Work of Nova Scotia Artist Shelley Mitchell on Display

If you get the opportunity, check out the Shelley Mitchell Exhibition at the J. Franklin Wright Art Gallery in Port Hawkesbury located in the Port Hawkesbury Civic Center on Reeves Street. You are in for a treat. Mitchell is an established Nova Scotia artist who has had her beautiful artwork represented in the Canadian Fund State Art Collection in Ottawa as well as many private and corporate collections in Canada and around the world. Her paintings exude the beauty that surrounds us in our oceans, icons and beautiful landscapes of Nova Scotia. Her exhibit will be on display until Thursday, March 3rd. Hours of Operation are: Monday to Friday from 4pm until 10pm.

Riverdale Community Centre Celebrates St. Patrick's Day

For all those who love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I have an excellent event for you. On Saturday, March 19th there will be a St. Patrick's Day Adult Dance at the Riverdale Community Centre in Lower River from 9pm until 1am featuring the beautiful sounds of vocals, guitars, bouzouki, fiddle, mandolin, and bodhran from the Pub Boys Band. There will be no advance tickets for this event. All tickets are $7.00 per person at the door. For a rocking good time come to the Riverdale Community Centre and join in the celebration of St. Paddys Day.

Frank Sutherland To Receive Progressive Conservative President's Award

I received this email from Frank Sutherland's daughter Debbie this afternoon and want to pass it along to all Frank's friends. Frank has worked very hard as a member of Destination Richmond Tourism Association serving as former treasurer and board member of the Association. After his retirement from the work force and return to the Richmond area Frank and his wife Dolena ran the popular summer Stone Mountain Festival in Lynches River as a fundraiser for the local charities. Their tireless work has been an inspiration to us all.

Good afternoon Everyone
We are sending this e-mail in hopes of seeing you all here Monday evening to celebrate with the Sutherland family. The following article is an explanation of the award dad will be receiving that evening here at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney where dad is a patient.

Frank Sutherland, a past district vice president on the PC Party of Nova Scotia's provincial executive, as well as a former PC candidate and constituency association president for Richmond County, received the party's President's Award. The honour is granted every year to a Progressive Conservative who best exemplifies the party's grassroots.

"Frank Sutherland has done just about every job in our party, devoting countless hours to advancing the cause of Progressive Conservatism in Richmond County, the Strait Area and across the province," said Robert Batherson, President of the PC Party of Nova Scotia. "Together with his late wife Dolena, Frank has always answered the call of political activity, complementing their work on many other worthwhile community projects."

Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie - who has visited Richmond County on several occasions since he began to consider seeking the leadership in late 2009 - added his support for Sutherland receiving the award.

"Frank Sutherland is a model grassroots PC Party leader, worker and supporter," said Baillie. "As we build a modern, dynamic, alternative to the NDP, we should look to people like Frank who have helped build and shape our party over the last 15 years."

While health issues prevented Sutherland from attending the party's provincial annual meeting, he will be personally presented with the President's Award on Monday February 28th, 2011 at 6pm the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Please check with security or the information destk for he room location

Please feel free to send this on to anyone you feel would like to attend.
Although this e-mail is being sent to friends and family near and far, we understand that weather and distance may prevent you from joining us.

View of Richmond

February has definitely left folks with a taste of winters from long ago. With snow storms arriving on a weekly basis, leaving mounds of snow which, although lots of fun for kids, leaves us older folks with a lot of shovelling and snow blowing if we want to get out of our yards. But with the heavier snow fall come lots of outdoor activities which visitors as well as locals can enjoy. Snowmobilers and ATV enthusiasts are able to take to the fields and trails for hours of enjoyment after the work day has ended and during the weekends, which in past winters with the less snow fall limited their activity. This is also a perfect winter for folks who enjoy snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing, not to mention those who like to take to the slopes for a day of down hill skiing. February, although a hindersome winter for clean up, has been a Godsend for ski resorts. Ski Ben Eoin and the just recently reopened Cape Smokey Ski Hill must be very happy to see the beautiful natural snow falling to cover the slopes, giving them a white velvet covering for skiers to enjoy.

