Haligonians give Boston tree a proper send-off
Every year, Nova Scotia sends Boston their famous Christmas Tree. This year, it took a detour to visit the people of Halifax first. (Chris Muise)
For years, Nova Scotia has given the City of Boston her Christmas tree in commemoration of their aide following the Halifax Explosion in 1917. This year, for the first time, the city of Halifax got to throw the tree a going-away party.
“Today is kind of a new part of the Tree for Boston tradition,” says Tim Whynot, manager of stewardship and outreach in the Department of Natural Resources. “It's the first time we're doing a send-off in Halifax.”
The annual Christmas tree sent to Boston, which commemorates their aid to the city of Halifax after the Halifax Explosion in 1917, can come from anywhere across the province, and has not always been practical to divert to Halifax before it's sent off. Luckily, the proximity of this year's tree made such a diversion possible.
“It's cut in a rural area, and not many people get out to see it,” says Whynot. “We thought, where we were cutting it in Mill Cove, there was an opportunity to bring it to the city. Give a chance for Haligonians to come out and visit, see the tree.”
This year's tree — a 40-year-old, 15-meter white spruce — was driven from Mill Cove in Lunenberg County to the steps of Grand Parade in downtown Halifax, where city-goers were treated to the sounds of Celtic drum band Squid, a dance routine by the Amethyst Dancers, and free apple cider and tree saplings.
“I hadn't realized it had never been done before. Why wasn't this thought of sooner,” says Nancy Rogers, who attended the event with her co-worker Jennifer Bonhomme during their lunch break.
“This is the closest I've ever been to a tree for Boston. You see it on TV, and you don't quite realize how big it is until you're really up close to it,” says Bonhomme.
A ceremony was held before the tree left for the Digby ferry, where Mayor Mike Savage, Premier Stephen McNeil and others spoke about the importance of the tree given to Boston, and the strong bond between the two cities it represents.
This year, the gifted tree took on special significance in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.
“It is with pride that we dedicate this year's tree to the memory of the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings,” says McNeil in a speech given to those in attendance. He says that he and his colleagues are “proud to stand with our friends in Boston as they put back together their beautiful city.”
“I would like for them to do it every year,” says Bonhomme. “It's great to see the community spirit. Even though it's chilly, all these people came out and got together.”
Whether or not there will be such a send-off ceremony next year depends on the location of the next tree, according to Whynot.
“If it comes from an area within an hour of Halifax, then I think there would [be another send-off],” says Whynot. “We'll certainly try to continue this on. People just love the tradition, and our connection with Boston.”
In the meantime, Whynot encourages Nova Scotians across the province to help find the next tree we send to Boston.
“We do have a challenge every year to find a suitable tree,” says Whynot. “We welcome people from the public sending in photos or letting us know where there may be a potential tree we could use.”
The lighting of this year's tree will take place in Boston on Thursday, Dec. 5, and will be aired live on ABC Boston.
“Today is kind of a new part of the Tree for Boston tradition,” says Tim Whynot, manager of stewardship and outreach in the Department of Natural Resources. “It's the first time we're doing a send-off in Halifax.”
The annual Christmas tree sent to Boston, which commemorates their aid to the city of Halifax after the Halifax Explosion in 1917, can come from anywhere across the province, and has not always been practical to divert to Halifax before it's sent off. Luckily, the proximity of this year's tree made such a diversion possible.
“It's cut in a rural area, and not many people get out to see it,” says Whynot. “We thought, where we were cutting it in Mill Cove, there was an opportunity to bring it to the city. Give a chance for Haligonians to come out and visit, see the tree.”
This year's tree — a 40-year-old, 15-meter white spruce — was driven from Mill Cove in Lunenberg County to the steps of Grand Parade in downtown Halifax, where city-goers were treated to the sounds of Celtic drum band Squid, a dance routine by the Amethyst Dancers, and free apple cider and tree saplings.
“I hadn't realized it had never been done before. Why wasn't this thought of sooner,” says Nancy Rogers, who attended the event with her co-worker Jennifer Bonhomme during their lunch break.
“This is the closest I've ever been to a tree for Boston. You see it on TV, and you don't quite realize how big it is until you're really up close to it,” says Bonhomme.
A ceremony was held before the tree left for the Digby ferry, where Mayor Mike Savage, Premier Stephen McNeil and others spoke about the importance of the tree given to Boston, and the strong bond between the two cities it represents.
This year, the gifted tree took on special significance in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.
“It is with pride that we dedicate this year's tree to the memory of the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings,” says McNeil in a speech given to those in attendance. He says that he and his colleagues are “proud to stand with our friends in Boston as they put back together their beautiful city.”
“I would like for them to do it every year,” says Bonhomme. “It's great to see the community spirit. Even though it's chilly, all these people came out and got together.”
Whether or not there will be such a send-off ceremony next year depends on the location of the next tree, according to Whynot.
“If it comes from an area within an hour of Halifax, then I think there would [be another send-off],” says Whynot. “We'll certainly try to continue this on. People just love the tradition, and our connection with Boston.”
In the meantime, Whynot encourages Nova Scotians across the province to help find the next tree we send to Boston.
“We do have a challenge every year to find a suitable tree,” says Whynot. “We welcome people from the public sending in photos or letting us know where there may be a potential tree we could use.”
