Nova Scotia

C

Communications

Canada’s oldest newspaper, the Halifax Gazette, was first printed in 1752; in 1867 the newspaper became an official publication of the province under the name Nova Scotia Royal Gazette. The principal daily newspapers in Halifax are the Halifax Chronicle-Herald and its afternoon edition, the Mail Star. Cape Breton is served by the daily Cape Breton Post. There are also daily papers in New Glasgow, Truro, and Amherst. In 2002 there were 15 AM and 11 FM radio stations and 2 television stations in Nova Scotia.

D

Arts

For many years Nova Scotia’s relative geographic isolation and undeveloped transportation left it somewhat outside the main currents of Canadian culture. Transportation improvements and the development of national media have helped bring Nova Scotia into the Canadian mainstream and diminished some aspects of traditional life. Today, Nova Scotia is home to a flourishing arts community, and the provincial government is an active supporter of cultural activities.

Halifax is the center for much of the province’s cultural activity, including visual arts, theater, and music. The portrait painter Gilbert Stuart Newton, a nephew of the noted U.S. painter Gilbert Stuart, was born and lived for a time in Halifax, and the city is home to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design—a respected instructional institute. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, an agency of the government based in Halifax, acquires and exhibits a wide range of historic and contemporary visual arts. Halifax’s Neptune Theater and Mermaid Theatre are among the premier theater companies in the province, and Symphony Nova Scotia, also in Halifax, is the only professional symphony in the Maritimes. The Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, located in Halifax, was founded in 1991 to support a wide variety of work in crafts and design, and it maintains studios in jewelry, woodworking, weaving, and other arts.

Scottish culture remains strong in the province, particularly in eastern areas, where Celtic bagpipe bands, singing, dancing, and handicrafts are popular. An Acadian festival, held annually at Clare, features Acadian crafts, theater productions, and music.

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VI

Recreation and Places to Visit

Nova Scotia is renowned for its varied scenery, from the lush orchard country of Annapolis Valley to the rocky shores of Peggy’s Cove on the Atlantic Coast. The sea is never far away, and there are many sandy beaches, campgrounds, and picnic areas.

A

Parks and Historic Sites

Nova Scotia has 2 national parks and 122 provincial parks. Cape Breton Highlands National Park, near the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, is renowned for its rugged coastline and mountain scenery. Kejimkujik National Park, in southwestern Nova Scotia, attracts hikers, campers, and canoeists. There are 16 national historic sites, including Fort Anne at Annapolis Royal, Canada’s oldest fort; Louisbourg National Historic Site on Cape Breton Island, a reconstruction of a walled town built by the French; Halifax Citadel in Halifax; Port Royal, near Annapolis Royal, the reconstructed Habitation of 1605; Grand Pré, with its statue of Evangeline, the heroine of Longfellow’s poem; and Alexander Graham Bell Museum at Baddeck.

Nova Scotia has many well-preserved historic houses and buildings that are maintained by the provincial government and open to the public; many of these historic sites are part of the Nova Scotia Museum (NSM) system. They include the Perkins House, located in Liverpool and built in 1766; the Ross-Thomson House at Shelburne, erected in the 1780s; Uniacke House, built at Mount Uniacke near Halifax, from 1813 to 1815; and the Wolfville Historic House at Wolfville.

B

Annual Events

Nova Scotia is host to numerous festivals and special events. At the Antigonish Highland Games in July and the Nova Scotia Gaelic Mod at Saint Ann’s, many Scottish games, dances, and songs are performed. The Apple Blossom Festival, held in the Annapolis Valley each June, features parades, music, dancing, foods, and crafts. Among the many other festivals and events in Nova Scotia are the Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax, a military and civilian extravaganza; the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival; the Nova Scotia Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Festival at Ardoise; the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax, a weeklong celebration of chamber music; and the Nova Scotia International Air Show in Shearwater.