And for all those who like indoor activities, there are lots to take in around Richmond. On February 26th, as part of Richmond's 22nd Annual Winterfest, there will be a Roast Beef Dinner and Dance held at the Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 150) in Isle Madame. The dinner comes with roll and dessert served with tea or coffee, will begin at 6pm. The dance will run from 9pm until 1am with music by Rockin' Country, attendees must be over 19 years of age, tickets are available at Branch 150 or by calling 1-902-226-3089. Canteen and Bar services are available and there will be door prizes awarded. On Sunday February 27th, there will be a Roast Beef Supper held at Our Lady of Assumption Parish Hall in Arichat from 4pm until 6pm. Advance tickets only, for details and tickets contact Doreen at 226- 2819, Carmelia at 226-2623 or Cathy at 226-2211. Also on Sunday, as part of Richmond's 22nd Annual Winter Festival, there will be Free Skating from 3.30pm until 5pm, at the Richmond Arena in Louisdale. For more information you can contact Kenny Walker at 1-902-345-2889.

Planning for Nicholas Denys Days Festival in Full Swing

This information has reached me from the desk of Richard McIntosh. It looks like another very successful festival is being planned for this year, and if you would like to be part of the festivities planning give Beth a call.

Happy 2011 St. Peter’s!
It’s a new year and the Village on the Canal Association is planning to make this an exciting one.
Mark your calendars now because we have some great events going on all year long!
Nicolas Denys Days– August 1st to the 7th
The Challenge! Summer seems like a long way off – but believe us, time flies when you are planning a week-long annual festival. We are looking for new volunteers for existing events, and of course NEW IDEAS! Have you always wanted to see the Festival include a certain activity? Would you like to see an old event return in 2011? The time to plan is NOW.
Opportunity Knocks! ND Days events – new or from previous years – could be a fundraising opportunity and/or good will activity for your organization. Why not consider hosting the weekend Ball Tournament, Mock Jail, Canoe or Kayak Races, or Ball Hockey tournament? We are looking for host organizations for these events, among others. Please let us know if you are interested – we have resources to help.
Courtesy and Collaboration Works! Please keep in mind, that the Festival has several “signature” events already tentatively planned for 2011:
• Monday, August 1: Poker Walk at 6pm (Lions Hall)
• Tuesday, August 2: Teddy Bear Picnic from 10am-1pm (Former SPDH Grounds)
• Wednesday, August 3: MacAskill Museum Auction at 6pm (Lions Hall)
• Thursday, August 4: Kids Day from 11am-1pm (Battery Park)
• Thursday, August 4: Friends of Leona Chowder at 4:30pm (Lions Hall)
• Thursday, August 4: Pre-Teen & Teen Dances starting at 5pm (United Church Hall)
• Friday, August 5: Deep Fried Turkey & Home Fries at 5pm (United Church Hall)
• Saturday, August 6: Saturday Night Festival Dance at 9pm (Lions Hall)
• Sunday, August 7: Parish Potluck at 11am (Lions Hall)
• Sunday, August 7: Festival Parade at 1:30pm (Grenville Street)
• Sunday, August 7: Concert By The Sea at 2:30pm (Bandshell)
Note: There may be other repeat events, but those listed above are all we have confirmed to date. Please let us know ASAP if you would like to repeat your event from last year.
The Deadline to submit your event as part of ND Days week is May 15, 2011. Please contact Beth at 535-3738 or email her at info@visitstpeters.com.

CHARITY FUNDRAISER in Little Anse

There will be a fundraiser for Dean Samson, Saturday March 5th at the Little Anse Social Action Centre starting at 12:00 (NOON). There will be local music, bake sale, silent auction, tickets sold on a basket, corn chowder, seafood chowder, chilli and ½ & ½ tickets. Dean contracted rheumatic fever at age 13 and relapsed at age 16. His aortic valve was replace 8 years ago and in October 2010 his mitral valve was replaced which resulted in a stroke while in surgery! Dean has no means of income while waiting for disability insurance which could take as long as 10 months! Dean’s parents are George and Elizabeth Samson of Little Anse. For more information, please call 226-3121. Come support a great cause, ALL DONATIONS ARE ACCEPTED. MERCI.

