Cheers &Jeers
CHEERS to the students of Cobequid Educational Centre as they prepare to celebrate 50 years of school musicals this weekend.
The tradition was an annual event at CEC until COVID-19 put a hold on things back in spring 2020. Coming out of the pandemic, the school is preparing to celebrate 50 years of past musicals by fitting in nods to as many musicals as possible as part of their performance. They’ve reached out to past music directors and alumni and revisited old videos. The songs are from a variety of genres and CEC musical eras with a loosely connected plot scripted by drama teacher Rob Lutz.
In March 2020, students were just a week away from performing We Will Rock You before the global pandemic shut it down as the province went into a months-long lockdown that placed restrictions on gathering and travel limits.
It has been a rollercoaster of a ride since then, with restrictions being lifted and then reimposed as the pandemic’s waves made their way through the community. Life, however, has begun to return to normal in a POST-COVID world as we learn to live with the virus. The return of the school musical is just another example of something we’ve been craving for more than two years – a return to normalcy.
As the students prepare to hit the stage this weekend, we wish them good luck, or as they say in theatre circles, “Break a leg.”
JEERS to the fact that black-legged ticks and Lyme disease are on the increase in parts of Nova Scotia.
The Lloyd Tick Lab at Sackville, N.B.’S Mount Allison University is showing the rate of Lyme disease infection in black-legged ticks at about 40 per cent in parts of Nova Scotia, with Lunenburg, Yarmouth and New Glasgow being the hot spots.
With Pictou County as our neighbour, it only makes sense for people to assume Lyme diseaseinfected ticks are also plentiful in and around the Truro and Colchester County areas.
Vett Lloyd, arguably this region’s foremost expert on the matter, says the tick population has grown by 150 per cent across Canada throughout 2020 and 2021 and is showing up further north due to climate change and warmer temperatures.
It used to be that bears, other wildlife and the weather were the main things people had to take notice of when they entered the woods for a walk to experience nature, exercise and relax. No one knew or understood what Lyme disease was and those who experienced symptoms were often diagnosed with another ailment.
Be tick aware this summer as you enter the woods or brush where ticks may reside. Dress accordingly to prevent the ticks from attaching to your skin and always do a check when you return home, with a partner if you can. Also, never forget to check your dog or any pets that go into the wild because they could be carrying ticks home with them and don’t have the ability to communicate if they have symptoms.
CHEERS to the Colchester Pickleball Association and the Cougar Dome for hosting the 2022 provincial championships last weekend.
More than 370 people converged on the dome for three days of fun and friendly competition with action in both mens’ and womens’ singles, doubles and mixed singles and doubles. There were 17 pickleball courts running for three days, 10 hours a day.
It’s a credit to the Colchester County organization to be able to put their efforts into hosting the event as well as to the Cougar Dome for showcasing itself as a venue for many sports. It’s yet another sign that things are returning to normal in the post-pandemic world and that communities like Truro are well situated to begin hosting local, provincial, regional and national-level events once again.
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in North America because it’s simple to play and fun for everyone. It combines tennis, badminton and ping-pong using a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
The sport can be competitive, but it can also be very social, and – most importantly – its health benefits are incredible for those wanting to improve or maintain their balance, agility, reflexes and eye-hand co-ordination without putting too much strain on the body.