New Brunswick Traveler – Details, episodes & analysis

Today I am interviewing Greg Marquis, the co-host of a brand new podcast about Saint John history. Greg is a local university professor and president of the New Brunswick Historical Society. His co-host is Mark Allan Greene, an Alberta university professor and the author of The Great Saint John Fire of 1877. The podcast launches on September 17 and will be produced every two weeks. Link to the podcast is https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/saint-john-nothing-happened-here/id1766391411

This episode primarily talks about some of the history of lobster fishing in New Brunswick and the value of the lobster industry to the province.  Until the development of a canning process for lobster meat in the mid 19th century, there was really no commercial value, rather lobsters were just harvested for feeding individuals and their families.  By the 20th century, the sale of live lobsters and the processing of lobster meat made it a significant commercial product.  Lobster is Canada’s most valuable seafood export, contributing as much as $1 billion in export sales, and is one of the exports most closely associated with Canada. Live lobsters can be purchased from:

Collins Lobster Shop https://collinslobster.com/

Misty Harbour Seafood https://www.mistyharbourseafood.com/

A cup of coffee can be purchased for me at https://buymeacoffee.com/marks5

Interview with Saint John poet and playwright Clyde Wray about upcoming fundraising production titled ”Tell it on the Mountain” which will be on December 14 at 4 PM at the Old Stone Church in Saint John.  It is the backstory to the Nativity and will feature local singer Debbie Ashley.

Clyde shares his journey to Saint John, where he moved to be closer to his wife's family. He explained how the local community's warmth and willingness to speak surprised him, coming from a fast-paced city like New York. Clyde's artistic focus on black identity and history in Saint John was inspired by the lack of representation in the photographs he saw at the Pompadour Cafe. He advises young poets and playwrights to persevere and remain dedicated to their craft, sharing his own experiences of sacrificing for his art.

This episode talks about fiddleheads and their popularity in New Brunswick. The village of Tide Head New Brunswick bills itself as the Fiddlehead Capital of the World.  Perhaps it is, but Saint John has the only Fiddlehead sculpture. It was made by Jim Boyd of Sussex and sits in front of the Arts Centre.

The predominant type of fiddlehead in Canada is the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). These are bright green, with tightly coiled heads, sometimes with bits of the forest floor still clinging to them. With a flavor slightly reminiscent of asparagus, but somehow also nutty and pleasantly bitter, they are a short-lived but delicious reminder that the doldrums of winter are finally over.

I refer to an article by Raymond Plourde entitled “Fiddlehead Season” in Saltscapes Magazine for some of the information found on the podcast.

https://www.saltscapes.com/kitchen-party/1068-fiddlehead-season.html

To learn more about harvesting opera fiddleheads, this video might be helpful:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBfG6yyPtAg

Information about freezing or pickling fiddleheads

https://foragegirl.com/en/

This week I am interviewing Andrew McClean, who tells about the backyard history of interesting things from the Maritimes.  Our particular focus in this episode is on the prominence of rum in the life of people who live in New Brunswick during the early part of the 20th century.  Rum was a part of the salary of some of the workers and it was common for them to take a “rum break” instead of a “coffee break”.

For more information about Andrew McClean, go to his website https://backyardhistory.ca/

In this episode I am talking with Jenna Morton, the Executive Director of the Greater Moncton Scottish Association.  Specifically, we are talking about the upcoming Greater Moncton Highland Games and Scottish Festival that will be happening on June 13 to 17.  More information about obtaining tickets for the event can be found on their website at https://monctonhighlandgames.com/

In this episode,  Danielle Timmons, a member of the leadership team of Aquilla – The Centre or Cruise Excellence discusses some of the 35 year history of Cruise in Saint john. Danielle noted that 2022 was a restart year after the Covid-19 pandemic, and 2023 was a successful season with the industry operating at near maximum capacity. For 2024, Aquila expects 88 ship day visits, since 12 of the 74 ships scheduled to visit Saint John will be staying overnight. There was a listing of popular tours that passengers take and a discussion on the logistics of working with a large volume of passengers on a day when three ships visit at the same time.

Danielle highlighted that over 60 businesses in Southern New Brunswick work with Aquila and benefit from the tours that are provided. She also mentioned that about 50% of passengers explore on their own, benefiting the city's shops and restaurants.

Aquila – The Centre for Cruise Excellence.

Port of Saint John 2024 Cruise Ship Schedule.

This episode highlights the June opening of Place Fort La Tour for the 2024 tourist season. Don LeBlanc, a historical reenactor at the fort, give information about the days and hours that the facility is open, and things that a visitor can expect to see.  Visitors will observe interactive cooking and listen to the story of Charles La Tour and his young bride, who is infamously known as the Lioness of Acadia as presented by reenactors in costume of that era. These is also a discussion on the challenges of raising the money to maintain such a wonderful facility since it is only open four to five months of the year.  In addition to individual tourists that visit the fort, there are cruise passenger tour groups and bus tour groups.  This summer there will be a production of Hamlet right in the open space in the middle of the fort.

Place Fort La Tour website

This episode focuses on the Loyalist House in Saint John that was built in 1817 by a New York loyalist, Daniel David Merritt.  Five generations of the Merritt family lived in the house and it was purchase by the New Brunswick Historical Society in 1958.  Society President Greg Marquis and Vice President Troy Middleton.

The episode also reveals some of the interesting items that are in the Loyalist House and also highlights paranormal investigations that are done regularly at the house as a fundraiser.  In addition to talking about the activities at the Loyalist House, there was also a discussion o the other activities that are occurring on May 18 in the city, celebrating the original arrival of the Loyalists in 1783.  More information can be found on their website:

The Loyalist House