The Evans family held its biannual reunion in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a multi-day celebration. Kathleen’s name was selected at the 2023 reunion in Paris (blog link. August 5, 2023 post: Paris Reunion ) and she chose Halifax for 2025. I visited the city in 1989 when one of the nuclear submarines I served on stopped here after a North Atlantic patrol—it was one of my favorite port calls while in the Navy and I was eager to return.
Tuesday, August 19: There is usually a pre-reunion at a nearby location for those looking for extra family time and the chance to see more of the area. Kathleen picked Saint Margaret’s Bay, about 30 miles west of Halifax, which is where our adventure would begin. Fourteen of us got up early and dragged ourselves to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for a 6:00 AM flight to Philadelphia, then on to Halifax. We picked up rental cars, stopped for lunch at Oliver’s Gastropub in Fall River, then continued on to Hubbards, NS (population 390), where we checked in at the Anchorage House & Cottages. This laid-back resort was a perfect location, with cabins, a small swimming pool, playground, private dock and close proximity to the beach, restaurants, grocery store and the village. There were no formal activities planned and folks spent the evening getting caught up, greeting new arrivals, relaxing and exploring. Each cabin did their own thing for dinner—our group ate Indian takeout on our deck as the sun was setting. Map Link: Hubbards, NS
Wednesday, August 20: A morning of hiking was canceled on account of a province-wide trail ban in Nova Scotia due to wildfires. The fine for violating the restrictions was C$25,000, and we didn’t want to risk it, even though we never saw any evidence of nearby fires. Our afternoon activity went on as scheduled, and most of us drove to East Coast Outfitters in Lower Prospect to rent sea kayaks. Our group of 14 split into single and double boats and after a brief demonstration, we paddled off with three friendly guides on a two-hour tour around the stunning headlands, inlets, coves, kelp beds and tidal pools. After kayaking, we joined the rest of our family for dinner at the Shore Club, a local favorite, where most of us enjoyed their signature lobster, mussels, salad bar and blueberry dessert in the noisy and festive setting.
Thursday, August 21: A scheduled morning bike ride also fell victim to the wildfire trail ban, so we relaxed and packed up at our leisure before checking out of the Anchorage House. After some souvenir shopping at Lola’s Landing, we rented water bikes, kayaks, and standup paddle boards from Hubbards Cove Rentals for a short jaunt on (you guessed it) Hubbards Cove. The weather was beautiful, although a breeze and swell coming off the ocean kept most of the paddle-boarders on their knees and flipped one of the kayaks in a broadside wave/boat wake combo.
Twelve of us ate lunch at the Trellis Cafe, then we all left Hubbards and drove to Halifax, where we checked into various hotels and Airbnbs. Our group stayed across the harbor in Dartmouth, after our original Airbnb in Halifax was sold post-booking. Dartmouth is more industrial and less touristy than Halifax, but we enjoyed our quiet neighborhood and proximity to several grocery stores. Danielle made us dinner, then we played Dutch Blitz, our favorite family card game.
Friday, August 22: Our first reunion event in Halifax was a guided tour of the Alexander Keith Brewery. Founded in 1820 by a Scottish immigrant, Keith's flagship low-hop India Pale Ale is still the most popular beer sold in Nova Scotia. Fun fact (and not mentioned on the tour): Through a series of mergers and acquisitions the brewery is now part of the global conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev. The tour was informative and entertaining and included plenty of beer samples and even live traditional music and a sing-a-long.
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| Alexander Keith look-alike contest |
We split up for lunch and our group opted for a picnic in the lovely 16-acre Halifax Public Gardens, established in 1867. Halifax, population 350,000, is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia (“New Scotland” in Latin) and the largest city in the Canadian Maritimes. The Mi’kmaq (“mig-maw”) natives were the first to inhabit the region, arriving after the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago and they named this location Kjipuktuk, meaning Great Harbor. Europeans first visited in the early 17th century looking for fish and furs, recognized the value of the large natural harbor and began to settle here. Fortifications followed in the late 1700s, and the city remained an important seaport and strategic military stronghold until after World War II. Today Halifax is a modern, attractive city, with a busy and beautiful waterfront and economic drivers of government, shipping and shipbuilding, education, tourism, banking and more. Map link: Halifax, NS
We spent the afternoon at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on the waterfront. Our extremely knowledgable tour guide focused on three themes of the museum: The story of the Mi’kmaq natives, the Halifax Explosion and the wreck of the Titanic. Kathleen and I observed last summer traveling through Quebec and Ontario that Canadians seem much more comfortable than Americans in dealing with the facts about how First Nations people were forcibly removed from their homelands and systematically mistreated. The Mi’kmaq exhibit was very well presented and we appreciated that the displays and our guide told the truth about the country’s history, however unpleasant at times. The Halifax Explosion occurred in 1917 when the Norwegian SS Imo collided with the French SS Mont Blanc, which was loaded with heavy explosives, and triggered the largest man-made detonation of the time, exceeded only by the atomic bombs in 1945. The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 is featured at the museum because the White Star Line, which owned the vessel, had an office in Halifax and the city was heavily involved in handling the victims—hundreds of Titanic deceased are buried in several local cemeteries. There are many other excellent displays, including exhibits on the age of sail, small craft and the Cunard Line fleet of luxury passenger ships. Samuel Cunard was a native Nova Scotian, and his company would eventually acquire the rival White Star Line and still exists today.