The lighting of this year's tree will take place in Boston on Thursday, Dec. 5, and will be aired live on ABC Boston.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/community/halifax/1168612-haligonians-give-boston-tree-a-proper-send-off
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NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015- UPDATES
NOVEMBER 2015- NOVA SCOTIA’S DEEP LOVE OF BOSTON....
since 1917 Halifax Explosion
WORLD FAMOUS NOVA SCOTIA CHRISTMAS TREES-
Heather Laura
Clarke sheds light on Nova Scotia’s $1.3 million Christmas tree export
industry.
Jim DeLong runs a
successful Christmas tree farm in New Germany, managing 1,200 acres of land and
producing around 40,000 Christmas trees annually. But only a few of those trees
will be decorated in living rooms across Nova Scotia.
His father, Otis, started DeLong Farms back in the ’50s when
Christmas tree exportation was a brand-new avenue of income. He shipped his
trees into New England because so many Nova Scotians had emigrated there in the
’20s and ’30s and he had family connections.
Today, New England remains one of DeLong Farms’ primary
markets. More than 50 per cent of their trees are shipped to Ontario, and a
prized tree is sent down to the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C.
Sarah Weston, Industry Coordinator/Executive Director with
the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia, says there are plenty of places for
locals to get a tree. So a lot of famers are targeting markets with people
clamouring to get their hands on a genuine, fresh Nova Scotia Balsam Fir.
“There’s such a demand for the Nova Scotia Balsam Firs
because they’re the fragrance of Christmas, and that’s what people want in a
tree,” says Weston. “These trees have also earned a reputation of quality, so
there is trust in a Nova Scotia tree.”
Nova Scotia exports 1.3 million Christmas trees each year,
and only around 50,000 trees stay here in the province. There is also a strong
greenery export industry, as farmers prepare fresh fir wreaths, garlands and
centrepieces.
The Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia was recently
contacted by the Rick Mercer Report because Weston says our province is known
for its flourishing Christmas tree industry. Pictou County couple Bill and
Andrea MacEachern have been making headlines for donating a 72-year-old tree to
Boston — an annual tradition to thank the city for its assistance following the
Halifax Explosion — and it will be lit during a televised ceremony on December
3.
Christmas trees are on our radar for four or five weeks out
of the year — max — but the Christmas tree export industry is quietly working
away in the background 365 days a year. Weston says it’s a quiet,
environmentally sustainable industry that generates the equivalent of 800
full-time jobs and contributes more than $52 million to the provincial economy
each year.
Peak shipping time is from early to mid December, and
farmers need to plan the transportation carefully in order to ensure their
trees arrive in good condition. If they’re not using a refrigerated truck,
sometimes a farmer will tell a buyer the trees can’t be shipped until a certain
date because they need cooler weather to handle the trip.
“Different clients and different locations will want
different kinds of trees, and it’s all according to consumer desires,” says
Weston. “In Manhattan, they look for narrow smaller trees to fit in apartments,
but in Metro West in Boston — which is an affluent area — they are looking for bigger trees that cost
more.”
Farmers transport their Nova Scotia Balsam Firs mainly
across Canada, but also to the U.S., Caribbean, Central America, South America
and the Middle East.
In order to be sent overseas, the Christmas trees need to
meet the specific country’s export requirements — which may include a screening
for invasive species.
For DeLong, busily growing Christmas trees in the Balsam Fir
capital of the world, moving into new markets is always something that’s on his
mind. But he’s content to work hard and keep providing his customers with
beautiful, fresh trees from his property.
“We just want everyone to have a very Merry Christmas.”
The smell of Christmas | The Chronicle Herald
http://herald.ca/fmT#.Vlp3eVcxG-E.twitter via Macon Chronicle-Herald
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Community
honoured to supply Christmas tree bound for Boston
FRANCIS
CAMPBELL TRURO BUREAU
Published November 17, 2015 - 7:08pm
Published November 17, 2015 - 7:08pm
It was more of the same Tuesday as the six-time Boston Marathon participant donated Nova Scotia’s annual Christmas tree gift to the Massachusetts city.
“Running through the streets of Boston gives you a pretty good perspective and a good view of everything in the city,” MacEachern, 60, said Tuesday morning as he and his wife, Andrea, waited for the majestic 15-metre white spruce that stood guard over their yard to be brought down for its roundabout trip to the Boston Common for a Dec. 3 lighting.
“It’s just an honour for us, for Lorne and for Pictou County,” MacEachern said. “It’s a great tradition to give back to Boston. When we were in a time of need during the Halifax Explosion, they came to help us. To be able to give back, Andrea and I both talked different times about different things in life and we always say we are blessed. This is one of the times that we both feel blessed to be able to do this.”
The morning had a bit of a Christmas feeling to it, with the temperature pushing just past the freezing point and a light dusting of snow covering the ground. Santa Claus even tripped across an adjoining field to join the crowd of about 250 huddled into the MacEacherns’ yard in Lorne, about 17 kilometres south of Stellarton, although some of the children in attendance weren’t convinced of his authenticity.
“I think he’s a fake,” said Keighley Brooker, 6, one of 80 Primary to Grade 3 students from Dr. W.A. MacLeod Consolidated in nearby Riverton who arrived by bus for the tree-cutting ceremony.
“The real Santa doesn’t show up until Christmas.”
But Keighley, whose family recently moved to Plymouth from Calgary, knew the big tree was no fake.
“It’s awesome,” she said.
Most in the audience seemed to agree, including the dignitaries who accepted the microphone from MC Cindy Day, the television meteorologist who jousted with Environment Minister Randy Delorey about who ought to be credited with bringing the snow.
“Everybody is just really, really interested,” said Delorey, who was accompanied by one-year-old daughter Ruby. “It’s great because not only does it celebrate that connection between Nova Scotia and New England and Boston, but it also is a really exciting kickoff to the Christmas season.”
