Both Hopewell Rocks and Fundy National Park offer tons of fun on our provincial holiday

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by Hanne Armstrong
This Week Staff

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The 32nd official New Brunswick Day is coming up on Aug. 4, and the Fundy shore is the place to be to celebrate. The tide for the day is low minutes after 9 a.m. and high near 3 p.m., and activities are timed accordingly.

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At Hopewell Rocks the public has access to the wonders of the beach between 8 a.m. and noon, with New Brunswick Day activities scheduled from noon until 3 p.m. Annick Robichaud is Admissions and Group Tour Assistant Manager for the Rocks, and is enthusiastic about the day.

"We have The Arsenault Family and Mike Roy performing live, the Albert County Museum is putting on a rope-making demonstration, and the Kindred Spirits Stained Glass Studio is doing a demonstration of stained glass making," he says. "For the kids, there are pony rides, face painting, games, and a colouring contest. It'll be fun for the whole family."

Something extra special at the Rocks this New Brunswick Day will be the unveiling of the U-Haul Super Graphic image of the Hopewell Rocks. U-haul hires artists to create images of outstanding locations across the continent.

Each location receives a large image for display purposes, and then the image is reproduced on U-Haul trucks and trailers which criss-cross the continent. PEI and Quebec are now the only provinces without a Super Graphic.

Farther down the shore, Fundy National Park has special events planned for the whole holiday weekend. How about art on the beach, for instance?

"Karin Bach is a local artist," explains Heritage Presentation Co-ordinator Karen Townsend, "who will help kids create Tidal Art, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Kids or families will collect things like seaweed, shells, pebbles and so on, and create a large flat sculpture while the tide is low, and then watch it gradually disappear as the tide comes in."

Saturday evening, endangered marine species will have a spokesperson in a delightful and entertaining presentation of Underwater Mystery, but don't stay up too late because something special is ahead at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

"This is the one tide this month that will be low enough to expose a rise on the ocean floor that's normally not uncovered," says Karen. "People will be able to see more diverse underwater creatures than usual on this outing."

Later Sunday events include a hands-on introduction to Geocaching, and an outdoor evening concert with National Parks favourite David Archibald. Then, on New Brunswick Day, get ready to do some science with the Fundy Shorekeepers in the inter-tidal zone.

Or watch a Park Interpreter feed the occupants of the saltwater aquarium. Ask all the questions you want, as hermit crabs, scallops, butter fish and more have their lunch. All great Maritime activities for a Maritime celebration.

Not all communities choose to mark New Brunswick Day, probably because it started as just a civic holiday thrown into the only month of the year without one, back in 1976. It wasn't until 1989 that the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Heritage took responsibility for making something of the holiday.

The following year saw the introduction of the New Brunswick Day Merit Award, a publicity campaign, and planned events. Since then, the first Monday of every August has slowly been working its way into the fabric of New Brunswick's communities.