Lunch Stop at Sackville
Today we stopped for lunch in Sackville, New Brunswick. This was not exactly by chance. Yes, it was lunchtime, and it was a convenient exit off the Trans-Canada, but Morningstar had been reading excerpts from "Welcome home: Travels in smalltown Canada" by Stuart McLean for the last few days and the most recent section was on Sackville. So when lunchtime and Sackville coincided, we were pretty much compelled to see how Sackville had fared since Stuart McLean's last visit.
The short answer is that it has fared very well indeed. The general sense about the town is that it is prospering. In his book, McLean gives a fairly grim picture of failing industries and a population needing to find jobs elsewhere. But in the intervening years the old foundry has been replaced by a regional call-center as the primary employer and there are signs of new construction and a sense that community pride is improving.
After lunch we stopped by the Planning Office and were welcomed by Ron Corbett. Ron is now a consultant to the Planning Office. Ron gave us a brief synopsis on the community and its economic status. Very helpful. And it turns out that he had met Stuart McLean on his visits to Sackville.
Probably the most important single fact of Sackville is Mount Allison University. The town and the campus seem to be interwoven and despite any traditional "Town verses Gown" issues there appears to be at least a genuine appreciation of the mutual benefits of this relationship.
Mount Allison was founded in 1839. With a nod to both the past and the present, their website notes that it was the first university in the British Empire to grant a Bachelors Degree to a woman and Mount Allison was one of the first universities in the country to introduce a completely wireless campus. Although there were many beautiful homes in Sackville, we were particularly impressed with the 1836 Georgian house that is the residence of the University President.
More about this great small town later. The lunch was well worth the detour off the Trans-Canada.
The short answer is that it has fared very well indeed. The general sense about the town is that it is prospering. In his book, McLean gives a fairly grim picture of failing industries and a population needing to find jobs elsewhere. But in the intervening years the old foundry has been replaced by a regional call-center as the primary employer and there are signs of new construction and a sense that community pride is improving.
After lunch we stopped by the Planning Office and were welcomed by Ron Corbett. Ron is now a consultant to the Planning Office. Ron gave us a brief synopsis on the community and its economic status. Very helpful. And it turns out that he had met Stuart McLean on his visits to Sackville.
Probably the most important single fact of Sackville is Mount Allison University. The town and the campus seem to be interwoven and despite any traditional "Town verses Gown" issues there appears to be at least a genuine appreciation of the mutual benefits of this relationship.
Mount Allison was founded in 1839. With a nod to both the past and the present, their website notes that it was the first university in the British Empire to grant a Bachelors Degree to a woman and Mount Allison was one of the first universities in the country to introduce a completely wireless campus. Although there were many beautiful homes in Sackville, we were particularly impressed with the 1836 Georgian house that is the residence of the University President.
More about this great small town later. The lunch was well worth the detour off the Trans-Canada.
1836 Georgian House
posted by Looking for Hope | 8:41 PM
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