Dinner was at Durty Nelly’s Irish pub, which was boisterous before we arrived with our 30+ person group, and it got even noisier when the live music began right behind our tables.
Saturday, August 23: Our first visit of the day was to the massive Halifax Citadel, begun by the British in 1749 on a hill overlooking the city and harbor. Originally constructed with earth and logs, the current star-shaped stone version was built between 1828-1856, and was an active military post until 1952, when it was transferred to Parks Canada. Even after Canadian independence in 1867, British troops remained here until 1906. The well-restored fort is staffed by costumed reenactors who portray life as it was in 1869, when Queen Victoria was on the throne and Canada was a new nation. Hourly sentry changes, drill and weapons demonstrations and the bagpipes of the 78th Highlanders were ongoing during our guided tours of this impressive fortress, which never saw combat action.
After the Citadel, we boarded a ferry for Georges Island National Historic Site and Fort Charlotte. Originally a Mi’kmaq gathering place, this small island close to the city has a clear view of the harbor’s mouth and became another important element in Halifax’s defenses. Like the Citadel, the stout fort was never tested in battle and the site became a national park in 1965. Highlights included the incredible views of the harbor and city and a guided tour of the fort’s network of underground ammunition storage, led by a uniformed park employee dressed as a WWI soldier. One lowlight was that the tour company shorted us three pre-ordered lunches, although other family members shared what they had and nobody went hungry. Map link: Georges Island National Historic Site
A darker element of the fort’s history was its use as an internment camp for an estimated 900 French-speaking Acadians, who refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the British crown and give up their language and Catholic faith. They were imprisoned here between 1755-64 before being deported to destinations around the world, including southern Louisiana, where the local pronunciation of the French “Acadien” became “Cajun,” as those from the region are known today.
After sightseeing, we drove back to Dartmouth to shower and dress for dinner, encountering heavy traffic on the Angus MacDonald Bridge across the harbor. On our return to Halifax, we opted to take the Alderney Ferry, dropping us off in the middle of the waterfront, which we were very fond of by now.
Dinner was at The Auction House on Argyle Street, where we had the restaurant’s back room reserved for our 33-member group. Drinks and dinner were followed by tributes and anecdotes honoring Kathleen, with some of the speeches becoming emotional. The evening ended with Briggs drawing Paul’s name as the 2027 reunion’s future honoree, with Rachel as an alternate. Goodbyes were said to a few who were departing that evening and soon after another Evans family reunion was concluded. Many of us who grew up in different circumstances admire and envy this special set of siblings, who enthusiastically give up their time, money and energy in order to be together. It’s usually loud, sometimes chaotic, occasionally uncomfortable and always beautiful to witness this collection of close, complicated relationships that are rooted in a deep love for one another.
Sunday, August 24: We left our Airbnb, said goodbye to Danielle, Amy and Jay, who drove back to Boston, then ten of the remaining extended family met for brunch at Bliss Caffeine Bar near the Halifax Public Gardens. Then it was off to the airport, where 16 of us were on the same flights back to Minnesota, again connecting through Philly. After landing about 20 minutes late at 10:00 PM, we caught an Uber home and quickly fell asleep, happy to be back in our own bed.
Bonus Question: How did the following entertainment awards get their nicknames? Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy (answer at end of post).
Heads up to our faithful DragonflyBoating readers: Kathleen and I plan to be back on the Illinois River after Labor Day to finish cruising from Chicago to Grafton, IL. You may recall that we bailed out in late June due to hot, muggy weather (post link: June 29, 2025: Stick a fork in us, we’re done!). The weather forecast for next week looks much better!
Photo Album:
Bonus Question Answers:
Tony—named for Antoinette Perry, actor, producer, director and co-founder of the American Theater Wing, who had recently passed away prior to the first awards ceremony in 1947. The official name of the honor is the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre.
Oscar—while there are multiple versions of this origin story, the most commonly cited for the Academy Award of Merit, as it’s officially known, is that academy librarian and eventual executive director Margaret Herrick commented that the 8.5-pound statue resembled her Uncle Oscar. The first Academy Awards ceremony was in 1929, although the nickname wasn’t popularized until it first appeared in print in a 1934 newspaper article.
Emmy—named after the image orthicon tube, known by engineers as an “immy,” an important component of early television cameras. First awarded in 1949, the term was feminized to Emmy to better suit the statuette of a winged woman holding an atom.
Grammy—first given in 1959, the award for outstanding achievement in music was named for the gold-plated trophy in the shape of a gramophone, an early record player. The 5-pound awards are handmade from a patented zinc and aluminum alloy called Grammium.