Between songs from the Carillon Singers, a women’s choral group from Pictou County, Warden Ron Baillie told the crowd about the province’s eternal gratefulness to the city and people of Boston for its immediate help in the wake of the Halifax Explosion that devastated the city on Dec. 6, 1917, and left 2,000 dead and another 9,000 injured.
Baillie also talked about a connection between Pictou County and Boston forged by the many citizens of the county who moved to the New England city in years past.
“A connection through bloodlines, friendship and history,” Baillie said. “This 72-year-old tree grown proudly in Pictou County will take its place in history.”
Its place in history came about because of Andrea MacEachern’s efforts since the couple moved back to Pictou County more than four years ago, her husband said.
“I’m a retired Nova Scotia Power employee, and when we first moved here, she thought we might have been able to get a bucket truck and decorate it,” he said of the spruce that dominated the yard. “It was just too big of a project for us.”
Aware of the traditional tree-giving to Boston, Andrea took some pictures last December and submitted them to the Natural Resources Department.
“A couple of Natural Resources fellas came and looked at it and then the committee came back and looked at it,” MacEachern said. “It kept going through the process and then finally we got a phone call.”
They found out six weeks ago that their big spruce had been anointed the Boston Tree.
“It is a nice tree and it does have a very lovely shape,” MacEachern said. “The tree being 72 years old, how much longer will it keep growing and stay up? We just thought what better time than now to submit it while it’s still healthy and vibrant, instead of waiting for it to fall down in some storm.”
Waddie Long, an environ-mental technologies instructor at the Nova Scotia Community College campus in Port Hawkesbury, fired up his Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw to cut down the tree, with some help from national television personality Rick Mercer.
Long, accompanied by 32 of his students for the ceremony, wore a Boston Bruins jersey, even though he’s a longtime Montreal Canadiens fan.
“Everybody is a Boston fan today,” he said with a broad grin.
Amid the smell of chainsaw oil and sawdust, when the one-tonne spruce was finally lowered to the ground, MacEachern admitted a sense of loss.
“It’s down and I miss it,” he said. “It is fitting in a good way. A lot of people are going to see this tree out of our yard.”
The viewing was to start with an official send-off from Grand Parade in Halifax on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m, with the tree then scheduled for public stops in Truro and Amherst on its way out of the province.
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Nova Scotia – Boston and the Christmas Tree Thank u since
1917
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COMMENT: Black Nova Scotian News- The Halifax Explosion 1917- the history of the day of Canada- as a member of the 'poor white trash in more foster homes than care 2 count- WWII baby' the town lived in... no injuns or coloureds were allowed 2 live there... could shop... but could not live there..... and poor white trash kids got 2 go 2 school (law)... always church and sunday school... but we were the work animals.... we never sit at the big table in the living room... and our scraps were not as good as the hunting dogs.... we slept on the floor with an army blanket... and hand me downs... were appreciated... food... appreciated..hardship and beatings and abuse... were part of - 'life' as a poor white trash kid from foster home 2 foster home as a WWII kid.... AND.. WE GOT EDUCATED...GREW UP... AND ALL OF US CHANGED THE WORLD IN NOVA SCOTIA... AND CANADA... union, human rights and walking the talk... one step in each community at a time... this is reality.... of those days.... and the heartbreak that was the 'one' dignity of our black brothers and sisters- was Africville. glorious Africville- 4 all the poverty- there was a righteous God loving community of faith, dignity and pride .... that's how I remember Africville.... u inspired us back then... and u inspire us now. hugs and love. God bless our troops.
Rebuilding efforts bypassed Africville. There was relief aplenty after the Halifax Explosion on Dec. 6, 1917, but not across the tracks.
By: Jon Tattrie
First published on Dec. 6, 2009
Excerpts:
"According to the old people, Africville, black people, was on the rise. They were becoming organized, becoming very political. Before the explosion, Africville had importance. After the explosion, it seems like everything we had contributed was lost. The businesses that we did have, they never got them restarted. To our peril, the city took prominence. Halifax had to rebuild and they didn't have time for to look at the black section."
- Eddie Carvery
"The North End received assistance in terms of rebuilding, but that was never afforded to Africville."
"Africville was inside the circle. The next day, they redrew it, putting Africville outside of the area. They were asked the question, 'Well, what about Africville?' Their response was, 'Well, Africville is someone else's problem.'"
"The relief trains went right through the centre of Africville without stopping to provide relief to the people of Africville."
- Irvine Carvery
Read more: http://www.jontattrie.ca/TheAfricvilleExplosion.htm
Photo: Women walking from Africville towards Halifax, on Campbell Road near Hanover Street
http://www.novascotia.ca/nsarm/virtual/explosion/archives.asp?ID=13
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NOVA SCOTIA ARCHIVES- THE MAGICAL PLACE 2 GO AND BE AND SEE
Nova Scotia - Halifax Explosion- December 6 2013- We Remember
We will be remembering the #hfxexplosion with timed tweets starting tomorrow at 7:30 AM.
https://twitter.com/NS_Archives/status/408677303007199232
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Performer Stone tells the story of Halifax Explosion
THE CHRONICLE HERALD
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic presents the Halifax Explosion in Story and Song with David Stone on Friday at 2 p.m.
The performance, marking the 96th anniversary of the Dec. 6, 1917, explosion, is free.S tone tells the story o f the explosion in 10 songs that he wrote based on his research into the disaster and his conversations with survivors and their families.
