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NEW! Listen to ONE HOUR Christmas Special
from Bay Roberts Radio – 88.5 FM hosted by Ron Delaney > >

Many great events have taken place at the Visitor Information Centre on Veterans’ Memorial Drive – Cookie Decorating and Crafts, Christmas Carol Singing, and Christmas Story readings by Ron Delaney and Mayor Glen Littlejohn.
The final event for this Christmas Season will be on Thursday, December 30th – 7:00-10:00pm – All Ages Kitchen Party. Come to the Pavilion for an evening of music, dance and refreshments. Wear your mummers costume for a chance to win a prize!!! This is a family event. Visitor Information Centre, Veterans’ Memorial Highway.

All other events are listed on the Schedule of Events > >

Route 75, Veterans’ Memorial Highway.

For more information contact Lois Dawe: Email: lois.dawe@bayroberts.com Phone: 709-683-6377

All Ages Mummers Kitchen Party

Thurs, Dec 30 – 7pm
Win a prize for your costume.

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Photos on Flickr from the events at the Bay Roberts Visitor Information Centre > >

Santa Claus will be making an appearance, and school choirs will be performing.

Christmas Wish Tree – Lit at the Bay Roberts RCMP Building, December 5th.

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More photos from the Children’s Wish Tree Lighting > >

RCMP Detachment, Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador
For every $50.00 raised the RCMP will turn a red light to white with all money raised going directly to the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Tax certificates will be issued for every $50.00 & over donation. Donations made payable to the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Dropped off or mail directly to the RCMP Detachment at P.O. Box 550 Harbour Grace, NL A0A 2M0.

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For a detailed list of  upcoming  events see the Schedule of Events > >

On Saturday, the Annual Lions Santa Claus Parade was held with great participation and a large turn out.

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137 other photos from the 2010 Santa Claus Parade on Flickr > >

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Photos from the Award Winning Nativity Set Display on Flickr > >

The Schedule of Events > >

NEW!! Hear Bay Roberts Radio’s One Hour Christmas Special hosted by Ron Delaney  > >

Ron Delaney, who has been the driving force behind Christmas in Bay Roberts for 16 years, is writing a detailed blog about Christmas Celebrations. See Delaney’s Rant by Ron Delaney >>

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The “Festival of Lights” is well underway.

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Photos on Flickr from 2010 “The Nutcracker” by Vanda Maunder Dance Studio > >

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Photos on Flickr from Tots Christmas Party and Skating at the Bay Arena > >

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Photos on Flickr from Story Reading, Cookie Decorating and Crafts, the Christmas Carol Singing at the Visitor Information Centre > >

The Santa Claus Parade was another huge success.

Photos on Flickr from the 2010 parade on December 4th, 2010 > >

Opening of the Largest Intelligent Light Park in the Province, and Official Opening of the Festival of Lights was held at St. John the Evangelist Hall on Coley’s Point due to a rain and windstorm.

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Mayor Glen Littlejohn opening 2010 Festival of Lights

Photos from Festival of Lights Opening 2010 on Flickr > >

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Trinity Conception R.C.M.P. and Crime Prevention Children’s Wish Tree Lighting

For questions about donations, call Valerie: 786-9438

Photos from Wish Tree Lighting on Flickr > >

Although we did not have a white Christmas, the uncovered grass did not seem to diminish anyone’s spirits.  We will now start preparing for Winter Carnival, the second part of the Winter Lights Celebrations.

Winter Lights  – FEBRUARY 24TH – MARCH 7TH!!

We will posting the information about all events during Winter Carnival  ASAP.

Check www.bayroberts.com for updates.

Mild Winter – Climate Change?

Below are photos of Madrock taken on New Year’s Eve.  The grass is still showing!

New Year’s Eve

Many towns in the region, including Bay Roberts,  celebrated New Year’s Eve in Cupids with that town’s 400th anniversary kick off event.  In the afternoon, a children’s party and fireworks were held.  Then, in the evening there was a street dance in a large tent with live music provided by Mid-Life Crisis.  At midnight, 2010 arrived with a fireworks display over  Spectacle Head, a high promontory on the north side of the entrance to Cupids Harbour, whose name goes back to at least 1613.

Photos from Cupids New Year’s Eve Celebrations on Flickr >>

New Year – 2010

The town of Bay Roberts and people all over the region are looking forward with excitement to 2o1o.   Our neighbouring community of Cupids will be celebrating its 400th anniversary, making it the first British colony in Canada.   Although Europeans had been coming to North America as migratory fishermen for many years, the first permanent settlement occurred when John Guy established Cupers Cove (Cupids) in  1610.   Over 145000 artifacts have been found at the Cupids dig, a number of the items and fragments coming from the seventeenth century.  Amazingly, a great deal of documentation about the colony and the settlers still remains, so we know a great deal about the people who occupied the colony and how they lived.

Mighty Time

Cupids will be holding a “mighty time.”  As well, they are sharing their event with the region, assisting communities to prepare “legacy projects” which will be available this summer, and which will remain tributes to Cupids 400 in the future.   Bay Roberts is going to develop a series of signs which portray significant sites, events and people in the town’s history.

