😎 We all needed that weekend

Good morning, Saint John! If you were outside enjoying the sunshine yesterday around lunchtime and suddenly heard loud booms echoing across the city, you experienced Saint John’s 241st birthday party. The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment marked the occasion with a traditional 21-gun salute at Fort Howe, which is only slightly better than the ice cream cake most of us usually get.

Here’s the lowdown for the day:

Let’s get into it!

-Geoff Walsh, Publisher

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🌌 Fundy-St. Martins wants to keep the lights down

Fundy-St. Martins is preparing a light pollution bylaw as part of an ambitious push to create one of the world’s largest certified dark sky corridors along the Fundy coast.

The proposed corridor would connect six dark sky sites from New River Beach to Hopewell Rocks, but the next big step comes in July when the St. Martins and District Chamber of Commerce presents the draft bylaw to the newly elected village council.

The goal is to secure a prestigious DarkSky International accreditation and grow “astrotourism” in the region, with organizers arguing the area’s deep natural darkness is becoming a rare commodity worth protecting.

Basically, while most places are trying to get brighter, Fundy-St. Martins is betting big on keeping the stars visible.

🎭 KVHS theatre gets a new name

The theatre at Kennebecasis Valley High School is being renamed in honour of longtime teacher and theatre director Suzanne Doyle-Yerxa, whose impact on generations of students rivaled the size of the drama department’s costume closet.

The Anglophone South School District unanimously approved the move this week, officially naming it The Suzanne Doyle-Yerxa Theatre following her death in April at age 75.

Doyle-Yerxa taught at KV for decades and worked on 62 productions dating back to the late 1970s. School officials say she pushed students beyond what they thought they were capable of, while somehow also convincing teenagers to voluntarily spend evenings rehearsing musical theatre. ($)

👮 A new chief takes over (for a day) next month

The Saint John Police have announced 10-year-old Jesse Fallon as this year’s “Chief for a Day” winner, meaning Peel Plaza is about to be temporarily run by a kid who plays goalie, helps seniors, and apparently already understands the price of hockey equipment.

Jesse says he’s wanted to be a police officer since he was four years old and currently collects bottles to help pay for hockey while playing with the Lancaster Raptors.

Police say Chief Fallon will officially take over for a day next month, though there’s still no word yet on whether blockers and pads will become part of the standard uniform.

⚾ Alpines walk it off on Victoria Day

The AJs Alpines opened their home schedule Monday with an action-packed game, where running to the canteen probably meant missing another run.

The Alpines pulled off an 11-10 win over the Fredericton Royals thanks to a Connor Hill walkoff home run in a wild Victoria Day matinee at Memorial Field. Fans on social media called it “crazy entertaining” after both teams combined for 21 runs.

The Alpines return home Saturday for a doubleheader against the defending NBSBL champion Islanders starting at 2pm.

Also new this season, the team has launched an official online merch store through Doiron’s Sports Excellence, so fans can now show up fully geared up for summer ball season.

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🥃 Last call at Ole Foggy

Ole Foggy Distillery in Hampton is closing its doors after five years in business.

In a social media post this week, the distillery thanked customers for supporting the business and “becoming part of the Ole Foggy family,” calling the decision incredibly difficult after years of memories, music, laughs, and community support.

The post says its final day of operation will be May 31.

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Theatre Talk Tuesday 🎭

Mamma Mia! | May 20-24
Saint John Theatre Company is bringing back one of its biggest crowd favourites for its 100th Imperial Theatre performance, with Mamma Mia! running May 20-24 uptown. The ABBA-powered musical follows love, chaos, family drama, and approximately 47 songs people swear they only know the chorus to before suddenly singing every word. Evening and matinee performances are scheduled throughout the week.

A few other events too look forward to this week:

TUESDAY

Courageous Communications at Work | May 19
Saint John Region Chamber members can swap awkward workplace conversations for slightly less awkward workplace conversations during this lunchtime session with consultant Sean Ryan at the Chamber office on Prince William Street. The workshop digs into feedback, accountability, trust, and how to stop communication spirals before someone fires off another “per my last email.” Lunch is included. Runs noon-1:30pm.

Dinner and Discussion with Lt.-Gen. D. Michael Day | May 19
Trinity Church is hosting a fundraising dinner and discussion at the Union Club featuring retired Lieutenant-General D. Michael Day. The evening supports the church’s ministries and includes dinner service starting at 7pm following a 6pm reception. Tickets are $150 and include a tax receipt.

THURSDAY

Big Brothers Big Sisters Business Mixer | May 21
Networking gets a little more fun than standing beside a cheese tray pretending to check LinkedIn at this Chamber mixer hosted inside a live Bowl for Kids’ Sake event at Fairview Bowling Lanes. The after-work event mixes networking with mentoring stories, bowling, and community connections from 4-6pm. Free to attend, but registration is required.

FRIDAY

HOT TO GO | May 22
AREA 506 is throwing another pop dance party Friday night with HOT TO GO taking over the waterfront from 7-11pm. Tickets are $20 in advance and include a welcome drink, which should be enough to commit to dancing publicly to songs you know every word to.

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📸 Prince Thomas | 📍 Saint John Skyline

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Today’s Tides 🌊

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Thanks for reading SJ Today - If you found it useful, share it with someone who celebrates their birthday in May 🎂

-Geoff Walsh - Publisher