This interview with local historian Harold Wright deals with the military history of Partridge Island and the other sites around Saint John. Harold offers insights and humour as he shares about the establishment of a military defense in the 1790s, the War of 1812, and the wars in the 20th century.

Wild blueberries are native to Canada and grown mostly in coastal areas that have moderate temperatures and not as much possibility of frost. The majority of wild blueberry production is in Northeastern NB, but about 20% is in Southern New Brunswick where I live. Currently there are over 300 wild blueberry producers and with good crop management over 4,000 pounds of berries are harvested per acre. The farm gate value is about 20 million dollars and the blueberry industry has contributed $81 million to the provincial GDP. Only five percent of the crop is sold fresh. Most is frozen and the largest markets are industrial, hospitality and institutional. But for the New Brunswicker, there is nothing better than going to a local producer and purchasing them fresh. Or even better, buying the muffins and pies that they have available at those farm stands. In season, McKay's Blueberries sells 300 pies a day. And I buy one any time I am in the Pennfield area!

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

Today I interviewed Loretta Landry and Maggie Bryson, co-owners of Jeremiah’s Deli and Catering located in the Saint John City Market.  Maggie says that Loretta keeps to-do-lists, and that she doesn’t, which makes for a very balanced partnership.  They have recently started Charlotte Street Bakery in a space next to their business at the market.  In the interview, they talk about the challenges and rewards of being small business owners, the challenges of expanding into an additional business and the benefits of not working for someone else. Now I can once again enjoy Portuguese tarts! Deli website - https://www.jeremiahsdeli.ca/

In this episode, I interview Laura Weil, who has established a fiberglass door manufacturing company, perhaps the first one in the Maritimes.  Laura shares her journey of establishing a business in Saint John, a city known for its doors. She discusses the hurdles she encountered in securing a suitable location and suppliers, and her efforts in transforming a vacant space into a functional showroom and workshop. Laura also highlights her collaborations with a local artist and a contractor, and her plans to connect with builders, developers, and contractors in the area. She talks about her unique fiberglass doors, which offer a stylish and customizable alternative to the standard steel doors commonly found in the region. Despite the geographical challenges of the Maritimes, Laura expressed her determination to expand her business across the region.  The company website is https://www.hatchparley.com/

In this episode, Mark Greene shared the inspiration behind his book The Great Saint John Fire of 1877, which began with his childhood fascination with the event. He explained that Saint John was a significant port city, founded by Loyalists in 1783, and had grown to become the third-largest city in Canada by the mid-1800s. Despite being prone to fires due to its rapid construction and lack of fire prevention, the city was rebuilt each time after the 13 previous major fires, continuing to ignore practices that were needed for fire prevention. The fire of 1877 was a catastrophic event that destroyed much of the city's wooden infrastructure and left 14,000 homeless. The fire, which started in a warehouse district, was exacerbated by a deflation explosion and spread quickly due to strong winds. The city's lack of building codes and fire prevention measures at the time were cited as contributing factors. In the aftermath of the fire, the city rebuilt under new building codes, prioritizing fire prevention and resulting in a more resilient and rebuilt city. Despite its significance, the Great Saint John Fire is not as widely known as other urban fires of the era. You can purchase the book The Great Saint John Fire of 1877 by Mark Allan Greene from your local bookseller, or wherever books are sold.

An interview with David Goss who has spent over 45 years sharing about the wonders of Saint John and the surrounding area through his walk and talks, and his books. In this episode, I talk to him about his new book on Fernhill Cemetery co-authored with Harold E. Wright, and on walks he is doing on New River Beach. The book launch will be at a huge celebration at Fernhill cemetery on August 26 in the morning. Walk and talks on New River Beach will be on August 23-24 and September 14-15.

This episode is an interview with Kerry Wilhelm, the owner of an e-bike business in St. Martins, New Brunswick.  Kerry talks about his background, the reason for selecting St. Martins as the location for his business, some of the challenges of starting a business, and  future opportunities that he is hoping can be accomplished. Kerry started by building his own e-bike, then converting bikes for friends and that grew into a business.  He then began repairing e-bikes and later began doing rentals in both the St. Martins area, and on the Fundy Trail Parkway.  His next step is providing guide tours both on the Fundy Trail Parkway, and also on Deer Island. His website is www.2ndwindcycle.com and his shop is located at 2551 NB-111 in St Martins.

In this episode I discuss the upcoming Fundy Sea Shanty Festival with Gary Caines, its artistic director. Gary explains the historical significance of sea shanties, their role in maritime culture and how appropriate to have it annually in St. Martins. We also talked about the Festival, program, highlighting its diverse activities and the importance of partnerships and sponsorships. Gary expressed his interest in expanding it and appreciated the unique friendliness of New Brunswickers.  The festival will be held in St. Martins August 9-11.  For more information and their schedule, go to their website at https://www.fundyseashantyfest.com/schedule-1