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Veni, Veni Emmanual
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Boston Parks Commissioner Antonia M. Pollak welcomes official Nova Scotia Town Criers Peter and Valerie Davies to Boston Common on Nov. 15, along with Boston’s official 2013 Christmas tree, a 47-foot white spruce donated by Mary Lou Milligan of Millcove, Lunenberg County, Nova Scotia.
Boston Common Tree Lighting Coming Dec. 5
Boston Parks Commissioner Antonia M. Pollak welcomes official Nova Scotia Town Criers Peter and Valerie Davies to Boston Common on Nov. 15, along with Boston’s official 2013 Christmas tree, a 47-foot white spruce donated by Mary Lou Milligan of Millcove, Lunenberg County, Nova Scotia.
The celebration is hosted by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, title sponsor the Province of Nova Scotia, lead sponsor TripAdvisor’s tripadvisor.com/careers, and presenting sponsors Distrigas/GDF SUEZ and Stop & Shop. Additional support is provided by WCVB-TV Channel 5, Magic 106.7 FM, the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe.
The lighting of the trees on the Common is made possible through the generosity of Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch, Christopher and Jean Egan, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Home Depot, Suffolk University, Emerson College, Mr. and Mrs. James Stone, Trinity Financial, City of Boston Credit Union, Mass Bay Credit Union, The Druker Company’s Colonnade Hotel and The Heritage on The Garden and contributions from other individuals and institutions.
The annual holiday display includes the official Christmas tree from Halifax and trees throughout Boston Common with ten additional trees around the Frog Pond skating rink sponsored by The Skating Club of Boston. Refreshments and additional support will be provided by promotional sponsors Dunkin’ Donuts, DAVIDs TEA, Archway Cookies, and Boston Ballet.
This is the 42nd year that Nova Scotia has given a tree to the people of Boston as thanks for relief efforts following the Dec. 6, 1917, explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbor. Within 24 hours of the disaster a train loaded with supplies and emergency personnel was making its way from Boston to Nova Scotia. In addition this year, Nova Scotia is donating smaller trees to two Boston charities, the Pine Street Inn and Rosie’s Place.
Immediately following the Boston Common tree lighting, Menino will join Back Bay residents at Arlington Street for the lighting of Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Hot chocolate and cookies will be provided by Taj Boston. Trees along the Mall will be illuminated through April 1, with elegant white lights made possible thanks to community support and private donations raised by the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
For more information, call 617-635-4505, go to www.cityofboston.gov/parks or visit the Parks Department on Facebook. For Boston Common parking information, visit www.massconvention.com/bcg.html.
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A Christmas Tree and a Cruise to Nova Scotia.
December 5, 2013
What’s the connection between Boston’s Christmas tree and Nova Scotia, you may ask. Well the answer goes way back to December 6, 1917 when a catastrophe and the generosity of the city of Boston bonded the two cities together.
A tragedy of immense proportions
On that morning two ships were active in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia. One, the Imo was leaving harbor on a journey to New York City. The other, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc, was headed into harbor to rendezvous with a convoy that would take her and her cargo to the trenches of the First World War, then ravaging Europe.
At about the time that people were getting to work and beginning their day in Halifax the two ships collided and the 2,300 tons of piric acid aboard the Mont Blanc were set afire. The Mont Blanc crew abandoned ship as the vessel continued to burn and the ship floated up to dock 6 in Halifax. Also aboard Mont Blanc were 200 tons of TNT, 10 tons of gun cotton and 35 tons of high octane gasoline. Within a short time the Mont Blanc exploded with a blast that was the largest man-made non-atomic explosion in history. After the blast, a Tsunami washed over the city to a height of more than 54 feet above the usual high-water mark.
So immense was the blast that parts of the ship were blown miles away and the devastation in Halifax was almost total. More than 1,500 people died that day and an additional 9,000 were injured. Entire sections of the city were obliterated and a canon from the Mont Blanc was found more than 3 miles from the site of the blast. Imo was lifted from the water and stranded on shore on the Dartmouth side of the harbor. 1630 buildings were destroyed and more than 12,000 seriously damaged. The Halifax explosion was a catastrophe of the highest magnitude.
Boston, savior of Halifax
Medical facilities in the community were stretched past the limit. When Boston heard about the disaster they immediately sent relief north to their afflicted neighbor. Teams of nurses and doctors also headed north to help the wounded. The aid from the city of Boston to Halifax in response to the explosion amounted to more than $750,000, more than $14,845,000 in present day dollars.
A Christmas tree
A year after the disaster, the City of Halifax sent a Christmas Tree to the City of Boston as a thank you in recognition of the generosity of the people of Boston and Massachusetts . The thought lay dormant from then until 1971 when the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers, and later the government of Nova Scotia, revived it. So important is this symbol of thanks and community to Nova Scotia, that special teams are charged with keeping track of the best trees growing wild throughout the province.
This year the tree is a 47’ white spruce that arrived in the city on November 16. Now proudly erected on the Boston Common, its lights will be turned on tonight during ceremonies featuring retiring Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Nova Scotia Minister of Energy and Minister of Communications Andrew Younger. The lighting ceremonies will take place on Boston Common between 6 and 8 PM tonight, December 5, the eve of the 95th anniversary of the Halifax tragedy.
