are collecting books for children and adults to trade at a book swap open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Children’s books, Canadian fiction, chapter books for youth, how-to craft books and cookbooks are welcome. Drop off boxes have been placed at various locations in the village including the Canada Post office, Scotiabank, Open Doors: Career and Resource Centre and the school.

Children visiting the event are encouraged to bring a book to trade but it is not necessary to participate.
A story time will be held at 10 a.m. and parents are encouraged to bring their preschoolers in to listen to volunteer readers.

Organizers are aiming to send at least one book home with participating children. Literacy providers have the opportunity to showcase their hard work and achievements during the event, as well as, inform the community of the services and programs they provide. Anyone wanting to set up a display or is interested in volunteering can contact Schmidt at 657-1072.

This is the news section for Tatamagouche.com! Here you will find news for the North Shore area as well as information on upcoming events. Stay tuned for the news… it’s coming soon! The website is going to come online section by section as the days and weeks pass. If you have any information that is relevant to the site, please contact us with it and we’ll see about getting it posted online. More sections will be added after the intial version of the site is complete. Please let others know of the site so we can make this site a great one.