Local Skate with Violetta Afanisieva

The Centre for Distance Education is hosting a skating party with special guest Violetta Afanasieva! Admission is FREE! However, a donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Canada, Whitney Pier Youth Club would be appreciated. For more information please contact Robyn Risk at rrisk@cd-ed.com or (902) 567-0229. The event will take place today from 5:00PM to 6:00PM at Center 200 located at 481 George Street, Sydney.

Violetta Afanasieva is a remarkable and exciting ice skating performer. She was born into a circus family and no wonder she is a marvel on the ice, her mom was a three time Moscow junior pairs champion and her dad was a graduate of the Russian School of Circus Art. Violetta had competed nationally before retiring from amateur skating at age 10 to perform professionally alongside her parents in the Moscow Circus on Ice. During this time of her career she debuted her legendary hulahoops act, which took her on skating tours all around the world. In this season of Battle of the blades she was paired with NHL player P.J.Stock.

Kitchen Racket is Back

For all entertainers and music lovers with the interest of joining in a Jam session, this information has just reached my desk from Greg Silver and I want to pass it on to all those who want to share in the music and have a great afternoon.


Hello Kitchen Rackets Fans:
You are invited to our next open jam session of 2011:

Saturday March 12, 3 pm - 5 pm
at the MacBouch Restaurant and Tavern
Grenville Street, St. Peter's

All are welcome. No cover charge. Meet all kinds of players and singers, for all kinds of music.
This is an accoustic jam, but if you need an amp for a keyboard or bass guitar please bring it along.
We are looking forward to seeing the old gang and any newbies who want to join in.

Please pass the word along, and feel free to forward this to anyone you know who might be interested in attending to play or listen!

Thanks again to the folks at MacBouch Restaurant and Tavern for hosting this event!

For further information please contact:
Greg Silver
Tel: 902 535 3990
Cel: 902 631 5050
gsilver@cdg.ns.ca

La Picasse CAP Site Invites You!

If you are interested in computer games this might something for you. Sounds like lots of fun.

Jeudi le 24 mars à 6h30, il y aura un jeu d’Internet au Site P@C de La Picasse, pour plus d’information, appeler Tyson Pierce au Site P@C, Salle 131, au 226-3803. Il y aura des prix a données donc venez avoir du fun.

Thursday March 24 at 6:30 pm, there will be Internet games at the La Picasse C@P Site, room 131. Come have fun with Tyson Pierce and try to win some prizes, for more info, call 226-3803.

Attention All Canoers & Kayakers

Oscar To Meet Galloping Cows

Products from Cape Breton are definitely getting attention and rightly so. Galloping Cows Fine Foods, owned by Ron and Joanne Schmidt, are slated to take their product to the Oscars. Thats right, Galloping Cows will be featuring its new Wild Blueberry Pepper Spread along with it's other delicous pepper jellies when it sets up its display in the stars "gifting suite"at the Ocars in Los Angeles on Thursday February 24th. This should bring national attention to this marvelous Cape Breton Product, while putting the delicious taste on the tables of the stars.

This is not the first time that the delicaces of Galloping Cows has made its way to the hands of the stars. Just recently Galloping Cow's Brandy Cranberry Marmalade was featured at the gifting suite at the Golden Globes and at the Toronto International Film Festival, which brought a lot of interest in the company's product. I hope the stars enjoy these delicious products as much as I do. I love the flavor of the delicious Pepper Jellies spread on crackers with a cup of tea and I love the flavour of the pepper jelly mixed with cream cheese to make a great festive topping for crackers while entertaining at Christmas. My guests loved it. Congratulations to Ron and Joanne for bring more attention to Cape Breton and have fun at the Oscars.

