Reading Breaks in Antigonish

Being in Antigonish during the breaks can be a strange experience. With the majority of students going home, campus has a different feel too normal. Residences are quiet, many places are shut, and meal hall hours are limited. Without a car, it can be difficult to travel very far. However, reading breaks can be an opportunity to explore Antigonish better, as well as relax with very few distractions. Here are a few ideas for international students (and other students who are staying) for ways to make the most of your reading weeks.

1.     Actually study- for people with midterms after the break, it can be easier to study when on campus. The library is pretty much empty, and residence lounges are silent, making it much easier to focus.

2.     Catch up on sleep- there are no parties happening.

3.     Try an escape room- Lost Realms (close to Tims and Needs) has escape rooms that can be fun to complete in groups. It is open until 5pm everyday (4pm on Sundays.) Since the semester can very busy, reading week is an ideal time to try this.

4.     Pick up extra shifts at work- since most students go home for the week, there should be a lot of extra hours.

5.     Go to the gym when it isn’t packed.

6.     Watch movies- Monty Python is great if you are wanting something funny.

7.     Residence and Bloomfield Hub activities- check your residence Instagram for activities happening during the week. Bloomfield Hub also offered craft nights and therapy dogs during the November reading break, which I really enjoyed.

8.     Exploring Main Street- there are some really cosy cafes there, which can make a nice change to study in. Also, the thrift store is cheap!

9.     Going on walks- I really enjoyed having time to walk around Antigonish during my break. If you can find a ride, Beaver Mountain Provincial Park, the Arisaig beach and Antigonish Landing are beautiful spots to visit.

10.  Visit Antigonish Farmer’s Market.

11.  Check and see if there are any performances happening at the Bauer theatre on campus- this is located just behind Mackinnon. Tickets are normally discounted for students, so reading break is a good time to see what is on offer!

12.  Use the ice rink during the free skate sessions- free for students.

13.  Cook with friends in my kitchen- since meal hall is so quiet during the breaks, it is a good time to make use of the space and try some new recipes.

14.  Start a new book- I'd recommend the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid) or Daisy Jones and the Six (by the same author.) Daisy Jones also has a TV show on Amazon Prime now!

15.  Call friends and family back home- I find it hard to call often when things get busy, so make the most of the free time.

I hope this list helps make your next break in Antigonish more enjoyable!

Grab your Dancing Shoes!

Over the next couple of months, Antigonish residents can expect several dance recitals and competitions in the Antigonish community. For those looking to check out some local talent, the Antigonish Creative Dance Association will host its annual student choreography showcase on the 25th of February. Expect ballet, hip pop and contemporary pieces and mix of solos, duets, and small groups.

The dance team recently competed in the Atlantic Collegiate Dance Competition. This event was their first dance competition in over three years, since Covid prevented previous competitions from taking place. The event was hosted at the University of New Brunswick, with dancers from across the Atlantic region competing at the university level. The StFX dance team performed both solos and group pieces, with both Isabelle and Makayla winning awards in their solo categories. The dance team also performed a halftime dance at the X-men's basketball game.

If you happen to be staying over the summer, be sure to check out the annual Highland Games happening July 2nd to the 9th. Last year’s festival included parades, dance championships, kilted golf tournaments, Gaelic language and tradition workshops, and tug-of-war competitions. This year’s events are not yet finalized. The dance competitions will be at the pre-premier, open premier, and open championship levels, with the youngest category being 10-12, and the oldest at 19 and over. One of the annual competitions is organized by the Antigonish Highland Dance Association (AHDA), an organization with the goal of promoting and preserving highland dance in the town, they have been hosting annual competitions since 1863.

Visitors can expect performances of the Highland Fling, the Sword Dance, the Seann Tribuhas, and the Flora Mcdonald’s Fancy. Awards like the Mary Dundas Memorial Award, New Zealand’s Pre-premier, Wilena Macinnis Penny Award, and the Florence Macmillian Memorial Award are all up for grabs. If you are interested, the festival will be looking for volunteers to help run the Games. Last year, there was also a youth artwork and writing contest for children aged 5-13. Winners of the contest won a free family pass to the Games.

2022-StFX Year in Review

As Covid restrictions finally started easing, this year has been eventful for StFX students. Here are some of the highlights and big events that happened during 2022.

January:

·        Research Infosource Inc. ranked StFX University as one of the top fifty Canadian research universities. In their report published on January 25, StFX was also ranked sixth overall for publication impact, a measurement of the quality and impact of research.

March:

·       St Paddy’s Day (March 17)—To celebrate the death of the patron saint of Ireland, many students had house and street parties.

·       Mulroney Hall LEED Gold Award (March 23)- The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Award was given to Mulroney Hall. This award recognises commitment to sustainability. Features that helped with earning the award included the three electric vehicle chargers on campus, two solar panels, and bicycle storage.

April:

·       Final exams (and end of the academic year for all students without summer classes.)

May:

·        Spring Convocation was celebrated by the Class of ‘22. An honorary degree was awarded to Minh Kauffman (an international exchange and community development innovator). Outstanding teaching awards and a University Research Award were also presented.

September:

·       Welcome Week- the class of 2026 moved in on September 2 and 3. Orientation started with the headphone disco on Friday evening. The Saturday activities included a bouncy castle, Jell-o slide, and spinning shark. There was a drag show and sex toy bingo in the evening. There were multiple concerts in the weeks after, as well as the clubs and societies’ fair.

·       Xaverian Welcome Ceremony—The class of 2026 wore their graduation robes and were welcomed into the Xaverian community.