And a cruise to Nova Scotia
The strong connection between Boston and Halifax has led many Bostonians to travel to that delightful city on the sea, and many once traveled by overnight ferry from Portland Maine to Yarmouth on the south coast of Nova Scotia. That service ended a few years ago, but it is now being renewed by Nova Star Cruises, with service between Portland and Yarmouth to start in May 2014. That means that with a drive of only an hour and a half you can get to the province overnight and have your car with you for touring while there. The province of Nova Scotia is conducting a drawing for a free cruise for two aboard the new ferry as well as five nights’ accommodations. Tonight they unveil the new cruise line at the Omni Parker house with a six foot model of the brand new cruise ship that will go into operation in May.
A tragedy of immense proportions
On that morning two ships were active in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia. One, the Imo was leaving harbor on a journey to New York City. The other, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc, was headed into harbor to rendezvous with a convoy that would take her and her cargo to the trenches of the First World War, then ravaging Europe.
At about the time that people were getting to work and beginning their day in Halifax the two ships collided and the 2,300 tons of piric acid aboard the Mont Blanc were set afire. The Mont Blanc crew abandoned ship as the vessel continued to burn and the ship floated up to dock 6 in Halifax. Also aboard Mont Blanc were 200 tons of TNT, 10 tons of gun cotton and 35 tons of high octane gasoline. Within a short time the Mont Blanc exploded with a blast that was the largest man-made non-atomic explosion in history. After the blast, a Tsunami washed over the city to a height of more than 54 feet above the usual high-water mark.
So immense was the blast that parts of the ship were blown miles away and the devastation in Halifax was almost total. More than 1,500 people died that day and an additional 9,000 were injured. Entire sections of the city were obliterated and a canon from the Mont Blanc was found more than 3 miles from the site of the blast. Imo was lifted from the water and stranded on shore on the Dartmouth side of the harbor. 1630 buildings were destroyed and more than 12,000 seriously damaged. The Halifax explosion was a catastrophe of the highest magnitude.
Boston, savior of Halifax
Medical facilities in the community were stretched past the limit. When Boston heard about the disaster they immediately sent relief north to their afflicted neighbor. Teams of nurses and doctors also headed north to help the wounded. The aid from the city of Boston to Halifax in response to the explosion amounted to more than $750,000, more than $14,845,000 in present day dollars.
A Christmas tree
A year after the disaster, the City of Halifax sent a Christmas Tree to the City of Boston as a thank you in recognition of the generosity of the people of Boston and Massachusetts . The thought lay dormant from then until 1971 when the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers, and later the government of Nova Scotia, revived it. So important is this symbol of thanks and community to Nova Scotia, that special teams are charged with keeping track of the best trees growing wild throughout the province.
This year the tree is a 47’ white spruce that arrived in the city on November 16. Now proudly erected on the Boston Common, its lights will be turned on tonight during ceremonies featuring retiring Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Nova Scotia Minister of Energy and Minister of Communications Andrew Younger. The lighting ceremonies will take place on Boston Common between 6 and 8 PM tonight, December 5, the eve of the 95th anniversary of the Halifax tragedy.
And a cruise to Nova Scotia
The strong connection between Boston and Halifax has led many Bostonians to travel to that delightful city on the sea, and many once traveled by overnight ferry from Portland Maine to Yarmouth on the south coast of Nova Scotia. That service ended a few years ago, but it is now being renewed by Nova Star Cruises, with service between Portland and Yarmouth to start in May 2014. That means that with a drive of only an hour and a half you can get to the province overnight and have your car with you for touring while there. The province of Nova Scotia is conducting a drawing for a free cruise for two aboard the new ferry as well as five nights’ accommodations. Tonight they unveil the new cruise line at the Omni Parker house with a six foot model of the brand new cruise ship that will go into operation in May.
http://www.examiner.com/article/a-christmas-tree-and-a-cruise-to-nova-scotia
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Enjoy the 72nd annual lighting of Boston’s Official Christmas Tree provided as a gift by Nova Scotia.
Singers Joey McIntyre and Erica Van Pelt will top the bill at Boston’s 72nd Common on Thursday, December 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Boston Common Tree Lighting Ceremony
Official Website: Boston Common Tree Lighting Ceremony
Location: Boston Common, Boston, MA map
Phone: (617) 635-4505
Dates: Thursday, December 5, 2013
Hours: Hours Vary see below
Ages: Kids, Teens, Adults
In/Outdoor: Outdoor
Cost: Free
Category: Seasonal Fun
The holiday decorations throughout Boston Common and the Public Garden, including the City of Boston’s official Christmas tree from Halifax, a 47-foot white spruce donated by Mary Lou Milligan of Millcove, Lunenberg County, Nova Scotia, will light up in sequence shortly before 8 p.m. when Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Honourable Andrew Younger, Minister with the Government of Nova Scotia, are joined by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Santa Claus. The show will close with a pyrotechnic display by MagicFire, Inc.
WCVB TV’s Anthony Everett and JC Monahan will host Channel 5’s live broadcast of the event beginning at 7 p.m. featuring New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre, “American Idol” Season 11 finalist Erica Van Pelt, Blue Man Group, Nova Scotia band Squid Precision Drumming, Morning Star Baptist Church Gospel Choir, Boston Ballet, Boston Celtics official junior dance team LilPhunk, and representatives of the Boston Red Sox with the 2013 World Series trophy.
Arrive early for a free world-class figure skating show at 5 p.m. presented by the The Skating Club of Boston at the Boston Common Frog Pond featuring the 2013 U.S. pair champions Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, 2013 U.S. Men's silver medalist Ross Miner, and Olympic hopeful Christina Gao.
The annual holiday display includes the official Christmas tree from Halifax and trees throughout Boston Common with ten additional trees around the Frog Pond skating rink sponsored by The Skating Club of Boston.