Tourism in Richmond County

Tourism in Cape Breton is very much a valuable and substantial industry in the area, bring in revenue to the accommodations sector, restaurants sector, and the retail sector of the island. Tourism on Cape Breton Island is an industry which has to be nurtured and appreciated as growing in importance, drawing visitors from all over the world to our doors. It is very important that each area of the island keep those doors open by marketing our areas to their fullest, showcasing the natural beauty, culture, and attributes that we have to offer. If we do not have the belief in our own product and portray it as such, why would we expect to see our market grow. Accolades continue to come in regularly on what Cape Breton Island has to offer, including being a number one island destination to visit, the Cabot Trail named as favorite motor cycle route in the world, the Bras d'Or Lakes Inn named as one of the top small luxury accommodations to stay at in Nova Scotia, Louisbourg's sea food producers having the best lobster and crab at a prominent world food show and the list continues. We have to be proud of our industry and take our place on the world's stage. If we believe in our product and our area, others will to. All over the Island our local tourism associations, in partnership with our municipal government, work very hard to promote their areas, creating activities and events that attract visitors. Destination Cape Breton Association continues to increase our profile and market Cape Breton Island as a world class destination, at major travel shows such as Saltscapes, The Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show and at other key events across Canada and the US.

Visitors use the VICs for many reasons. Destination Cape Breton, which operates the Visitor Information Centres on Cape Breton Island, have described the value of VICs in their marketing plan for 2011 in the following terms: "As far as DCBA is concerned our VIC Counselors are a critical part of our marketing efforts. Visitor Information Services represent an excellent opportunity to drive incremental tourism revenues in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. In essence, Visitor Information Services implies everything from a well designed Travel Guide, a visitor-friendly web-site, an effective and efficient central reservation service, and an enlightened staff of hosts who are well prepared to “sell” our product to the world."

Stats for visitors to Cape Breton Island, who were counselled by DCBA's VIC staff between 2006 to 2010 show that we are still seeing very good numbers. In 2006 the VICs saw 95,418 visitors, in 2007 75,905, in 2008 91,329, in 2009 84,767 and in 2010 90,247 visitors.
In a more in depth view for those in the Richmond area, the St. Peter's VIC saw 15,703 visitors in 2006, 15,725 in 2007, 15,755 in 2008, 14,932 in 2009 and 14,867 visitors in 2010. In 2009 and 2010 road construction was taking place on different locations on route #4 and #104, which might have accounted for the slight difference in the numbers.

Membertou Hosts Caillou

Tuesday February 15th, CAILLOU - GREATEST SKATE OF ALL

This brand new musical adventure of the very adorable preschooler, Caillou, will take him through the wonderland of winter. Caillou is overjoyed to be celebrating winterfest where he hopes to see his all-time favorite hockey player who is scheduled to make an appearance. While enjoying some playful time in the snow, he meets a gold medal skater and decides to take a whirl at the sport himself but is faced with the reality that it takes a lot of practice and hard work to be a professional skater, even for a gold medalist.
The show is filled with delightful original sing-a-long songs, rollerblade displays, and enteraction with the audience. So come on out to enjoy Caillou and the gang and join them in the celebration of Caillou's Winter Skate.
Tickets are $22.50 each or purchase a family pack of 4 for $80.00. There will be only two show at the Membertou Convention Centre, one at 4pm and the second at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Membertou Trade & Convention Centre box office or by calling 539-2300. Box office hours are from 10:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday.

One Last Picture From the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

The Thunder Glide

Two More Pictures From the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

Animators from the Fortress of Louisbourg put on a drumming display for early morning visitors
Troy Allen gets the show off to a blast with Brutus

Yet Another Picture From the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

Triumph Motorcycles interest viewer of the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

And Another Picture From the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

Main stage draws much interest

Another Picture From the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

The show drew visitors of all ages

A Picture From the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

Harley Davidison made guite an impact at the show

Pictures from the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

Fortress animator takes in the impressive images of Cape Breton Landscape

Scott Boyd shows off grand prize for Thunder in the Highlands Ticket Draw

Leah Boyd strikes an impressive pose with Louisbourg's 18th century Brutus

Troy Allen of Fortress Louisbourg drew a great deal of attention in his 18th century costume

The Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show sets the stage for this years Cape Breton Bikefest-2011

