Avonport | Bishopville | Glooscap First Nation | Hantsport Hants Border | Lockartville | Mount Denson | West Brooklyn
The HAG is an online news magazine featuring the communities of Avonport, Bishopville, Glooscap First Nation, Hants Border, Hantsport, Lockhartville, West Brooklyn & Mount Denson.
Our goal is to promote local business, upcoming events along with articles from community interest groups, schools & featured columnists. Feel free to send in a submission.
Deadline: every Saturday - updates posted Tuesdays!
Do you have a product or service to promote? Offering a class or a workshop? List your thank you or an events: Anniversary, birthday or celebration of life to share? Price listing page 15
The Cardinal is one of the most distinctive birds in North America The brilliant red and crested feathers on the head are unmistakable for the male while the female, while more muted in colour, is also easily recognizable Yet they are also remarkable good at camouflaging themselves. They can fly into a green-leaved tree or a winter leafless shrub and seemingly just disappear. Jay is a much larger bird, even larger than a robin
While visually secretive, the Cardinal is a very noisy bird with both the male and the females having distinctive calls that can be heard almost any time of the day.
If you grew up in Nova Scotia, you might be thinking I don’t remember there being Cardinals here when you were a kid You’d be right Robie Tufts wrote in 1956 in his Annotated List of Nova Scotian Birds that the Cardinal was only hypothetical with some older sightings by amateurs.
New-2-U, high-quality used clothing in a variety of sizes Free-will donation or take what you need for free!
Proceeds go into outreach programs like Love Kitchen.
We carry footwear, seasonal accessories, infant, toddler, children's, men's, and women's seasonal clothing & sportswear, we have it all!
Kevin Moore - Bird Enthusiast
Photo: Male Cardinal
Mount Denson Garden Club
Growing since 1983
We are pleased for the opportunity to bring you monthly gardening information pertinent to our area From novice to experienced, our members enjoy various types of gardening
Mount Denson Garden Club is 48 members strong and has been active in the West Hants Municipality since 1983. We enjoy sharing our knowledge and love of gardening by holding workshops, special events, plant sales and garden tours.
Included in our civic responsibilities is maintaining the Memorial Gardens in the Riverbank Cemetery in Hantsport, and the Poppy Gardens surrounding the Cenotaph in Windsor We are excited to have recently started a new Memorial Garden project in conjunction with the Falmouth Family Park
This gardening season has been very challenging for even the most seasoned gardener. With the drought and higher than normal temperatures, keeping plants thriving has been interesting. If you use mulch in your gardens, you will have noticed the benefit of it this year. Whether you use bark mulch, leaves or straw, your beds will have retained the little bit of moisture Mother Nature decided to share with us There have always been gardeners who swear by the use of mulch and others who do not
Personally, I use mulch in my beds We were out last evening adding some new plants in the flower beds and it really brought home the benefit of using some type of mulch I have never watered my flower beds unless it is a new planting that year
Even though this season has been extremely dry, there was no watering of the beds. As always, I’m always revamping beds and there are a couple that didn’t get their application of mulch before the heat and drought hit. The soil was so dry, more like dust, in the non-mulched beds There was a marked difference in the mulched beds, yes still drier than they should have been but definitely more moisture than the others Sure made digging the holes a lot easier
In the upcoming months we will be touching on topics pertinent to the season. Gardening is a year-round activity from the dreams, planning, anticipation and finally sinking your fingers into the soil. Please feel free to send us your questions, ideas, tips/tricks or personal experiences to (email). - Lori Reid
mtdensongardenclub@gmailcom
September 1990
A full collapse of the bridge over the Half Way River
Shamrocks Day! On August 13, the Hantsport and Area Historical Society hosted a special day honouring the nine decade history of the Hantsport Shamrocks teams. A group of 80 people attended, made up of former players (including 9 members from the 1960’s), coaches, Hantsport Shamrocks Baseball Society directors and fans. A special exhibit was on display in the McDade Heritage Centre for everyone ’ s enjoyment
Tucked in the heart of the community of Hantsport, the Hantsport Memorial Community Centre (HMCC) is more than just green space it’s the heart and soul of Hantsport. Whether you're playing pickleball on a summer morning, attending a wedding at the historic Churchill House, learning to swim at the pool, or watching a ball game on a sunny afternoon, chances are you've experienced what HMCC has to offer. But what many may not know is why it exists or how it came to be.
