Cultural Information:

Dalhousie Community Theatre- Dalhousie Community Theatre, an amateur theatre group, sponsored by Dalhousie Parks, Recreation and Tourism. It was founded in November 1999 and has been growing successfully throughout it's three years of operation. Annually it presenta 2 - 3 plays at Dalhousie Regional High School Theatre.

Anyone interested is encouraged to become involved.

Return to top

Dalhousie Centennial Library

The Dalhousie Centennial Library is part of the New Brunswick Public Library system and is a branch of the Chaleur Library Region. In 1939, the Dalhousie Public Library was opened and served the community of Dalhousie and vicinity for the next 28 years. Anxious to see the Dalhousie Public Library expanded, the Dalhousie Centennial Library was erected in 1967 in commemoration of Canada’s Confederation. The Town of Dalhousie, in co-operation with Restigouche County, the Province of New Brunswick and the Government of Canada, constructed this new library, which was officially opened on
December 28, 1966.

Services:
- Genealogy Research Centre
- Free membership card
- Access to a diversified local and provincial collection
  (online public access catalogue)
- Reference services
- Interlibrary loans
- Access to workstations with computers and the Internet
- Various activity programs.

Hours:

Dalhousie Centennial Library 403 Adelaide St. Dalhousie, NB E8C 1B6 Tel: (506) 684-7370

Return to top

Dalhousie Regional Museum

Restigouche is one of the largest most diverse counties in New Brunswick. From the highlands of the Appalachian Interior to the seacoasts of Chaleur Bay, it holds a wealth of history, both natural and human. The Restigouche Regional Museum dates from 1967 and attempts to recreate the Restigouche story, beginning with the remote past when strange creatures swam in tropical seas, where now villages, towns and a city stand. The museum traces the development of the unique Micmac culture, the arrival of Acadian, French, Scottish, British and Irish settlers and the development of logging, ship building and paper industries to the present day.

Return to top

Restigouche Genealogical Society – Research Center

Interest in genealogy and local history started many years ago and developed by John A. ‘Jack’ MacDonald of Dalhousie. He was the co-ordinator of the Chaleur Area Historical Research Group which started around 1963. The members displayed the area’s heritage and historical value by collecting fossils, artifacts, documents, records and local family histories to name a few.

In 1982, it was determined that there was enough interest in the area to form a local branch of the New Brunswick Genealogical Society, and named it "The Restigouche Genealogical Society".

Annette Hynes and Mary Young founded the Society and along with numerous volunteers, compiled and collected a vast amount of genealogical information. They received inquiries from all over North America.

The Restigouche Regional Museum, where genealogical research took place, was transferred from the basement of the Dalhousie Centennial Library, to the museum on the corner of Adelaide and George Streets. Due to a shortage of space in the new building, Mrs. Hynes and Mrs. Young decided to separate the records and keep genealogy apart. The records were kept in their homes until a place was made available at the library. The Restigouche Genealogical Society remains in the library and occupies part of the top floor.

The society has published 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 Restigouche County Census. This involved copying census figures from microfilm and transcribing them into a book, which provides the name, nationality and religion of every Restigouche citizen.

The society has also published records from St. Francis Xavier Church in Charlo (the oldest church in the area), all cemeteries in Restigouche County, church records from Balmoral and Dalhousie and have also done numerous family histories in New Brunswick, other areas of Canada and the US as well.

Return to top

Chaleur Echoes

The Chaleur Echoes are a lady barbershop singing group chartered in 1970. The 35 member group sing in four part harmony and have won numerous competitions locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. The group meets every Tuesday night (7 pm) at the St-John Bosco Chuch. Spectators and new members are always welcome. The group is also available for entertainement purposes.

Contact person : Sally Reinsborough (506) 684-5930

Return to top

Dalhousie Jeunesses Musicales

The Dalhousie Jeunesses Musicales Centre was founded in 1991. It is affiliated with Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (1949) whose mandate is to develop the musical taste of the youth and the general public, to help artists initiate and pursue their careers, and finally, to participate in the dissemination of high-quality music with the goal of ensuring accessibility to such productions even in communities far-distant from the urban centres.

Each new season, JM Dalhousie offers six (6) concerts - six musical spheres to explore. Four of these are JMC concerts, part of their "Concerts of the Americas Series"; two concerts are uniquely solicited and organized by the Dalhousie committee. A season pass to all six costs only $45.00 with children, accompanied by their parents, admitted free. Free admission is also granted to students on presentation of a student card. All concerts are held in the L.E.R. Auditorium in Dalhousie, starting at 8 p.m.