Gary and I got back from the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show in Moncton last night. What a great show, we talked to alot of people who are planning on making the trip to Cape Breton this summer; some who have already reserved their accommodation and others who were looking for information on accommodation availablity. What a great bunch of people! The enthusism about the show and our area was amazing. Many of the bikers that Gary and I spoke to had taken part in last years Bikefest and had lots of great stories about about the event and their time here in Cape Breton, with many of the folks saying they are definitely returning for more fun this year.
The Cape Breton Bikefest group at the show were made up of members from The Cape Breton Bikefest organization, Fortress of Louisbourg and the Fortress of Louisbourg Association, the Northside/Harbourview Hospital Association, Casino Nova Scotia, and Destination Cape Breton Association, who were all happy to engage those in attendance with the highlights of the Bikefest and of our beautiful island destination.
One of the highlights of the weekend for many of the visitors to the show was the unvieling of a spectactular 2011 custom Harley Davidson Street Glide. "The Thunder Glide" which was customised by Matt Dilney of Torque Speed Shop in Sydney, is a one of a kind Harley and is the prize for the Thunder in the Highlands 2011 Motorcycle Draw, which some very lucky winner will be able to drive home on July 31st of this years Bikefest. All proceeds from the draw will go to the Northside/Harbourview Hospital Foundation, tickets are $40.00 each with only 2500 tickets being printed. Sponsors for this event are:Cape Breton Bikefest, 101.9 The Giant, 103.5 The Eagle, Torque Speed Shop and Cape Breton Trailer Sales. For more information on the ticket draw or on the Bikefest click on their link on the right of this page.

Dinner Theatre: That There Magic Moment

Join the cast of My Hometown Elf in their next Dinner Theatre adventure at the Savoy for some love, laughs, and great food. Dinner includes garden salad and choice of stuffed chicken breast or Atlantic salmon with potato and vegetables. Along with dessert, tea and coffee. Tickets include meal, show, and taxes and are $39.95. The special Valentine’s Day Show is priced at $43.95 (includes complimentary champagne and special menu). Shows on February 12, 14, 18, and 19.

Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show

The Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show starts today in Moncton. Gary and I are working in the Cape Breton section so come out and see us over the week-end!

Dave Gunning & Catherine MacLellan In Mabou Tonight

View of Richmond

Cape Breton Bikefest is hitting the trails to promote Cape Breton Island as a number one motorcycle destination this season. The Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show will take place this weekend at the Moncton Coliseum and, although it may have the highest snow banks in Atlantic Canada at the moment, our Cape Breton delegation will there. Along with Cape Breton BikeFest organizers, Mary Tulle CEO of Destination Cape Breton Association and staff members of the Cape Breton VICs will be on hand to promote Cape Breton Tourism and to answer questions the visitors might have about the island. The Atlantic Motorcycle & ATV Show is one of only 7 successful, manufacturer supported motorcycle shows held from coast to coast. The promotion is owned by the Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council. This very popular event, which is the only show of its caliber in Atlantic Canada, offers a unique marketing opportunity and in previous years has delivered over 40,000 qualified visitors. Visitors to the venue will be able to check out the best in parts and accessories, clothing and apparel, education and safety, clubs and rallies, destinations, services, training, insurance, dealers and everything from soup to nuts to do with the lifestyle. Show hours will be February 11 from 12pm to 9pm, February 12th from 10am to 9pm, and on February 13th from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for seniors/students.

Cape Breton Tourism officials will be pulling out all the stops to promote Cape Breton Bikefest again this year. An all make and model motorcycle rally will take place in Cape Breton from July 29th to August 1st 2011. Cape Breton will roll out the red carpet to welcome our visitors as they come and experience Cape Breton's culture, unprecidented beauty and of course our down home hospitality. There will be four days of the best music, delicious food and spectactular entertainment designed to welcome bikers from all over Canada and beyond. There will be street dances, a vendor village, escorted scenic rides and what Bikefest would be complete without the very popular event, Storming of the Historic Fortress of Louisbourg. To find out more on these upcoming events go to capebretonbikefest.com.