Further information about the celebrations, including the dates of events,  can be found on newly released  Cupids 400 Website > >

As time passes more and more events from the region will be posted on the Northern Avalon Website  > Northern Avalon Events – 2010  > >

Bay Roberts events will be posted on Bay Roberts Events >>

Photos of Bay Roberts at daybreak on January 1st, 2010.  Photos captured with town WebCam which is located on top of the Amalgamated Academy.

Anyone can access the town WebCam.

Click here >> The user name is guest. The password is user.

Click on Single Camera, and try the 8 different views of the town.

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Once in a Blue Moon - Spectacular Fireworks Display

Cupids is kicking off its 400th year with a celebration to remember.  There will be a children’s party starting at 4pm and ending with a family fireworks at 7pm. The 19+ party will begin at 8:30pm in a heated, outdoor tent with music by “Mid-Life Crisis.”  At midnight, there will be a spectacular fireworks display.  Roads will be closed in the harbour area, and a shuttle bus service is being provided.  See Northern Avalon Events for more detailed information and a printable map of shuttle bus services > >

A YouTube which combines highlight photos from the 2009 Bay Roberts Annal Lions Club Santa Claus Parade is now ready.

The Town of Bay Roberts wishes you and your family and happy and safe New Year’s Celebration and all the best in 2010.

The Mummer’s Song by Simani taken from a “Land and Sea” Christmas episode. Copywrite CBC St. John’s (CBNT), 1986. Posted by IPWinsor

How to Mummer

As seen in the video, during the twelve days of Christmas, people disguised themselves with old articles of clothing and visited the homes of their friends and neighbours. They covered their faces with a hood, scarf, mask or pillowcase to keep their identity hidden. Men frequently dressed as women and women as men. They went from house to house, with their musical instruments and played, sang and danced in each house. They were served a small lunch of Christmas cake with a glass of syrup [which is known as "clingy"] , and/or a Christmas drink. On the south coast of the province, which is near the French Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, drinks were frequently made from smuggled alcoholic products.

Everyone in the house played a guessing game. They tried to guess the identity of each mummer. As each was identified, he or she unmasked. If no one could identify a person, that person could keep his or her mask on.

Bay Roberts and Mummering

The town of Bay Roberts almost led to the demise of the tradition.
On January 5, 1861, Governor A. Bannerman reported in a letter to Colonial Secretary John Kent that “Isaac Mercer was murdered by some person or persons in disguise, unknown” in the community of Bay Roberts in Conception Bay.

According to Newfoundland historian Paul O’Neill, Mercer’s party had been waylaid by mummers on the evening of December 28, 1860.

Mercer’s death resulted in the passage of a Bill, which prohibited the wearing of any disguise or mask in a public place in Newfoundland without direct permission of a magistrate. Rural mummering continued, however, and P.K. Devine observed that the law prohibiting mummering was rarely enforced north of Conception Bay.

Mummering Today in Bay Roberts.

During Festival of Lights 2008, the town of Bay Roberts held a “Time with Mummers,” which featured Kelly Russell, Russell’s in the Corner and the Pigeon Inlet Players.  They performed a traditional English mummers’ play, dating to the 16th century,  featuring St. George, a Turkish Knight, and the Dragon.

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St. George and the Dragon

During Christmas of 2009, the Bay Roberts Girl Guide Troupe dressed as mummers to participate in the Santa Claus Parade.

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Girld Guides as Mummers

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Various Masks

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‘

Socks on Her Hands

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Mummer with Lace Curtains

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Mummers with Ugly Stick and Spoons

The Ugly Stick – How to Make It and How to Play It.

Happy Tibb’s Eve.  In parts of Newfoundland the day before Christmas Eve is called Tibb’s Eve.  Ron Delaney of the town of Bay Roberts has written about the tradition in his blog. He says:

Tibb’s Eve is a old observance of preparedness for the Christmas season.  It is a time of sampling and ensuring all is ready for this most holy of seasons as well as for the preservation of Newfoundland traditions, the fruit cakes, purity syrup, and… for some the making and tasting of home brew.

For more information, see: http://delaneysrant.wordpress.com/

Church Going

Over the next few days, major celebrations, which will include services and carol singing, will be taking place in the town’s churches.  Bay Roberts, a town with a population of less than 6000, has 14 churches.  All of the chruches are a source of pride to the congregations, some of which are more than 100 years old. Although some church buildings are newly constructed, a number of them are over 100 years old and their interiors display the fine craftsmanship of  local carpenters, many of whom had gone “away” to the “Boston states” and “Canada” to work.  All the churches play an important role in community life and church services and church gatherings are the highlight of the Christmas season.

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Angel from Pulpit - St. Matthew's Anglican Church

Church services for Christmas are listed on the Schedule of Events.

Photos of the town’s churches of various Christian denominations can be seen on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/baccalieu/sets/72157622505729200/