By John G. Kelly
john@activeretirement.ca www.johngkelly.ca
Whew! Autumn in Saint Andrews is a whirlwind of entertainment. We lived in downtown Toronto for 30 years because we wanted to experience the arts and cultural scene. Coworkers and friends who lived in the “burbs” would tell us about the wonderful once or twice-a-year entertainment experience they had when they fought their way through traffic for an hour and a half and attended an event. But once or twice a year was all they could bear because of the commute stress and the search for parking. Yes, we would respond. We had also attended the event but, for us, to get there and back it was either a leisurely walk or a short subway or streetcar ride. Oh, if only we weren’t trapped in the “burbs” and lived downtown so we could enjoy all those wonderful cultural and entertainment experiences they would say.
Now that we live in Saint Andrews those same friends and acquaintances have asked us how much we must miss all of the arts and entertainment, especially once the tourist season ends. The presumption is that the town supposedly closes down for the fall and winter. Far from it. One of the reasons we chose to live in Saint Andrews when I “came home” to the Bay of Fundy is because it’s a community that’s very much alive with all manner and sorts of cultural and entertainment experiences 12. months a year. And, of course, everything is within that “15-minute walk” that makes small-town living so desirable.
Yes, the summer tourist season draws to a close by October. But then on October 15th -19th Indulge New Brunswick Food and Wine Festival kicks in. The entire downtown is cordoned off. All of the local restaurants offer special “tasters’ choices” of the best of their menus. Portable facilities are set up in the downtown commons and food and beverage vendors within a day’s drive of Saint Andrews set up booths to offer “taste bits” of their specialized menus.
You purchase an Indulge ticket. This entitles you to stroll the street with live band music in the background and sample exotic food. And it is exotic, albeit with a Maritime flavour. This is not about getting hot dog or hamburger on a bun with a side order of fries. Saint Andrews is a premium tourist town. There is a stable of chefs and restaurants that cater to tourists wanting customized cuisine. We get a taste of all that during Indulge. It’s Michelin-ranked food that we could never afford at 5-star restaurants in Toronto but can certainly indulge our food cravings in at maritime prices in Saint Andrews
October/November is also when the fall/winter concert series kicks in. Saint Andrews is fortunate to have a concert organizer who has a national reputation. Jamie Steele is well known in the touring entertainment circuit with links to bands across the country. Among them are Juno award winners. On average, at least once every two weeks there is a nationally ranked performer or band appearing on stage. The genre of the music is popular with a maritime flavour, which for my wife and I who were baroque music aficionados in Toronto, is an opportunity to experience some new and enjoyable entertainment.
There are two performance venues in town with the acoustic capability to support high-quality performances. There is no squirming in uncomfortable seats or straining to hear the full quality of the sound in the performance. In addition, there are what I’ll label as boutique performance venues in Saint Andrews which host baroque and classical music quartets and ensembles.
In a ten- day period spanning two weekends in November, my wife and I took in five musical performances. It started with a cozy cabaret at Salty Towers where you could mix and mingle with the performers. It’s a legendary stopover for musicians across the country who frequent it for a relaxing break and jamming seasons. Then it was on to baroque and a theatre performance with a finale by a nationally renowned one -man classical guitar performance. We needed a bit of a break and were able to wait out an entire week prior to attending a jazz concert.
We were very busy and on the go for that entire ten-day period. But it was the type of activity that doesn’t tire you but energizes you. And of course, we weren’t the least bit tired from all that frantic driving and navigating traffic to get to an event. This all took place in that idyllic small town of Saint Andrews where every event is either that “15-minute walk” or five minute drive on through a beautiful heritage townscape.
This brings us to the two concerts scheduled for December and the Saint Andrews Winter Warmer; an intimate small venue music festival featuring 15 Acts … 12 Shows … 9 Venues … and lots of winter fun activities to enjoy! January 28th – February 2, 2025.
Now, that’s entertainment!