Is there such a thing as a "stop the rain dance"?

Father's Day was a resounding success and we weren't going to let the rain dampen our spirits.

We had a wonderful turnout of people, who came along to enjoy excellent food, thanks to the marvelous team of the Roundhouse Cafe (Fran, Joyce and Chris), music (thanks to Freddie) and service (thanks to Sara and Bronte).

We have had some congratulatory phone calls this morning asking when the next event will be and to say how great it is that in the small town of Joggins people can get such a high standard of food, with particular praise for our home-baked bread and marinated chicken.

Thank you to everyone who turned out and even though the rain halted our planned boat sale and wood carving, we still were able to ensure that everyone celebrated Father's Day in style.

Watch out for our weekly barbecues, which we will be holding every Sunday throughout the summer. We are also planning events for the 1st of July and 7th July (to celebrate Canada Day and the anniversary of the inscription onto the World Heritage List respectively).

Watch out for the rain though and if you know of a "stop the rain dance" please get dancing as we seem to attract wet weather to our events! Don't dance too hard though, we don't want a drought!

It's Father's Day!

Did you forget? Then don't let your dad know, play it cool and and bring him along to our fabulous Father's Day Barbeque. He'll think you planned it all along!

We are serving a sumptuous gourmet barbeque between 11:30 am and 2:30pm and we still have a few places left.

Come and meet a local kayak crafter, who makes light and personal craft and listen to musician Freddie, who brings his Cuban rythm to Joggins for the day!

Adults $15.00 and Children $7.50

Call 902-251-2727 extension 230

Schools get summer off to a great start

We have had lots of students visiting the Joggins Fossil Cliffs and Centre for their end of term school visit. The latest school to visit was Advocate School, from Advocate Harbour, a stunning coastal village along the coast from Joggins.

The elementary school brought along their students, who all came ready to explore and to discover and they weren't disappointed! Their visit included a tour of our exhibit gallery, where they saw spider, scorpion and reptile fossils. The children also tried their hand at fossil excavation, one of our programming activities, and explored the beach, looking for fossils they had learned about in the gallery.

The Cliffs are the best place to enjoy a real 'hands on' experience and students enjoy the opportunity to tie learning in with discovery.

If you are planning a school visit, call 902-251-2727 and see what other activities we can offer your educational group, be they Primary or Grade 12....or even elder learners.

Bay of Fundy back in the New 7 Wonders Race

The Bay of Fundy is back on the international stage in the New7Wonders of Nature contest. In an unprecedented turn of events the Bay of Fundy, which placed 2nd in the first phase of the contest that concluded January 7, 2009 is now representing Canada!

The New7Wonders of Nature organization, based in Brussels, reinstated the Bay of Fundy this week. "We can confirm that Dinosaur Provincial Park did not meet the Phase II participation requirements" said Tia Viering of the New7Wonders. "Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we announce that the Bay of Fundy is now officially Canada's national representative.”

“As 2008 came to a close, we knew we were in an extremely close race to represent Canada in this phase of the contest,” said Terri McCulloch, Manager Bay of Fundy Tourism. “We were honored by the incredible number of votes the Bay of Fundy received in the first round of the contest. We are very passionate about the Bay of Fundy and believe it is truly a beautiful wonder of nature. We are privileged to represent Canada and we hope everyone will be as enthusiastic again and vote for the Bay of Fundy. We only have until July 7th to get as many votes as we can for this next stage of the contest.”

The Bay of Fundy is best known for the highest tides in the world and has been compared, in marine biodiversity, to the Amazon Rainforest. The Bay is the summer feeding area for half the world's population of endangered North Atlantic Right whales and 12 other whale species. It is home to the world's most complete fossil record of the "Coal Age” (300 million years ago) as well as the world’s oldest reptiles and Canada’s oldest dinosaurs. UNESCO recently recognized the upper Bay of Fundy as a Biosphere Reserve and Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World Heritage Site.

Canadians from coast to coast are encouraged to go online to votemyfundy.com to place their vote before July 7, 2009, when the top 77 international sites will be short listed. Between July 7 and 21, an independent committee will select the top 21 to continue into the fourth and final stage of the campaign. These top 21 sites will also be part of a 2010 New7Wonders world tour bringing tremendous international attention to the selected sites. Phase four is the last voting component of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign until the final announcement is made on who has been selected the New7Wonders of Nature.

“We only have a few weeks left in this phase of the contest so every vote is important and interested voters can go to Votemyfundy.com or new7wonders.com. We are really excited to be back in the running and we hope we can succeed in getting Canada’s Bay of Fundy into the next international phase of the campaign,” said Terri McCulloch.

Watch out for the Joggins Fossil Cliffs on the news this evening as we support the Bay of Fundy's bid to be one of the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World.

Do you have a Boat for Sale?

We are adding another dimension to our Father's Day event and are holding a sale of used boats.

If you currently have a boat: power or sail, rowing or kayak, why not bring it along to our Boat Sale to be held between 10:00am and 3:00pm on Sunday 21st June 2009.

For further information contact Vernon on 902-251-2727.

Father's Day 2009

Father's Day is fast approaching and we are planning a very special event here at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs.

Join us between 11:30am and 2:30pm for our Father's Day Barbecue Buffet. The menu includes:

Barbecued Chicken, Local Pork Chops, Bay of Fundy Skewered Scallops

Home made Potato Salad, Coleslaw and fresh Garden Salad.

Make your own baked potato with bacon bits, sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives

Dessert will be a delicious home made Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie or fresh Fruit Salad with whipped cream.

The cost will be $15.00 for adults and $7.50 for children.

Live entertainment will be provided by "Freddie" a very talented musician from Cuba and we are also planning an orienteering taster session, live woodcarving and other activities.

Watch this space for further information.

Please call Fran on 902-251-2727 to book your table.

Tourism Week 2009

Did you know that Tourism Week kicked off today and runs between 1st and 7th June?

Tourism is an industry, which due to the decline in other traditional industries, such as farming and fishing, is seeing a global resurgence. All across the world there is a requirement for diversification into tourism to help these traditional industries to remain sustainable. There has also been the birth of the Eco tourist, a traveller who likes to 'experience' and isn't afraid to get their hands and walking boots dirty in the name of exploration.

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs are the perfect destination for the Eco and Geo tourist. A visit to the beach is a very hands-on experience and an opportunity not just to look at fossils but to see them in situ and to meet with our knowledgeable team, to hold them (fossils, not our team of course!) and possibly witness fossils that have never been seen before...ever!

Tourism Week is an important annual event when the value of tourism on the economy is highlighted and the government, other industries and fellow tourism providers are reminded that "Tourism is everyone's business!"