These concerts vary widely: chamber music, ethnic music, opera, recitals, etc. given by the best young Canadian musicians, lyric artists and composers the country has to offer to Canadians and abroad. To mention but a few who have graced the L.E.R. stage: violinist James Ehnes, trombonist Alain Trudel, guitarist Rémi Boucher, the Arthur LeBlanc Quartet, and pianist Anton Kuerti. Since 1993, the Montreal Lyric Opera Workshop has presented, in abridged form but including sets and costumes, operas such as Carmen, La Traviata, La Bohême, Cinderella. The Dalhousie Centre is proud to have collaborated with the prestigious Piano Six group from whom we have been thrilled to welcome Janina Fialkowska, Marc-André Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, and André Laplante.

Usually, the season begins at the end of September and wraps up at the end of April. For more information, contact Claudette Thériault at (506) 684-3965 (phone).

Eel River Heritage Gardens

A new Aboriginal Heritage Gardens tourist attraction is being constructed on the Eel River Bar First Nation Reserve. This project, the only one of its kind in the world, is being constructed on a 110 acre site located adjacent to Chaleur Park in Restigouche County. Interesting exhibits, interpretive trails and a visitor’s center will highlight the use of native and exotic plants by the Micmac of the Atlantic provinces for medicines, food, crafts and other cultural purposes.

Presently, the area is undisturbed groves of mixed woodlands with a lush groundcover of herbs and ferns. Old cedar groves, marshes, meadows and regenerating fields with a variety of native and exotic species are ideal for the development of a series of interesting interpretive trails.

The Aboriginal Heritage Garden is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Parks Canada, and First Nations Forestry at an estimated seven million dollar value.

"Scheduled to open Summer 2005"

Return to top

Fort Listiguj – Located on the Restigouche Indian reserve, the fort depicts 18^th Century Micmac and Acadian traditions. Visitors experience the spirit in which this fort was built and what it was like to live in the past. They have the opportunity to taste traditional foods, sleep in a Teepee, listen to legends and stories, and take part in various activities immersing themselves into the life and culture of the 1760s.

Return to top

Battle of the Restigouche Museum is a Natural Historic Site with exhibitions and guided tours for visitors to explore the site of the last battle between the French and British for the control of the New World in 1760. Located in the Restigouche River near Battery Point and Cross Point, visitors discover timbers of the wreckage and artifacts that were retrieved by archeologists. An audio-visual re-enactment highlights the episodes of the battle. Take a voyage back in time and learn a little more about the history of North America.

Return to top

New Brunswick Mining and Mineral Interpretation Center

Located 30 minutes away in Petit-Rocher, the Mining Centre promotes the mining heritage of New Brunswick. Upon arrival, guests are treated to traveling exhibits from the Canadian Museum of Nature, appropriate graphics, and videos. Experience a simulated underground descent or look over the beautiful Bay of Chaleur from the observation deck. Picnic areas and playgrounds are available, and of course, access to the beach. The centre is open 7 days a week from June to the end of August.
For more info call: (506) 542-2672.

Return to top

Miguasha Conservation Park

Located on the north shore of the Restigouche River estuary, Miguasha park was created to preserve an internationally reputed fossil site for future generations. Since its discovery in 1842 by Dr. Abraham Gesner, entire generations of international researchers have come here to study and marvel at the wealth enclosed in the bluffs. Because the fossils (plants and fish) are so well preserved, researchers studying them have been able to reconstitute a complete ecological niche revealing the existence of a rich ecosystem at this site some 370 million years ago. Fish fossils found in Miguasha tell of a time that is important in the evolution of species, such as the change in vertebrates from life in the water to life on land.

A guided tour (90 minutes long) of the exhibit, the lab and the bluffs gives travelers of all ages a fascinating scientific experience. On the beach, techniques used to excavate and hunt for fossils are explained. A time-travelling experience not to be missed!

Tel.: (418) 794.2475
Email: parc.miguasha@sepaq.com
Web site: www.sepaq.com

Return to top

Acadian Historic Village

Acadian Historic Village is a living museum that strives to portray the lives of the Acadians between 1770 and 1890. Situated along Rivière du Nord, near Caraquet, the Village is staffed by interpreters in period costumes who bring ancestral customs and traditional trades back to life in original buildings, presented in an atmosphere of warmth and ‘joie de vivre’. Each has a story to tell! Its diverse display extends from house furniture to textiles, including farm implements and workmen's tools. A collection of around 9000 artifacts illustrates the material civilization of the Acadians of New Brunswick.
(506) 727-3467

Return to top