Tourism in Richmond County

Planning is under way for the approaching tourism season. February 4th saw the initial planning meetings for the upcoming Saltscapes Travel Expo in Halifax. If you are interested in taking part in this years Saltscape event, you should definitely contact Caroline at Destination Cape Breton Association by calling 1-902-564-4636 because the deadline for space is quickly approaching. This major marketing event is such a great venue to promote your tourism business. With such a large market the competition in the tourism industry is great, with each area bidding for a portion of the tourism dollar. Tourism exhibitors at the Expo will be from all over the Atlantic Provinces and even some from the New England area. Last year was the largest show to date with a presence from Destination Cape Breton of over 40 exhibitors from all over Cape Breton Island travelling to Halifax to promote Cape Breton and seeing an attendence of approximately 23,000 visitors coming to check out what was new and exciting. If you are looking to increase your image in the tourism world, this might be the perfect show to take part in.

Lots of events being planned for the Valentine season: On February 12th, There will be a gigantic indoor Yard Sale at St. Marks United Church Hall. The Yard Sale will run from 9am until 1pm. Sponsored by the SASC Girls Soccer Team England Tour March 2011.
On February 13th the Annual Valentine's Tea will be hosted by the Point Tupper Heritage Association which will be held at St. Marks United Church Hall in Port Hawkesbury from 2 to 4pm. Everyone is invited to come and have a great cup of tea.
There will be a Merchandise Bingo held at the Riverdale Community Centre in Lower River on February 13th starting at 2pm. And there will also be a Hungryman's Breakfast held on the same day a the D'Éscousse Civic Improvement Centre from 8am until 11:30am.
Until next week have fun, exploring Richmond.

Cape Breton Island Tourism Needs to Take it's Place In The World Market

Tourism in Cape Breton is very much a valuable and substantial industry, bringing revenue to the accommodations sector, restaurants sector, and the retail sector of the island. Tourism on Cape Breton Island is an industry which has to be nurtured and appreciated as growing in importance, drawing visitors from all over the world to our doors. It is very important that each area of the island keep those doors open by marketing our areas to their fullest; showcasing the natural beauty, culture, and attributes that we have to offer. If we do not have the belief in our own product and portray it as such, why would we expect to see our market grow. Accolades continue to come in regularly on what Cape Breton Island has to offer, including being a number one island destination to visit, the Cabot Trail named as a favorite motorcycle route in the world, the Bras d'Or Lakes Inn named as one of the top small luxury accommodations to stay at in Nova Scotia, Louisbourg's sea food producers having the best lobster and crab at a prominent world food show and the list continues. We have to be proud of our industry and take our place on the world's stage. If we believe in our product and our area, others will to. All over the island our local tourism associations in partnership with municipal government, work very hard to promote their areas; creating activities and events that attract visitors. Destination Cape Breton Association continues to increase our profile and market Cape Breton Island as a world class destination at major travel shows such as Saltscapes, the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show and at key events across Canada and the US.

Each year we see a slight change in the numbers of visitors that come through our visitor information centre's doors, and these changes are due to many factors. In past years, we saw visitors coming to the VICs to make reservations for accommodations. Lately, with more visitors booking accommodations before their trip, we are now seeing visitors coming in to have us help with changing their reservations so that they can stay in an area longer, or they have realized that the timeframe on which they had planned their vacation is just not working and have to reschedule stops. Changes in numbers can also be attributed to road construction in an area, which might cause visitors to take a different route while travelling. Numbers also change from year to year if an area is having a large festival that year, which would draw more visitors to that area, for example when Baddeck celebrated the anniversary of the Silver Dart. Another example of festivals effecting visitors numbers is when we do an evalution on numbers from visitors coming in from a different provinces. If a province has major celebrations taking place, we will see a drop in the numbers of visitors from that area as more people are staying to take part in those events. Stats for visitors being counselled by VIC staff from 2006 to 2010 show the difference in these numbers. In 2006 DCBA's VICs counselled 95,418 visitors, in 2007 75,905, in 2008 91,329, in 2009 84,767 and in 2010 90,247 visitors, were counselled on what they could see and do while on our beautiful island. In a more in depth view for those in the Richmond area, the St. Peter's VIC saw 15,703 visitors in 2006, 15,725 in 2007, 15,755 in 2008, 14,932 in 2009 and 14,867 visitors in 2010. In 2009 and 2010 road construction was taking place on different locations on route #4 and the #104, which might have accounted for the slight difference.

