Chester, Nova Scotia

Chester (2001 pop.: 1,591) is an unincorporated Canadian village located in Nova Scotia's Chester Municipal District in the southeastern part of Lunenburg County.

Geography

The village is roughly centred on . It is situated on the Chester Peninsula, which extends into Mahone Bay.

The village has two natural harbours, Front Harbour on the east and Back Harbour on the west. The village is also immediately south of Stanford Lake.

History

Chester was officially founded in 1759 as the Shoreham grant, although French fishermen had already built a few houses on the site. The first permanent European-descended settlers were a group from Massachusetts who came to the area in 1761. Christopher James Power is often credited with the founding of Chester.

Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in the province as a result of being a vacation and resort destination, with many seasonal and year-round estates and mansions. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made Chester into a cruising destination. A ferry from the village connects to Big Tancook Island and Little Tancook Island.

Chester was the site of a controversial plebiscite regarding the status of the village. A committee had been formed in hopes of changing the status of Chester by incorporating as a town, thereby leaving the Chester Municipal District. Many residents of the village fought the motion, citing higher taxes, costs for a town hall, a mayor, and water and sewage services as reasons to not incorporate. The motion was defeated in a public plebiscite.

Festivals and events

The village is home to the Chester Playhouse one of the best-known community theaters on Nova Scotia's South Shore. Chester is well known for its annual summer sailing regatta, Chester Race Week, where keelboats from all over the eastern coast of North America compete during the second full week of August. Chaplin-Saunders residence is well known for its annual Chaplin-Saunders Extravaganza Week (circa 1982) which is usually held in January or February although has been known to take place in September. It usually involves sporting events for the local teenagers such as Ultimate Frisbee and Flip-Cup, a traditional Nova Scotian game involving the repeated turning over of cups. Hand Painting Month is a month completely dedicated to hand painting. It was started in 1737 by a man named Mikal (Mike) Hawk. It is not very well know because the tradition is to only share your paintings with immediate family members

Movies

Scenes for several films, miniseries, movies of the week, and television shows have been shot in and around Chester:

• Echoes of a Summer (1976)
• The Secret (1992)
• Dolores Claiborne (1995, exterior of Vera Donovan's)
• Two if by Sea (1996)
• Black Harbour (1996)
• Love and Death on Long Island (1997)
• Catch a Falling Star (2000)
• The Weight of Water (2000)
• Deeply Lynn Redgrave and Kirsten Dunst; East Ironbound Is., etc. (2000)
• Blackfly (2001)
• A Town Without Christmas (2001)
• Beach Girls (2005)
• Lights On Bay Street (2006)
• Noah's Ark (2008)

References

External links

• The Municipality of the District of Chester
• Chester Municipal Chamber of Commerce
• Destination Nova Scotia
• Rope Loft Restaurant - Seaside Dining
• Chester Yacht Club, Home of Chester Race Week
• Chester Golf Club
• Chester Clippers Jr. "C" Hockey Club
• Chester Playhouse
• Chester and Area Family Resource Centre
• Church Memorial Park
• Chester District School
• Chester Area Middle School
• Forest Heights Community School
• Captain's House Historic Inn
• Mecklenburgh Inn
• The Sword and Anchor B&B
• Chesterbound - Lots of Local Links
• Live Chester Webcam - from Tradewinds Realty
• Chester war memorial
• Chester bronze cannons
• The Village Emporium
• Aerial Photos of Chester and Surounding Area (www.avinova.ca)
• Local Chester Weather, Updated every 5 minutes