SHAG HARBOUR, Nova Scotia, August 5, 2008 - Residents and visitors to Shag Harbour will have the opportunity to take part in the Shag Harbour Incident Festival, thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada.
Gerald Ked ddy, Member of Parliament (South Shore-St. Margaret's), on behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women and Minister for La Francophonie, today announced funding for the Shag Harbour Incident Society.
Funding of $2,000 will help the Society organize the Shag Harbour Incident Festival, which will commemorate the famous Shag Harbour Incident, a historical and well documented sighting of an unidentified flying object in the skies above Shag Harb our which later crashed in nearby waters. Since the sighting in 1967, the area has attracted numerous visitors and researchers. The Shag Harbour Incident Festival will take place on August 8 and 9, 2008, and will feature lectures, artisan displays, tours of the site, and other activities.
"The Government of Canada is pleased to announce funding for the Shag Harbour Incident Festival," said Minister Verner. "We are proud to partner with communities to support activities that ce lebrate local history, arts, and heritage."
"Local festivals like this one bring people of all ages and backgrounds together and contribute to building strong communities," said Mr. Keddy. "I am proud that our Government h as taken decisive steps to strengthen our shared sense of heritage."
"We are very pleased to receive support from Canadian Heritage," said Cindy Nickerson, Chair of the Shag Harbour Incident Society. "This funding will hel p us present a festival to be enjoyed by all attending."
The Government of Canada has provided this funding through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program, announce d in September 2007, provides Canadians with more opportunities to take part in activities that present local arts and culture and celebrate local history and heritage.
Applications for funding for festivals to be held between January 1 and August 31, 2009, and for community historical commemorations between January 1 and December 31, 2009, must be received by September 1, 2008.
Information:
Kassandra Albert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women and Minister for La Francophonie
819 997-7788
Claudine Daigle
Director, Regional Communications
Atlantic Region
Canadian Heritage
506 851-3980
Me dia Relations
Canadian Heritage
819 994-9101
1 866 569-6155