HMCC is a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity that stewards the land, facilities, & programming that make this space so special. This includes:
Three baseball fields
A community outdoor pool
A playground and splash pad
Shared tennis and pickleball courts
An outdoor basketball court
A 9-hole disc golf course
A leash-free dog park
HMCC continues to be a place where people of all ages can play, celebrate, and come together.
HMCC continues to be a HMCC continues to be a place where people of all place where people of all ages can play, celebrate, ages can play, celebrate, and come together. and come together.
Why does HMCC exist?
HMCC was created by the community, for the community. After World War II, returning veterans and local residents came together with a shared vision: to build a living memorial that would honour those who served by investing in the future of Hantsport Rather than a monument made of stone, they built something alive something that would bring people together for generations. That vision became the Hantsport Memorial Community Centre: 18 acres of land dedicated to recreation, community, and connection And today, nearly 80 years later, HMCC continues to serve that purpose.
The historic Churchill House a local landmark used for weddings, concerts, film shoots, and more
Expansive green spaces for walking, picnics, and informal sports
Each summer, we also offer swimming lessons, a 7-week day camp, youth employment programs, community events, and pop-up programs that bring people together in every season
Invest back into it by showing up, volunteering, donating, offering ideas, or spread the word! Connect with HMCC: �� 6 Main Street, Hantsport, Nova Scotia www.thehmcc.ca hmccrecreation@gmail.com facebook.com/HMCCRECREATION instagram.com/hmccrecreation Recreation Director: Ben Johnson – 902-790-7599
MATTERS Family
Parents, Grandparents, Breakfast choices:
There is an invisible goo of unconditional love between my adolescent children and their grandmother It’s thick enough it feels palpable I have the effort-filled role as Mom to continue fostering some values, healthful routines on repeat, times eighteen-plus years Gramma gets to be Gramma Magic and shimmering- fully retired from all the parentingcrap- Gramma
In the 90s I was, at least in part, an annoying little kid being raised by hardworking, rural-community convenience store running parents. Their customers had the privy of produce items, breads, milks, frozen dinners, cigarettes, lotto tickets, soft covered romance novels and Auto-Trader books among various local papers, basic hardware and hygiene products, chocolates bars, penny candies, and 7 flavours of scoop-able ice cream kept on a predictable rotation They had a limited selection of boxed cereals
The boring kinds With no toys inside like the cardboard treasure-keeping ones familiar TV ads featured, and especially none with chocolates or little marshmallows
In moments I’d rest in their work space, chubby legs taking reprieve on cold tile floor after playing out in summer, expressing my displeasure of the limited variety in the cereal section. Reasonably, I was met with, “Sweetie, those kinds with so much sugar added really are more of a dessert than a breakfast choice.” This became a mantra,
“It’s (those cartoon-character baring cereals she never would allow) really more of a dessert than a breakfast choice”
Many years passed, and my Mom, along with my Dad, devoted themselves to a weekly sleepover with the kids. It became a religious experience for them They relished in sounds of innocent jabbering, idea-sharing, reading of cartoon strips, and doodling of pictures that spanned the morning Together, they lulled over slow, savoured breakfasts, before our agreed upon pick-up time
“Hey, good morning...what’s in their bowl, Gramma?”
“Oh Hunny, they’ve asked you about it at the store enough, we thought we’d go ahead and get them a happy little breakfast surprise”
It was my time to be the boring one who ritualistically presented the healthy food choice boundaries. The reins of upholding rules had been passed, and this was her mic-drop moment at the rock concert of Gramma-does-Saturday-morningbreakfast.
“I love you guys…your cereal looks more like a dessert to me. Your grand-folks love you so much, don’t they
Andrea Cann-Tracey
The Bottom Line The Bottom Line
Kathie Pemberton, IG Senior Wealth Advisor
“Everything isnot as it once was ” A statement that even Artificial Intelligence describes as “implying a departure from a past state and that present realities may differ from past appearances or perceptions”
Wow what a description of money and finance! Global uncertainties, cost of living increasing, workforce conditions, provincial and federal legislation, income tax changes, case law…
All while navigating through crowds of unscrupulous people who want to scam us out of what we do have and bombarded with misconceptions and misinformation Yes AI, it’s true, present realities do differ from past appearances or perceptions Gone are the days of simplicity for saving, investing and executing an estate Retirement doesn’t even have the same “normal”
I have spent the last quarter of a century helping people to understand their relationship with money and the changing landscape of Canadian finances
In 1997 I graduated with a degree in Economics from Acadia University. I imagined myself immediately in the corner office of a corporation as their chief financial officer. Twenty five rejection letters later I realized this was not going to be my reality at 24. My reality was a student loan, car payments and rent that needed paying.
