Highland Village Presents Gaelic Awareness Month Céilidh

Tourism, Culture and Heritage

Highland Village Museum in Iona, Victoria Co., will celebrate the first day of Gaelic Awareness Month on Friday, May 1, with an afternoon Stòras a' Bhaile immersion céilidh. Storas a' Bhaile means the village treasure, alluding to community-based Gaelic culture.

The céilidh will be held in the in the reception centre boardroom from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes Gaelic singing, storytelling, music and dancing in the Nova Scotia tradition.

Highland Village Storas a' Bhaile events are in response to the province's growing number of Gaelic learners seeking opportunities to socialize and enjoy their culture through the Gaelic language. Storas a' Bhaile immersions can encompass a wide variety of everyday activities ranging from preparation of traditional food to lessons in step-dancing.

Sessions focus on aspects of Gaelic culture in Nova Scotia and are intended to provide an easygoing and natural atmosphere for speaking Gaelic. This is is the first in a series of Storas a' Bhaile events that will be held at Highland Village. A three day Storas a' Bhaile folklife school will be held during the last three days of July, leading up to the Highland Village Day concert on Aug. 1.

There is no admission charge. For more information on Highland Village events, call 902-725-2272 or e-mail highlandvillage@gov.ns.ca.

Media Contact: Rodney Chaisson
Highland Village Museum
902-725-2272
E-mail: chaissrs@gov.ns.ca

Maritime Museum Unveils Recently Acquired Titanic Artifacts

Tourism, Culture and Heritage

On Wednesday, April 15, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will commemorate the 97th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic by unveiling a display of recently acquired artifacts connected to the tragedy.

Acquired in October, the artifacts are valuable additions to the museum's permanent Titanic exhibit, which tells the story of Halifax's connection to the ill-fated vessel. The acquisition was possible with the support of the Nova Scotia Museum Endowment Fund, administered by the Nova Scotia Museum board of governors.

"These artifacts are notable for two reasons," said museum manager Kim Reinhardt. "First, because of their association with Titanic and secondly, because they are representative of Halifax's Titanic connection. Their addition further enhances the museum's significant Titanic collection, which is the largest collection of its kind in Canada."

The objects to be introduced include a mortuary bag, a wreckwood rosette, a photograph and cap badge.

The mortuary bag was sewn aboard the Halifax cable ship Mackay-Bennett and was used to safeguard the personal effects of Body No. 41, 33-year-old Edmund Stone, a first-class bedroom steward from Southhampton who was buried at sea.

The core of the system of body recovery and identification, mortuary bags were made aboard ship as bodies were found, and they proved very effective in keeping victims' personal effects together, both on the ship and in the morgue.

The system was so successful, that during the Halifax Explosion the coroner followed the Titanic example and made identical bags for the personal effects of explosion victims.

The wreckwood rosette was made by William Parker, a Nova Scotian carpenter aboard the Halifax cable ship Minia who participated in the recovery of Titanic victims. Like many sailors, Mr. Parker collected pieces of floating Titanic debris to keep as mementos of the historic disaster.

Parker crafted the decorative rosette out of eight pieces of the mahogany balustrade from the ship's grand staircase. Titanic wreckwood is the specialty of the Maritime Museum's Titanic exhibit and many other pieces in that collection were also made by Mr. Parker, such as a cribbage board he crafted from Titanic oak.

The photograph and cap badge that will be included in the display also belonged to Mr. Parker. The signed photograph is of Mr. Parker, dressed in the cable company uniform he wore aboard the Minia. The cap badge was part of a different cable ship uniform he most likely wore aboard another vessel during 45-year career at sea.

Already in possession of Mr. Parker's sea chest and the tools he used to craft his wreckwood pieces, the museum was eager to obtain the photograph and cap badge, as both objects illustrate this regular Nova Scotian who played a role in Titanic's history.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is located at 1675 Lower Water St., Halifax.

Media Contact: Jasmine Marshall
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
902-424-6447
E-mail: marshajd@gov.ns.ca

Visitors Invited to Experience Nova Scotia in 2009

Tourism, Culture and Heritage

Travellers near and far are invited to discover their favourite Nova Scotian experience as the province launches its 2009 tourism marketing campaign.

The campaign focuses on key markets nationally, regionally and internationally.

"Our 2009 marketing plan was developed with input from industry and targets markets that offer the greatest potential to attract visitors to Nova Scotia," said Tourism, Culture and Heritage Minister Bill Dooks. "The plan includes increased activity in markets like Western Canada and the UK, and a stronger regional campaign to address the trend of people travelling closer to home."

The national portion of the campaign began this week with the launch of five 30-second TV ads that showcase the scenic beauty, culture and people of Nova Scotia. The ads are running nationally on speciality channels such as Discovery, HGTV, Bravo!, and Food Network. The national portion of the campaign will also include magazine ads, full-colour newspaper ads and online marketing.

"This campaign portrays authentic Nova Scotians and experiences," said John Somers, executive director of tourism, Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "Nova Scotia's scenic beauty, rich heritage and vibrant culture create memorable experiences for visitors and this campaign entices everyone to experience it for themselves."

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage has also developed a regional marketing campaign to entice Atlantic Canadians to experience a vacation close to home. The regional campaign includes 15-second TV ads, 10-second closed captioning ads, and newspaper and online advertising. The regional campaign will begin the week of April 27.

The province will expand its online marketing strategy by using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These sites allow for direct communication with visitors to promote the province and learn more about their travel habits. Additionally, visitors can share their Nova Scotian experiences with the rest of the world.

Along with traditional advertising, the province will host promotional events in key Canadian markets, and attend consumer shows and special events in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and the Saltscapes Expo in Halifax.

The 2009 tourism marketing plan includes enhancements to Provincial Visitor Information Centres. The centres will have new brand images, literature racks, and digital screens to promote local attractions and encourage longer visits. New features have been added to novascotia.com, including Google maps and live online chat with visitor services staff.

For more information on the province's tourism marketing campaign or to view some of the ads visit www.novascotia.com.

Media Contact: Dave Denny
Tourism, Culture and Heritage
223-4403
E-mail: dennydp@gov.ns.ca