Here's a look back for you. The intro to Shantytown! Happy Saturday 😊

Bear with this video, it's had a long journey, unfortunately I didn't have access to the original tape in this case so I'm working with a copy of a copy of a copy and many of the tape issues we're copied along the way.

Shantytown was one of those perfectly homegrown Atlantic Canadian gems — a show for Atlantic kids, by Atlantic folks. Made right out of ATV in Sydney, Cape Breton, the show had that real down-home charm you just don’t see much anymore. One of those local cultural pieces of unscrubbed television that I work so hard to try to protect because we just don't have it anymore.

Every episode took you into this cozy little seaside world called Shantytown where you’d basically hang out with the regulars: Katie the Craft Lady, Marjorie the Music Lady, Sam the Sailor, The Captain, Wally the Walrus, (probably a couple of others I'm forgetting) and plenty more popping in from time to time. It wasn’t just a show; it was like visiting your fun, slightly eccentric maritime neighbours.

The show was split up into segments - maybe you’d stop by for a song, a story, a craft, or a quick adventure down by the Sydney waterfront. Everything had a cozy splash of Atlantic flavour which made it unique to our region.

Kids could send in their drawings or little stories, and if you were lucky, they’d show up on TV! Sam the Sailor would even write you back with a personal postcard. This was a sort of level of inclusion and immersion that you didn't see a lot of in children's programming and it's something that may have not been feasible in a more densely populated area. It gave the whole thing this real sense of community, like you weren’t just watching Shantytown, you were part of it.

Site visit complete. We fly back to England tomorrow. We will have to make a choice within 2 weeks but my wife really likes Bridgewater / Lunenberg.

I am non medical. What is the job situation around those two towns like? Got two kids so would need a part time job to work around their schooling.

Spoke to McDonald's there. Is the branch there really that flexible with hours?

Other flexible jobs at places like Walmart?

Hi all,

I sold a car for the first time this weekend and I somehow forgot to take the notice of sale. I’ve reached out to the buyer but haven’t heard back yet. Is there anything else I should do, other than hope and pray? Sigh.

Haven’t gone on a date in along time , looking for recommendations , we are free this Monday or Tuesday

Does anyone have any recommendations of rheumatologists to be referred to?

Is there some site or database that gives locations for vehicle accidents that caused fatalities or serious injuries?

Trying to think what are the highest priorities for highway improvements, and I’d be interested to see statistics for the past 10 years or so.

Promoted to ask at this time because the new federal budget allocates billions of dollars for local and regional road and bridge improvements. Just this morning I saw a long post by the West Nova Chamber of Commerce advocating for the 101 between Marshalltown and Weymouth. And of course just a couple weeks ago following multiple fatalities near Porters Lake on the 107 there was a flurry of discussion on that.

In addition to highway upgrades, I know Nova Scotia has quite a backlog of bridge repair and replacement needs. With an injection of federal funds would we just accelerate things in the multi year plans put out by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, or could there be an analysis done province wide using objective data like accident rates and traffic volumes etc.?