Vanguard Vault

A contract had been signed for the construction of a building to house the amalgamated Yarmouth golf and curling clubs. Kenney Construction had submitted the low bid of $125,000 for the project. The building was scheduled for completion by mid-December.

35 YEARS AGO

The Nova Scotia government’s plans to build a tourist information centre on Forest Street across from the ferry terminal were the subject of a front-page story in The Vanguard’s Aug. 1, 1973 edition. The province was ready to proceed with the project but was waiting for the town to turn over the deed to the land, the paper reported.

According to figures cited by the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce, it would cost about $116,000 a year for an RCMP force to police the town, around $6,400 more than the cost of operating the town’s own police department. The question of who should police the town was an ongoing issue at the time.

“Face-lifting” work had been done to the bandstand in Yarmouth’s Beacon Park and efforts were underway to develop a recreational area at the site.

30 YEARS AGO

In local business news, one of downtown Yarmouth’s biggest retail outlets was getting ready to close its doors. A spokesman for Stedmans cited the emergence of the area’s two shopping malls and high overhead costs as the main reasons for going out of business. (Stedmans was located in the former Royal Store building.)

Yarmouth town council had decided to put a new federal tourism building in the industrial park.

25 YEARS AGO

The weather could have been better, but Yarmouth’s 1983 Seafest celebrations were a success just the same, a festival spokesperson said. The weekend included the Atlantic regional town crier championships (won by Shelburne’s Perry Wamback).

An official with CN Marine – operators at the time of the Bluenose ferry – said the vessel was bringing record numbers of visitors through Yarmouth, contrary to what local tourism industry people had suggested. Tourism operators said their numbers were down and they cited the ferry’s schedule as the main reason.

15 YEARS AGO

Chebogue Point was one of the sites chosen for a study designed to help scientists better understand the formation and transport of smog and other air pollutants and the impact of these pollutants on global climate change.

Yarmouth was among the seaports making up what was billed as the New Atlantic Frontier, an initiative led by the Lunenburg Board of Trade aimed at attracting cruise ships to the region.

10 YEARS AGO

Improvements were planned for Yarmouth’s airport. According to a story in The Vanguard’s Aug. 4, 1998 edition, the project included new freight-handling equipment, improved weather-reporting services, a new 10,000-square-foot hangar a new aggressive marketing plan.