News

• September, 2024

  Well it was another colourful summer in Heart’s Content with our Geranium Project in full swing again and beautiful displays of flowers all around the community.  After the cool weather in June it took a while for our planters to come into full bloom but we got there with a dedicated group of volunteers who’ve been tending the plants all through the season.  A big Thank You to Val Worthman, Judy Arnott, Paulette Cumby, Wanda Legge, Jackie Harnum and Darlene King, and our thanks to everyone who kept up the tradition with geranium plantings on your property.  They certainly add a special look to the town.

  Our first-ever Flower Show on July 27-28 went very well with great participation by the community and extra effort on the part of our Geranium Committee. Val Worthman and Brian Fitzpatrick took on the organization and made a big contribution of plants, as did our Harbour Grace friends Wendy and Lloyd Wagner.  Joining with Eileen Matthews and the Mizzen Heritage Days Committee, we were able to attract a couple of hundred visitors to Heart’s Content.  Plans for next summer are already in the works.

  You’ve no doubt noticed that the Town’s collection of historic prints illustrating the story of the Atlantic Cable have been mounted on the rock wall behind the bank, along with an interpretation board.  We’ve been working on this project for two years and it was great to see it come to completion in July.  Board member Gord Tavenor did a fabulous job on installing the prints with the help of Derek Pitcher.  One more unique attraction for the town.

  We’ve kept close contact with the Heart’s Content UNESCO Committee in planning community improvements and our board has agreed to take the lead in developing the Hopkins Landing area.  Plans for the site include a sculpture depicting the cable landing and a landing dock for cruise ship passengers, both of which are in the early stages of development.  More to come…

  Our project to upgrade our walking trails is on hold right now while we wait for a formal License to Occupy from govNL for the trails.  Board member Jackie Harnum with the help of Perry Murphy has sent in the LTO applications on behalf of the town and we expect to be able to go ahead with more work on the trails in 2025.

  Finally, we are happy to have our new website up and running, developed with Gil Billard and Mike Middelcoop.  Check it out at www.heartscontentnl.ca.

  Ted Rowe
  Chair

• June 2024

  If you’ve passed by the Mizzen Museum lately, you’ve seen that our renovation project with the Mizzen Heritage Society is now well underway.  Upgrades on the building will be finished this year and the new displays will be up in time for the tourist season in 2025.  The building will be known as the Heart’s Content Heritage Centre, a state-of-the-art presentation of our history and culture.  The project also calls for a series of interpretive panels marking a number of historic sites around the town.

  Related to that, the Development Corporation has made arrangements with the Town and RBC to mount the Town’s collection of prints connected with the Atlantic Cable on the rock wall behind the bank.  These reproductions of paintings by the artist Robert Dudley have been put up separately in different locations up until now but having them in one spot will make a nice exhibition for visitors this summer and in the years ahead. 

  We are also mounting a memorial plaque to Dr. Wallace Rendell, one of the founding members of the HCCDC and a big inspiration for the work we’re doing to promote the town.  The plaque will be installed at the foot of the Mizzen Hill Trail.

  Over the past year wee’ve been actively engaged iwith the UNESCO Citizens Committee, co-chaired by Clarence Brown and Glenda Hiscock, in preparing the town for the UNESCO designation.  There are a number of infrastructure projects in the works and discussions on tourist preparedness have been ongoing with other communities on the Baccalieu Coastal Drive.  Later this month a delegation with representatives from Heart’s Content leaves for Valentia for a second meeting as a follow-up to their visit here last summer.

  Now, last but not least…the season for geraniums is fast approaching!  Our planters will be filled by the end of the month, and we’re hoping to see lots of geraniums in front of Heart’s Content houses again this summer.  And…this year we’re having a Flower Show!  As part of Heritage Days celebrations on July 27-28 we’re inviting you to bring a pot or two of geraniums or other “heritage flowers” to the pavilion (the “cookhouse”) on the Wye.  It’s just for the two days, and we’ll have security there overnight, but this will be a lovely attraction on this special weekend.  Some suggested flowers for the show of “geraniums plus” are Regular marigolds, Tagete marigolds, Calendula, Allysum, Pansy, Viola, Wallflower, Nasturtium, Snapdragon, Adgeratum, Bachelor buttons, and Zinnia. There’ll be more to come on this as the time approaches, but do think about putting something in.  It won’t work without your help!