Refreshments and additional support will be provided by promotional sponsors Dunkin’ Donuts, Polar Beverages, DAVIDs TEA, Archway Cookies, New England Dairy Council, and Boston Ballet.
This is the 42nd following the December 6, 1917, explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbor. Within 24 hours of the disaster a train loaded with supplies and emergency personnel was making its way from Boston to Nova Scotia. In addition this year, Nova Scotia is donating smaller trees to two Boston charities, the Pine Street Inn and Rosie’s Place.
Immediately following the Boston Common tree lighting, Mayor Menino will join Back Bay residents at Arlington Street for the lighting of Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Hot chocolate and cookies will be provided by Taj Boston. Trees along the Mall will be illuminated through April 1 with elegant white lights made possible thanks to community support and private donations raised by the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
For more information please call (617) 635-4505, go to www.cityofboston.gov/parks, or visit us on Facebook. For Boston Common parking information go to www.massconvention.com/bcg.html
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NOVA SCOTIA
CTV Atlantic: Boston Tree Lighting- our Nova Scotia Cindy Day our weather superstar- check it out.... the video is awesome.....
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1054712--------
Love u John Reding...thx 4 the share... our Nova Scotia tree made it 2 Boston... December 1917..... Halifax Explosion.... Boston rose up.... and ran among the ashes 2 save us... now on this day.... don't u feel proud. thank u.
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From Nova Scotia, with love: Boston’s Christmas tree begins its odyssey
Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia
Boston’s Christmas tree left Halifax with Nova Scotian marathoners out front to honor victims of the Marathon bombings.Somewhere north of Boston there is a 47-foot-tall white spruce tree on a flatbed truck, heading our way.
It is no ordinary tree. Boston’s official Christmas tree is an annual thank you gift to the city from Nova Scotia for the help that Boston provided after a deadly explosion in Halifax on Dec. 6, 1917.
About 2,000 people were killed and hundreds injured when two ships collided in the harbor, causing a devastating blast that wiped out half the city, said Bruce Nunn, spokesman for the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Boston sent doctors, nurses, and medical supplies by train to Halifax. Despite being delayed 24 hours beccause of a blizzard, the Boston responders were some of the first to arrive at the scene, Nunn said.
Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia
Students from St. Stephen’s Elementary School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were on hand as a Christmas tree passed by on its way to Boston.“We grow the best Christmas trees in the world,” said Premier Stephen McNeil, the equivalent of the governor of the province of Nova Scotia.
This will be the 42d consecutive year that the province has sent a tree. After one of the trees was sent for Christmas in 1918, the practice lapsed for decades until it resumed in 1971.
The tree was chopped down Tuesday during a ceremony at Milligan’s home, and a grand parade in Halifax sent the tree off at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Loaded on a truck, it will travel across the province, cruise across the Bay of Fundy on a ferry, and then trek through Maine and New Hampshire to Boston. The tree should arrive at Boston Common at about 11 a.m. Friday, Nunn said.
Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia
The Christmas tree is trucked through Halifax.“We thought it was fitting today to have them run it out of our city and into your city,” said McNeil, who gave a speech at the parade Wednesday.
“We feel a real closeness with the people of Boston,” said Andrew Younger, a minister for the Nova Scotia government. “Our hearts were broken during that tragedy.”
The tree will be lit during a ceremony on the Common on Dec. 5. Mulligan, her daughter, and two grandchildren will travel to Boston to watch their tree go up in lights amid holiday cheer, Nunn said.Younger will also join Bostonians for the lighting and give a speech .
Younger also plans to talk to a class at the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester who have been studying the Halifax explosion. The classroom plans to Skype with a class from the St. Stephen’s Elementary School in Halifax, he said.
Once again, officials said, the curious can follow the tree’s progress on Twitter @treeforboston.
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Soldiers patrol a devastated part of north-end Halifax following the Halifax Eplosion on Dec. 6, 1917. (W.G. MACLAUGHLAN)
EDITORIAL: As sirens, bells sound Friday, remember the Halifax Explosion
The ringing of bells can mark a call to worship, a celebration of a wedding, the new year or the end of a war.
In the days before the telegraph, telephone and Twitter, church, school or town bells would alert the community to an immediate celebration or imminent danger.
And, as in John Donne’s famous line exhorting men and women not to ask for whom the bell tolls because it tolls for us all, the sound of bells can mark the end of life.
One of Halifax’s amateur historians wants church bells and ships’ sirens to resound across the city on Dec. 6 to mark the 96th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.
But the ringing of the bells, says Fred Honsberger, will also remind listeners of the tremendous relief and rebuilding effort that followed the disaster.
The 1917 blast, caused by a collision between the burning French munitions ship the SS Mont-Blanc and the Norwegian vessel the SS Imo, killed about 2,000, injured some 9,000 and left more than one in 10 persons homeless in Halifax and Dartmouth.
The explosion in The Narrows destroyed the Halifax area bounded by the harbour, North Street to the south, and west to Windsor Street, and damaged many more buildings beyond that area.
The explosion, followed that night by a blizzard, caused great misery and hardship but it also led to advances in emergency medicine and the treatment of eye injuries. New housing was constructed in the devastated area, including the distinctive Hydrostone development.
Mr. Honsberger, former head of correctional services for the Department of Justice and a member of the Halifax Police Commission, wrote to The Chronicle Herald recently to say that the cannon on Citadel Hill will be heard once again at 9:05 a.m, to be followed by the ringing of bells at about 20 downtown churches and the sirens of naval ships in the harbour.
