The Come Home East Hants Association recently released a great documentary about the past and present of East Hants titled East Hants: This Is Us. It details both the history of the area and various modern-day attractions, including Lock 6 Park and tidal bore rafting.
The full 49-minute presentation is available for free viewing on YouTube. Check it out below.
The Marine Railway at Starr Park, 58 Prince Albert Road, Dartmouth.
By popular demand, free guided tours of the Shubenacadie Canal Marine Railway in Dartmouth’s Starr Park will continue through the month of August. The tours will now be available every Saturday until August 17, between 12:00 and 4:00 pm. The final tours of the season will be offered on Sunday, August 25, during Switch Dartmouth 2019. All tours are free of charge, but donations to the Shubenacadie Canal Commission are welcome.
This July, the Shubenacadie Canal Commission began offering tours of the marine railway for the first time since it was reconstructed in 2018. In the three days it has been open so far, nearly 150 people have attended.
“The marine railway has always been a very special project for us,” said Bill McIntyre, chair of the Shubenacadie Canal Commission. “It’s exciting that so many members of the public seem to agree.”
Between 1861 and 1871, the Shubenacadie Canal allowed boats and barges to travel directly between Halifax Harbour and the Bay of Fundy. The Dartmouth marine railway used an inclined plane and a large cable-driven cradle to lift boats out of the water at Dartmouth Cove and carry them to Sullivan’s Pond, from which they could sail onward to the rest of the canal.
The marine railway is located at Starr Park, 58 Prince Albert Road, Dartmouth. Learn more about the tours by visiting our event pages on Facebook and Eventbrite.
Click here for directions to the marine railway.
Warwick Lambert (left) receives the Henry Findlay Lock Keeper Award from SCC Chair Bill McIntyre on June 24, 2019.
The Shubenacadie Canal Commission was pleased to present Warwick Lambert with the 2019-2020 Henry Findlay Lock Keeper Award at its annual general meeting on June 24, 2019. This award is presented annually to friends of the Shubenacadie Canal and Waterway who dedicate their time and effort towards improving this provincial heritage resource and its parklands for the enjoyment of all residents and tourists.
Warwick Lambert received the award for his many of hours of dedication to the production of digitally animated videos demonstrating the technical workings of the canal, including the marine railway in Dartmouth and the locks on the other parts of the canal system. These videos demonstrate how each part of the marine railway and canal worked, in a manner that is accessible and informative for viewers both young and old. The SCC uses these videos for interpretive and promotional purposes at the Fairbanks Centre as well as on our website and social media.
Warwick continues to be an active volunteer at the SCC, generously contributing his creative talents and overall enthusiasm for our mission to interpret and promote the canal and waterway system on behalf of all Nova Scotians.
Take a look at some of Warwick’s work below:
Be among the first to experience the Shubenacadie Canal Marine Railway while listening to the sweet harmonies of a barbershop quartet. The reconstructed flume house at Starr Park will be open for free guided tours for the first time during Switch. The September Sound Quartet will also be giving two performances on site at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm respectively. While there, be sure to stop by our table and enter to win a free copy of River of Dreams: The Saga of the Shubenacadie Canal by Donna Barnett.