I spent the next four years working with adults with special needs, guiding them through their own realities I was a coach, mentor and advocate Here there was an opportunity to teach money basics whether how to spend/save or run a successful small business
In 2001 I was recruited by Trans Canada Credit as a loans officer. Could this be the gateway to the corner office? Lending money and collecting payment at 30%+ was challenging but an unfortunate necessity for many Canadians facing a changing economic landscape To the chagrin of management, I made it a personal goal to coach and teach clients how to remedy their reliance on high interest loans and mortgages How? I gave them the skills, tools and confidence to change their narrative about money Nothing pleased me more than processing a payout of a 36% loan knowing they would never have to borrow at that rate again
In 2009 I was on maternity leave number two and decided it was time to legitimately provide financial planning. So I set to task to get all the licensing credentials I would need. For the last 15 years I have been running and evolving a financial consulting practice partnered with IG Wealth Management Evolution has led me to professionally providing in depth planning and wealth management in the high net worth market I spend a lot of time in community being an advocate for and providing financial literacy
I have been in high school classrooms, guest speaker for many local organizations, hosted my own seminars on topics like estate planning, retirement reediness and cash flow management One common theme continues; money and finance swirl with myths and misconceptions and people of all ages want to know the truth. Upcoming articles will offer a professional perspective, share resources and tools and (hopefully) start open conversation about money, the current state of Canadian finance and our relationship to it
These minis are relaxed, playful, and stress-free We’ll wander the property, explore the woods and fields, and let the kids run wild + play
We’ll laugh, explore, giggle, and play creating images that feel natural and true to your family. Spaces are limited for both dates, so book early to save your spot!
�� What’s included:
✔ 30-minute session
✔ 20 beautifully edited digital images
✔ Investment: $249 +hst
Join in the 2025 Winter Pop-Up Choir session!
All are welcome!
Weekly practice schedule at 6:50 At the Hantsport Baptist Church
October 6, 14, 20, 27
November 3, 10, 17, 24
Dress rehearsal Nov 30 afternoon
ksircom@hotmail.com
Music themes this year Hope, Peace, Love & Joy
“Hanging of the Greens” service at the Hantsport Baptist Church Sunday 7 November at 7 PM
Donations go to the ecumenical Chaplaincy at Dykeland Lodge
“Festoon” carolling around Hantsport Thursday 4 December
A great time going from location to location, enjoying hot chocolate, fireside chats and mingling between small sets.
CHOIR Pop Up
Congratulations!
The Pop-Up Choir! was a recipient at the 2025 West Hants Volunteer Awards Banquet Kate Sircom, Choir Director, started this wonderful choral group during her volunteering with the Refugee Committee as a fundraising event in 2017
I have set up a couple of pallets that are beside the hall so if anyone has bottles they don’t want or would just put them out on the side of the road! We will gladly take them! Also if you have bottles at your home and want them picked up.. shoot me a message!! Cheers everyone!
Contact Info: Brad Beckwith
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS:
GMB Dance in Hantsport
Ballet, Modern, Jazz & Tap!
Preschool to Adult - All levels 13966 Hwy 1, Hants
Border Hall Register: gmbrilliancecom/202526season
HELP WANTED: Pharmasave Hantsport Cashier/merchandiser PT crystal@macquarriescom
BIRTHDAY/ANNIVERSARY ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Place photo w/ information
THANK YOU:
The HAG thanks Tech Saint Marcie Clowry for her generosity & patience
All are welcome! 1st Practice: Oct 6 at 6;45 then weekly at Hantsport Baptist Church ksircom@hotmailcom
Hantsport & Area Historical Society Wednesday 24 September at 6:30 at Anglican Church Chittick Ave entrance Guest Speaker: Anna Allen - Shares her memories of Hantsport & participating in municipal government then as the Mayor of WIndsor
SUPPORT GROUPS: Open Arms OutreachShelter, housing, food, employment, laundry, showers, counselling & more. 902 691 2801 outreachcoordinator@ope narmsca
10 Main Street, Hantsport, NS, Canada, Nova Scotia (902) 684-0103 | thefhpl@gmail.com
