New Brunswick entered the Green level of recovery ending all COVID-19 restrictions this past weekend, which happened to be the New Brunswick Day long weekend, giving New Brunswickers more reason to celebrate. Events took place across Charlotte County, including the 9th edition of music and arts festival Fogfest on Campobello Island over the weekend. Kingsbrae Garden in St. Andrews hosted the second annual New Brunswick Oyster Shucking Contest on Monday where last year's champ Gerald Ingersoll of Saint Andrews came out to defend his title but ultimately lost to Hugh Madill of Bocabec. Juno award-winning musician David Myles closed out the New Brunswick Day celebrations with a performance at KIRA Amphitheatre. 

An exhibit on prominent 19th century painter, activist and abolishinist Edward Bannister launched at The Ross Memorial Museum. St. Andrews-born Bannister made history as one of the few Black artists working in North America to rise to international prominence in the 19th century despite widespread racism, oppression and the practice of slavery in the US, a country Bannister would eventually relocate to before the Civil War Period. His works have since graced the walls of the White House and the Smithsonian and are in notable private collections such as the Obama family collection. 

To tie in with St. Stephen's 150 anniversary celebrations, the St. Croix Theatre Company hosted a moving historical play where six different actors played six prominent figures from St. Stephen's history at six different locations across town. Reed Haley played a journalist interviewing the historical actors at each location. Haley says he and the cast were thrilled to be performing again after over a year of no productions during the height of the pandemic.