The Halifax Port Authority has contacted ships’ agents to ask merchant ships in the harbour on Dec. 6 to participate, particularly fitting as both the Mont Blanc and the Imo were commercial vessels.
Many people, including a dwindling but faithful handful of explosion survivors, attend a service at Fort Needham every year on Dec. 6. But Mr. Honsberger’s letter asks that those of us who cannot attend, upon hearing the bells and sirens, pause our work or studies to remember that terrible day in 1917 that tore away family members and destroyed much of our province’s capital city.
We would encourage anyone within the sound of the bells, cannon and sirens to take a moment to recall our city’s largest, and hopefully last, major disaster.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/1171758-editorial-as-sirens-bells-sound-friday-remember-the-halifax-explosion
comment:
Boston Christmas tree, gift from Nova Scotia, to arrive Friday in Boston; elementary schoolers to greet it on Common -
By Melissa Hanson, Globe Correspondent Boston’s official Christmas tree crossed the border at about 10:30 this morning. The 47-foot-tall white spruce is a gift from Nova Scotia for the assistance Boston provided after the devastating Halifax explosion in 1917. The explosion killed more than 2,000 people and destroyed half of Halifax. Boston doctors and nurses were some of the first on scene to help. It is the 42d time Nova Scotia has sent a tree. The flatbed truck carrying the tree was nearing Portland, Maine, at about 1:15 p.m., a spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia government said. The large gift caught the attention of rubberneckers along the way. “When you see a 40-plus-foot tree driving down the highway, people take notice,” said Andrew Younger, a minister for the Nova Scotia government. The tree is accompanied by two truck drivers and a town crier, he said. The tree will rest for the night in Billerica at Reas Transportation before its homecoming to the Boston Common at 11 a.m. Friday, Younger said. “There’s such a connection that people of Nova Scotia have with Boston,” said Younger. “Even before the explosion.” A class from the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester has been learning about the explosion, and will be at the Common awaiting the tree’s arrival Friday, Younger said. The classroom also has a Skype session with a class from the St. Stephen’s Elementary School in Halifax planned for early December, he said. “They are looking forward to it,” he said. “They’re eagerly counting down the days.” During a ceremony Dec. 5, Younger will join Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in the Common to light the Christmas tree. Many Nova Scotians receive Boston TV channels and are planning on watching the lighting, Younger said. Halifax is also giving Boston a “book of thanks.” When the tree left the city Wednesday, residents signed a book, leaving little messages of thanks, Younger said.
http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/11/14/boston-christmas-tree-gift-from-nova-scotia-arrive-friday-boston-elementary-schoolers-greet-common/eiPa0mAHP3uIzgzNN6YEcN/story.html#sthash.oCLaCTJl.dpuf
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LETTER 2 THE EDITOR
Pause and remember- HALIFAX EXPLOSION
The cannon on Citadel Hill will sound again this year at 9:05 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 to recognize the moment of the massive explosion that devastated the City of Halifax 96 years ago.
The cannon will be followed immediately by a one-minute ringing of church bells in downtown Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford to celebrate the lives of those who suffered, and to recognize the relief efforts of those who assisted in the aftermath.
The admiral has confirmed that naval ships will join the occasion by sounding their sirens. It is hoped that the Port Authority will likewise notify the merchant ships that will be in the harbour on Dec. 6 and invite them to participate as well.
This recognition is intended to support the primary Halifax Explosion remembrance service that is held simultaneously at Fort Needham each year. Unfortunately, all citizens cannot attend this important gathering due to work and school commitments.
It is hoped that those within hearing range of the cannon, bells and sirens will pause briefly at their work or school and reflect on what it must have been like at that exact moment on that cold morning in 1917 when three per cent of Haligonians were killed outright, 16 per cent were injured and 11 per cent lost their homes.
Fred Honsberger, Halifax
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CANADA MILITARY NEWS-Halifax Explosion- nobody helped the coloureds of NS/White Trash foster kids of WWII/Nova Scotia our black history- Human Rights and Freedoms in Canada- Nelson Mandela-South Africa Canada Dec 7 2013
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Kids explore links to explosion
November 29, 2013 - 6:23pm By KATIE INGRAM
For many children in the city’s north end, the Halifax Explosion isn’t just a historical event, it’s part of their everyday lives.
When the SS Imo and the SS Mont-Blanc collided in Halifax Harbour on the morning of Dec. 6, 1917, parts of Halifax and Dartmouth were severely damaged or destroyed. Over 2,000 people lost their lives and about 9,000 were injured.
Many of those who survived lost their homes and businesses. North-end Halifax was one of those areas most affected. Although the community eventually recovered, the influence of that fateful day is still felt by those that live there through monuments, artifacts and stories.
It’s this link that Kelly Dodge, a teacher at St. Stephen’s Elementary School, aims to show her Grade 4 students. Dodge said she started teaching her students about the Halifax Explosion last year. She said she wants to show how the event was not only significant for Halifax, but played an important role in reshaping their own neighbourhoods.
“It gives them a sense of context for their own lives,” said Dodge. “Many of the kids in my class have a direct connection to it (the explosion); some of the kids live in the Hydrostone and those houses were built in response to the event.”
“We can stand on our back field and turn one way to see a house that was destroyed by the explosion, or turn another way and see the path, 96 years ago, that the SS Mont-Blanc travelled,” added the school’s principal Makiko Chiasson. “These are relevant connections for our students.”
Many of the children in Dodge’s class already knew a bit about the terrible events of that day. These details include the fact that some people were blinded by flying glass, the snowstorm and tidal wave that followed, or the stories of telegraph operator Vincent Coleman and survivor Anne (Ashpan Annie) Welsh.
