👀 A special visitor in the bay

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Good morning, Saint John! It’s National Cherry Day, celebrating the second-best fruit you can get around here this time of year...which becomes a pretty easy title to claim when local strawberries disappear from grocery store shelves approximately 11 seconds after arriving…

Here’s what we’ve picked for the day:

Have a great Thursday!

-Geoff Walsh, Publisher

Two weeks from today, the Saint John waterfront becomes the hottest place in the province. AREA 506 is back July 30 to August 2, with The Dead South, Soul Asylum, Marianas Trench and The Glorious Sons headlining four straight nights Uptown.

Kathleen Edwards, Crash Test Dummies, Wheatus, Wolf Parade and a stacked lineup of local and Canadian artists are coming too. Pretty awesome considering all you need to do is just get Uptown.

Single-day, two-day and weekend passes are still available. Pick your night, get the group chat moving and get ready for the best weekend of the summer!

🌊 No cannonballs at Renforth

Anyone planning to make a big splash at Renforth Beach will have to settle for a regular old swim. Water levels remain unusually low, with Rothesay lifeguards measuring roughly nine feet at the end of the wharf and just six feet around the raft. That means no diving or jumping from either spot for now, no matter how spectacular your cannonball technique may be. The town says it’ll continue monitoring the water and share updates as conditions change. The beach is still open, but enter the water safely and save the dramatic leap for a day when the river gives you a little more room to work with.

🦈 She’s gonna need a bigger Bay

There’s a new summer visitor in the Bay of Fundy, and you can follow her trip from the comfort of dry land. Brookes, a nine-foot young female great white shark, was tracked entering the Bay just north of the Maine-New Brunswick border on July 4. She was tagged by researchers in Nova Scotia last fall and is now among several great whites making an earlier-than-usual return to Atlantic Canada. Scientists say warmer water, plenty of food and sharks remembering their favourite feeding spots could all play a role. You can follow Brookes and other tagged sea creatures  on the OCEARCH Shark Tracker, which is basically Find My Friends with a lot more teeth.

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💻 Saint John tech goes global

Saint John and Waterloo-based startup MedReddie just landed a pretty massive European partnership. Its AI healthcare purchasing tool will be introduced across a Health Proc Europe network representing 5,000 hospitals in 30 countries. Founded by Kara LeBlanc, MedReddie helps hospital teams research products, compare costs and build purchasing requirements without hours of manual work. The deal could also make it easier for Canadian health-tech companies to reach European hospitals and bring European innovations into Canada.

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WEEKEND PREVIEW

THURSDAY

Brundage Point Weekly Market | July 16
Spend Thursday afternoon browsing one of Grand Bay-Westfield's favourite summer markets. The Brundage Point Weekly Market brings together local growers, bakers, makers and food vendors, with everything from fresh produce and preserves to handmade crafts and ready-to-eat meals. Grab lunch, shop local and enjoy an afternoon by the river.

Teens Intro to Acrylics | July 16
Young artists can learn the fundamentals of acrylic painting during this beginner-friendly workshop designed specifically for teens. Participants will experiment with colour mixing, brush techniques, layering and composition while creating an original painting to take home. All materials are provided, so just bring your creativity.

Concert in the Common | July 16
Dave Hansen takes the stage for this week's Concert in the Common in Rothesay. Pack a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a free hour of live music in the heart of the community. If rain rolls in, the concert moves to the Wells Community Centre.

FRIDAY

St. Martins Old Home Week | July 17-26
One of the region's favourite summer traditions returns with more than a week of parades, family activities, live entertainment, sporting events and community celebrations throughout Fundy-St. Martins. Whether you're heading down for an afternoon or making a day of it, there's something happening almost every day.

Glow Night at Broken Pieces Rage Room | July 17
Broken Pieces Rage Room is turning off the lights and turning up the neon for Glow Night. Suit up, grab your safety gear and smash away under black lights for a colourful way to kick off the weekend. It's stress relief...with a soundtrack of breaking glass.

Waterfront Concert Series: The Halluci Nation | July 17
AREA 506's Waterfront Concert Series continues Friday night with The Halluci Nation, the award-winning Indigenous electronic duo known for blending powwow traditions with hip-hop, EDM and bass-heavy beats. The all-ages show runs from 7-11pm and promises one of the most entertaining nights of the summer on the waterfront. 

SATURDAY

Kingston Farmers Market | July 18
Start your Saturday with a trip across the Kingston Peninsula for one of New Brunswick's best-known farmers markets. Browse more than 80 vendors offering fresh produce, meats, seafood, baking, crafts and locally made products before grabbing breakfast from one of the food vendors. Bring reusable bags. You'll probably need them.

Splatter Art Creations | July 18
Forget colouring inside the lines. This hands-on splatter art experience at AREA 506 lets you throw, drip and splash paint across your own 12x12 canvas with zero artistic pressure and plenty of room to make a mess. All materials and protective gear are included, and you'll head home with a one-of-a-kind creation. Spots are limited, so advance registration is recommended.

Donation Drive for Free Fair | July 18
Help stock this year's Annual Free Fair by dropping off hygiene products, non-perishable food, clothing, school supplies, pet items and other essentials at the Pulse parking lot on Wentworth Street. Donations collected will be distributed to community members during the Free Fair on Aug. 22.

Girls Day Out | July 18
Grab your best friends for an afternoon of painting, finger foods, games and plenty of laughs at this paint-and-sip event at Tucker Beach Park. No artistic experience is required, and there's a good chance the memories will turn out better than the paintings.

Moonlight Bazaar | July 18
One of Saint John's biggest summer celebrations takes over Uptown with more than 50 local vendors, artists, food vendors, interactive installations and live entertainment filling the streets from 4pm until midnight. Families can enjoy Kids Hour from 4-6pm with costumes and prizes before the evening shifts into a lively street festival featuring Canadian music icon k-os. The event is free to attend, with guests under 19 welcome when accompanied by a legal guardian.

SUNDAY

Queen Square Farmers Market | July 19
Spend your Sunday morning wandering through one of Saint John's favourite summer traditions. Queen Square fills with local farmers, bakers, food vendors and makers offering everything from fresh produce and flowers to meats, cheeses, baked goods and ready-to-eat meals from around the world. Come hungry, grab a coffee, and enjoy a slow start to the day while supporting local businesses.

Saint John Writes | July 19
Whether you're working on your first short story, a novel that's been sitting on your laptop for years, or simply looking for motivation to put words on a page, Saint John Writes offers a welcoming space to connect with fellow writers. Bring your latest project, share ideas if you'd like, or simply enjoy writing alongside other creative people.

Music Bingo at The Docks | July 19
Trade traditional bingo numbers for hit songs during Music Bingo at The Docks. Using your phone, you'll identify songs as they're played for a chance to win Waterfront Concert Series tickets. Pair it with one of the restaurant's Sunday Caesars and you've got yourself a pretty solid way to wrap up the weekend.

🎟️ Looking for something else? Browse all of this week’s local events.

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📸 Mark Currie | 📍 Deer Island

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-Geoff Walsh - Publisher