Annapolis Royal gets top billing on American game show
‘I suspect whoever wrote the question is well aware of the importance of Annapolis Royal’
Any time your town is mentioned on Jeopardy! it’s a good thing.
Annapolis Royal Mayor Bill MacDonald wasn’t watching the show Thursday evening, but he sat up when he saw a Facebook post from West Nova MP Colin Fraser with a screen capture of the clue.
“The Town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia plays hosts (sic) to many tide tourists visiting this nearby bay,” said the clue.
“So cool - beautiful Annapolis Royal was on Jeopardy! tonight,” said Fraser in his Facebook post. “The correct response, ‘What is the Bay of Fundy?’ Thanks Jeopardy!”
“I love Jeopardy, but I wasn’t watching,” said Fraser. “I had just gotten off a plane from Ottawa and checked my phone, and my cousin had texted me the screen shot. I thought it was a great thing to share on social media. Lots of people have been mentioning they were watching the show when this clue came on.”
The response was immediate and amazing, said Fraser Friday afternoon.
“Since posting it last night, my post has reached over 40,000 people and it has been shared 380 times and liked 380 times. Plus lots of positive comments.”
Mayor MacDonald liked it.
“It’s fabulous that the (clue) was written the way it was – it starts off with ‘ The Town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia’ – right off the bat we’re winning,” said MacDonald. “And they’re right, we do play host to tourists who come here to visit the bay. And specifically that tidal power plant that generates as a result of the bay.”
He noted that the Bay of Fundy, with the world’s highest tides, had been in the running as a wonder of the world recently.
But did Annapolis Royal and the Bay of Fundy get on the map with the Jeopardy! question or was the Jeopardy! question asked because the town and the bay were already on the map?
“I suspect whoever wrote the question is well aware of the importance of Annapolis Royal and that it is on the map,” MacDonald said. “Because the question itself implies the answer – the person answering the question will know about Annapolis Royal, and where it exists, and where it places geographically, and that it does in fact play host to this. So I would suggest that the Town of Annapolis Royal is on the map - and any time it’s re-enforced, and underscored, and referenced is brilliant.”
And to underscore MacDonald’s theory that Annapolis Royal already is on the map, one of the contestants on America’s Favorite Quiz Show (as Jeopardy! bills itself) got it right.
“So cool that she knew the answer!!,” said a commenter on Fraser’s post. “Way to go!!”
“I was pleasantly surprised, but it’s great recognition,” Fraser said. “I was pleased it was responded to correctly as well. Hopefully all of us would have gotten that one correct.”
And that the clue was responded to correctly means the region must be on the map to a certain degree, he said.
“But any chance our area can reach such a large audience and mention tourism, it’s a good thing and makes us proud to see such recognition for our beautiful part of the world,” Fraser said.
In the end, the MP was proud of his riding.
“We are so fortunate to live in this beautiful area so rich in history and culture. The Bay of Fundy with the highest tides in the world and the charm of Annapolis Royal are really something to be proud of,” said Fraser. “We need to let as many people as possible know what an amazing place we have here, being mentioned on Jeopardy! certainly helps.”
That the quiz show has a Canadian connection doesn’t hurt.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is from Sudbury, Ont. and graduated from the University of Ottawa.
“I think what makes Jeopardy! special is that, among all the quiz and game shows out there, ours tends to reward and encourage learning,” said Trebek on the show’s website at https://www. jeopardy.com/
The revamp of an old grocery store that will become the Kingston Family Health Centre is nearing completion.
“We expect the two family physicians who have been practising temporarily at Soldiers Memorial Hospital to move into the new space in January,” said Nova Scotia Health Authority spokeswoman Kristen Lipscombe in an e- mail Dec. 15.
“They will see their existing patients in the new practice location.”
Construction crews could be seen overhauling the interior of the building, a familiar landmark known to many locals as the former Foodland, throughout the fall. More recent developments saw the installation of new windows and automatic sliding doors at the front of the building.
The health authority will be leasing the clinic, located on the corner of Bridge and Main Street, from Parsons Investments Ltd.
In a previous interview, Health Minister Leo Glavine said the government envisioned a modern collaborative health clinic that offers a variety of services for the space.
Lipscombe confirmed that this vision still holds true.
“Over time, we anticipate that additional primary care providers will join this practice, and will also work with others health providers in the community,” she said.