“I know about the two ships, but I didn’t know their names,” said student Nicholas Sampson. “I didn’t know that first there was a fire, and then there was an explosion; I thought it was just an explosion.”
“I didn’t know that Boston helped us,” added classmate Hannah Wilson, who later mentioned that she now knows that Boston sent medical aid and that’s why Nova Scotia started sending the city a Christmas tree each year. In order to learn about the explosion and its aftermath, students in Dodge’s class are participating in a variety of activities.
They started by researching the explosion and have written letters to a class in Boston who are also learning about the event. They’ve received a visit from this year’s tree being sent to Boston when it travelled through Halifax, and have been reading No Safe Harbour: The Halifax Explosion Diary of Charlotte Blackburn, a fictional account of the day. They’ve also written diary entries as if they were children in 1917.
Next week, they’ll go to the memorial ceremony at Fort Needham Memorial Park, skyping with the class in Boston and making a documentary. For the documentary, Dodge will take the group on a tour around the area and stop at spots related to the explosion, including the Hydrostone, the Pit and St. Teresa’s Church.
While at one of these landmarks, one of the students will read a passage talking about what happened there, or why it is relevant. These presentations will be filmed with an iPad and the clips will be used to make the class documentary.
“It was a different time, but … you can still go to the places that these events happened in,” said Dodge. “It allows them to explore history, not just read about it in books or through the computer.”
Students are not only learning about facts, dates and people; through their research they’re starting to ask questions and really think about the lasting impact the explosion has had on the city.
“I wonder what Halifax would be like if Boston didn’t help,” asked student Marisa Gear, during a recent class discussion.
These kinds of questions and the students’ curiosity show how, for these kids, Dec. 6 isn’t just another day. It shows that even though many survivors may have passed away and areas have been fully rebuilt and no longer show damage, the legacy of the Halifax Explosion still is, and will continue to be, prominent and relevant — especially among some of the north end’s youngest residents.
“Perhaps it’s due to the location (or the) close proximity to the explosion (site); perhaps it’s direct connections with community,” said Chiasson. “(but) they truly care about the history, and feel like it is their story to tell.”
Katie Ingram is a freelance journalist working in Halifax.
katieyingram@gmail.com
http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1170904-kids-explore-links-to-explosion
NOVA SCOTIA REMEMBERS- 1917-Halifax Explosion
Francis
Halifax Explosion
At 8:45 AM, 6 December 1917, at the height of WWI, the Belgian Relief
vessel Imo, through human error and negligence, collided with the French
munitions carrier Mont Blanc in the narrowest part of Halifax harbour.
Sparks generated by the collision ignited benzol stored on Mont Blanc's deck;
the burning liquid then seeped into the holds, where it lit 2766 t of picric
acid, TNT and guncotton. At 9:06 the munitions ship blew a mile high in the
world's greatest man-made explosion up to that time.
Over 2.5
km2 of Halifax's industrial north end was totally levelled, either
by the blast, the subsequent tidal wave or the raging fire caused when
structures collapsed inward on roaring stoves and furnaces. Homes, offices,
churches, factories, vessels, the railway station and freight yards - all were
obliterated. Farther from the epicentre, Citadel Hill deflected shock waves
away from south and west Halifax, where shattered windows and doors were the
predominant damage. Across the harbour, Dartmouth suffered devastation to a
lesser degree, since its north section was sparsely developed. The blast
shattered windows in Truro, 100 km away, and was heard in Prince Edward Island.
Out of a
population of less than 50 000, over 1600 people died and 9000 were
injured, including 200 blinded by flying glass. Sixteen hundred buildings were
destroyed and 12 000 damaged; 6000 people were homeless and 20 000
lacked adequate shelter. Total damage amounted to $35 million. The misery was
compounded by a forced evacuation of the city, necessitated by fire threatening
the main dockyard magazine, and by appalling weather conditions in the days
immediately following the explosion.
Relief
assistance was immediate and extensive. Trains from throughout the Maritimes
and from central Canada and New England brought medical aid, food, clothing,
building materials and skilled labourers. The continuing assistance provided by
the Massachusetts Relief Committee was particularly noteworthy. Money donated
by government, industry and individuals worldwide eventually totalled some $30
million, and was administered 1918-76 by the HALIFAX RELIEF COMMISSION.
Halifax Explosion
Some of the devastation, along Campbell Road, 1917 (courtesy PANS/P-1776.91.83).
Author
LOIS KERNAGHAN
Suggested Reading
M.J. Bird, The Town that Died (1962); G. Metson, The Halifax Explosion (1978); Hugh MacLennan, Barometer Rising (1941).
Links to Other Sites
Halifax Explosion
This extensive CBC site documents the impact of the "Halifax Explosion" on the city and its populace.
Halifax Explosion
A Heritage Minute about the Halifax Explosion. See also related online educational resources. From Historica Canada.
The Halifax Explosion
An illustrated account of the horrific 1917 Halifax explosion. From the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
Notman Studio Collection
View an extensive collection of historical photographs depicting various locations in the Halifax region. Includes images of naval vessels. From the Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management.
Remembering the Victims
This site documents the development of the Halifax North Memorial Public Library, which commemorates the victims of the 1917 Halifax Explosion. Includes a link to the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book. From the Halifax Public Libraries.
The Maritime Aspects of the 1917 Halifax Explosion
A detailed account of events leading up to the Halifax Explosion and the subsequent relief efforts. From the journal "The Northern Mariner."
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