·       Hurricane Fiona (September 23 and 24)—The hurricane hit Antigonish on Friday afternoon, with winds up to 179km/hour. Some residences and houses flooded, MSB had to be evacuated because of the roof flying off, and power was lost for multiple days.

·       September 30—Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

October:

·        Homecoming—StFX alumni came back to StFX for the weekend to see the X-Women’s rugby homecoming game versus Acadia. There were a lot of street and house parties after the game.

November:

·       Catalina Wine Night (November 19)

December:

·       X-ring Ceremony (December 4)—936 students earned their X-ring. In the evening, graduates visited their old rooms in their first-year residences.

·        Finals season

·       Snowstorm (December 13)

·       StFX hosted the German and Austrian Hockey Federation, who were preparing for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships, which took place in Halifax and Moncton.

Sources

Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities: StFX’s contribution to research excellence recognized nationally  | StFX University

StFX’s Mulroney Hall Certified LEED® Gold | StFX University

StFX set to celebrate Spring Convocation 2022; will honour innovator in international educational exchange and community development, Minh Kauffman | StFX University

X-Ring Ceremony to be Held Saturday | 989 XFM

StFX to host the Germany Hockey Federation and the Austrian Hockey Federation | StFX University

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Orange Shirt Day - Coady Institute (stfx.ca)

Hurricane Fiona - Wikipedia

Look out for Bryn Blackwood’s Visit to the ‘Nish

The Antigonish Performing Arts is holding a series of concerts until April 29th. Most concerts will take place at Immaculata Hall on weekend evenings, costing only $5 per seat for students (regular admission is $20.) The upcoming concert will be performed by pianist Bryn Blackwood as part of the Atlantic debut tour. It will take place at 7:30 pm on Monday, November 21st.

Blackwood is an accomplished pianist based in Toronto. Alongside playing, he runs his own private piano studio and teaches at the Lane School of Music. He has won many awards, such as the Paul J. Bourret Memorial Award for Best Performance of the test piece at the 2018 Shean Piano Competition. In 2019, Blackwood won the Eckhart- Gramatte National Music Competition, he placed on CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 List, and won the University of Toronto’s DMA Recital Competition. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Music at Western University and earned his Master’s at McGill University, also in Music. Blackwood is currently completing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto and working as the pianist for many of the university’s vocal courses.

Earlier this academic year, Blackwood performed at concerts in both Kitchener and Simcoe, Ontario, where he played a solo recital of works by Scriabin, Brahms, Ornstein, and Louie. Previous concerts have taken place in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and British Columbia locations. Many were held at universities, including Queens, Lakehead, Calgary, and Mt. Allison.

During the covid lockdowns, he continued to perform on live streams, virtually, and at socially distanced concerts.

Blackwood is most interested in 20th/21st-century music. His StFX concert will mostly feature pieces by Ornstein, whom he also wrote and published his doctoral dissertation about. Ornstein was an experimental composer and pianist who lived from 1895-2002. He published his final sonata at 94, which made him the oldest published composer at that time. Reactions to his compositions were mixed; people would shout and throw things during his early performances, whilst crowds of over 2000 would attend his later ones. As well as using some of his works, Blackwood’s concert will also include pieces by Brian Cherney and Alexander Louie, both of whom are current Canadian composers. Works by Brahms and Scriabin will also be played.

After playing in Antigonish, Blackwood will continue his tour down the East Coast, moving on to Tatamagouche to play at the Grace Jollymore Joyce Arts Centre. The Antigonish Performing Arts Concert series will host its final concert of 2022 on Saturday, December 3rd. Anita Graef and Taylor Furtick will play the cello and piano together. Continuing into 2023, Tracey, Marcel, and Dakota will perform in February (tenor, soprano, and piano), and the Elmer Iseler singers will perform in March (taking place in St Ninian’s Cathedral.)

The Outside Inn World Premiere

Located just across from the McKinnon Residence, Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre will present The Outside Inn from the 14th-23rd of October.

Coordinators describe the play as “a transformative dark comedy about the mess that makes us human,” promising to be both a comedic and thought-provoking performance. The play opens a window into the fictional lives of Lily (Sharon Bajer) and her husband, Patrick (Elio Zarillo). Both characters have differing opinions on the course their lives are taking. Lily believes that her loving husband, beautiful child, and perfect body make her life complete. In comparison, Patrick is dissatisfied with his life. A day of unexpected events threatens to make or break the two as they struggle to come to terms with each other, their differences, and the challenges they face.

Director Annie Valentina is currently based in Halifax. Previous projects include Kat Sandler’s Yaga and Rose Napoli’s Lo. Her plays often explore transphobia, feminism, and Eastern European identity, relating to her personal experiences. The Outside Inn will reportedly explore themes of illness, death, and body dysmorphia.

Sharon Bajer (playing Lily) has acted in 10 feature films, including Fear X, Hide and Seek, and Scared Silent. She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, but currently lives in Manitoba. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and was forced to take a two-year break from acting. As a survivor, she brings her personal experience with a cancer diagnosis to her role as Lily.

Elio Zarillo (playing Patrick) works as a playwright, director, and actor. They will also be involved in two other premieres this season: Prairie Theatre Exchange’s Voltaire and the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s Narrow Bridge. Although it is only 90 minutes long, this play explores many thought-provoking issues. It will take place at the Bauer theatre on campus, and tickets are discounted for students. Several first-year English students will study the play in class. If you get the chance to watch the play, there will be many other students with whom you can discuss themes and interpretations of the performance afterwards.

To buy tickets to the performance, visit the Festival Antigonish website linked below. Performances take place Friday-Sunday for the first week and Wednesday-Sunday for the second week, starting at 7:30 each evening.

Buy tickets: www.festivalantigonish.ca