Visitors also use VICsfor many reasons. Destination Cape Breton, which operates the Visitor Information Centres on Cape Breton Island, have described the value of VICs in their marketing plan for 2011 in the following terms: "As far as DCBA is concerned our VIC Counselors are a critical part of our marketing efforts. Visitor Information Services represent an excellent opportunity to drive incremental tourism revenues in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. In essence, Visitor Information Services implies everything from a well-designed Travel Guide, a visitor-friendly web-site, an effective and efficient central reservation service, and an enlightened staff of hosts who are well prepared to “sell” our product to the world."

The VIC's on Cape Breton Island work closely together to sell Cape Breton Island as a travel destination. DCBA has provided it's VIC staff has access to computers which are equipped with a central program, so they can advise visitors on current and up to date events and specials from around the island. This program keeps operators and VIC staff constantly in touch so we can offer the best service possible to our clients.

Skiers Once Again Take To the Slopes of Cape Smokey

Ski Cape Smokey has reopened to the public under the operation of hardworking volunteers of the Ski Cape Smokey Association. At the present time Ski Cape Smokey will be open during the weekends from Friday to Sunday and volunteers entend to have the slope remain open for use during the scheduled school March Break. Chairman Larry Dauphinee of the Ski Cape Smokey Society, has commented that the volunteers who are working to open the slope plan to operate a pommel lift which could open up to three runs about halfway up the 1,000-vertical-foot ski hill.
This approximately 500 foot elevation is comparable to a lot of the other hills in the Maritimes even with just the one lift. To keep costs down the volunteers will not be operating the chairlift to the top of the hill or the costly snow making machinery. The skiers will be depending on mother nature to blanket the ski slopes, and at the moment she seems to be cooperating quite nicely.
Local residents who once skied this magnificant course, are making the most of this opportunity and are introducing the thrill of the sport to a new gereration of skiers. The reopening of Smokey, if only for a limited time, is sure to bring renewed interest in this location and along with that interest, visitors will also want to try out the slopes in one of the most scenic areas of Nova Scotia.
The Ski Cape Smokey Association are presently looking to the private sector to find a new owner who will take over the operation and reestablish this beautiful ski resort to its full potential. Ski Cape Smokey is currently owned primarily by the provincial government, which has given the local association an extention of one year to find a new owner for the operation.
Ski Cape Smokey is known for being Nova Scotia's highest elevation ski mountain at over a 320m, 305m of it skiable, and for its ocean views.

Tourism in Richmond County

Planning is under way for the approaching tourism season. Meetings for the upcoming Saltscapes Travel Expo, to be held in Halifax, have been scheduled for February 4th. If you are interested in taking part in this years Saltscape event, you should definitely contact Caroline at Destination Cape Breton Association by calling 1-902-564-4636 because the deadline for space is quickly approaching. This major marketing event is such a great venue to promote your tourism business. With such a large market the competition in the tourism industry is great, with each area bidding for a portion of the tourism dollar. Tourism exhibitors at the Expo will be from all over the Atlantic Provinces and even some from the New England area. Last year was the largest show to date with a presence from Destination Cape Breton of over 40 exhibitors from all over Cape Breton Island travelling to Halifax to promote Cape Breton and seeing an attendence of approximately 23,000 visitors coming to check out what was new and exciting. If you are looking to increase your image in the tourism world, this might be the perfect show to take part in.

Lots of events being planned for the Valentine season: On February 12th, There will be a gigantic indoor Yard Sale at St. Marks United Church Hall. The Yard Sale will run from 9am until 1pm. Sponsored by the SASC Girls Soccer Team England Tour March 2011.
On February 13th the Annual Valentine's Tea will be hosted by the Point Tupper Heritage Association which will be held at St. Marks United Church Hall in Port Hawkesbury from 2 to 4pm. Everyone is invited to come and have a great cup of tea.
There will be a Merchandise Bingo held at the Riverdale Community Centre in Lower River on February 13th starting at 2pm. And there will also be a Hungryman's Breakfast held on the same day a the D'Éscousse Civic Improvement Centre from 8am until 11:30am.
Until next week have fun, exploring Richmond.