Artist Geoff Slater and Daughter Jannique Unveil New St. Stephen, NB Mural

Charlotte County artist Geoff Slater and his 15-year-old daughter Jannique were commissioned by Downtown St. Stephen to create a new mural entitled "Celebration of Botany" on the side of the Briggs Plumbing Building inspired by local historical figure William Ganong.

"William Ganong was famous as a as a botanist. that that was really his profession. Cartography was even though he was famous for mapping so much of New Brunswick was just a hobby, a what we wanted as a celebration of botany and of William Ganong and his profession was to really highlight plants, that were from this area. So in it, you see, you know, sweetgrass something really important to indigenous communities in these parts. you see, lupine, you see, lilies. You see our provincial flower, the violet, the purple violet. So all of those things are incorporated, but, one really important thing to note about botany is you don't have plants without insects."

Slater's daughter Jannique was tasked with painting all the insects on the mural.

"This is her first public mural. So she collaborated on me. So she painted all of the insects, some of the flowers, and collaborated on the entire design of the mural. She was an active partner in all of it and really, painted all of the hardest parts. And I was really lucky with with this mural because not only did I know that she was an exceptional painter and up to the task, but, she's also she loves bugs, so she's like a budding entomologist."

Jannique's love of inspects stems from appreciating their role in the ecosystem.

"And without bugs, there'd be no flowers, there'd be no plants, there'd be no humanity, basically. And, I think I just hope that, you know, people can look at it and kind of see them in a different way. And that's why I kind of tried to give them personalities with their faces and stuff."

"Celebration of Botany" is Slater's third mural in St. Stephen and his first-ever public art collaboration with his daughter. 

Chestnut Hall Celebrates 200th Anniversary

On Saturday, the Town of Saint Andrews celebrated the 200th anniversary of Chestnut Hall, the home of the Ross Memorial Museum on Montague Street. Built in 1824, this historic Georgian building was once the home of Loyalist Harris Hatch and was where Grace Helen Mowat originally started her woollen company Cottage Craft. Today, it showcases the furniture and art collections of Henry Phipps Ross and Sarah Juliette Ross. 

"St. Andrews by the Sea has six National Historic sites, which is just not only a draw for visitors, but they're all part of our community," said New Brunswick Southwest MP John Williamson. "They're an attraction, and they really make us who we are as people here in St. Andrews."

The event was attended by dozens and featured remarks from Deputy Mayor Kate Akagi, St. Croix MLA the honourable Kathy Bockus, and MP John Williamson, and Museum Supervisor Norma Stewart. All four speakers made a point of remembering the late Kerri Chrus, the longtime curator and face of the Ross Memorial Museum, who passed away in July. We miss you, Kerri.

Young Entrepreneurs Market in St. Andrews 

This past Thursday, the St. Andrews Parks and Recreation Summer Camps held the very first little entrepreneurship market. Kids from the ages of 6 to 12 got the chance to learn innovative ways to help fund the St. George Animal Shelter.

"Well, we knew that they were doing some fundraising to raise some money because they're having a hard time right now," said Debby Lord from the St. Andrews Summer Camp. "So we thought right off the bat, St. George Animal Shelter, just so we can help them and help the animals."

This market is part of the 2024 St. Andrew Summer Camp program that gives children in the area the opportunity to develop career-based skills that bring good to the community. Children spent four days planning, preparing, and creating their very own product booth to show off at the market, which was housed at the WC O'Neill Arena Complex.

Nathalie Sturgeon Joins CHCO-TV as a Senior Producer and Journalist

Finally, CHCO has welcomed a new full-time journalist to the team: Nathalie Sturgeon. Sturgeon is a recognizable face in New Brunswick previously working as a videojournalist at Global News as the editor of the Kings County Record and a reporter for the Telegraph Journal. Her first news story for CHCO covered NBPower's public meeting on recent power outages in St. Andrews.