Dorchester’s Sandpiper festival is slated for August 8-10 this year, and preparations are underway for the annual celebration of the shorebird migration through the Bay of Fundy.
On Tuesday, Tantramar council approved the daylong closure of a short section of Cape Road on August 9 to accommodate the festival. And the town is also putting out a call for potential vendors to participate in the street fair. The deadline for vendors to apply to Tantramar recreation department is Friday, July 11.
Tantramar councillor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell also has the Sandpiper Festival on her mind, with hopes of getting Shep the Sandpiper (the giant fibreglass bird sculpture in the village square) some touch-ups in time for the festival.
At the end of Tuesday’s Tantramar council meeting, Wiggins-Colwell asked for a status update on the process to allow the Fundy Biosphere Region, the non-profit group which owns Shep, to erect a plaque at the monument.
Jennifer Dingman of the Fundy Biosphere Reserve first asked council for permission to add a plaque to Shep in November 2024. Then in January 2025, Tantramar council passed a unanimous motion from Wiggins-Colwell asking municipal staff to work with the organization on arranging for the plaque.
“Once that’s done, put in place, that would allow the artisan to be able to access and come back and touch him up,” said Wiggins-Colwell, noting that Shep is “fading a little bit.”
“We need him looking pristine for the festival that’s coming up,” said Wiggins-Colwell.
CAO Jennifer Borne was not at the meeting, and staff told council they would get back to Wiggins-Colwell with an answer, but not before Mayor Andrew Black chimed in to remind everyone that while the Fundy Biosphere Region owns Shep, the steps, platform, and property that he sits on belongs to the municipality.
“The plaque is one thing,” said Black, “and then the municipality allowing the artists to go on municipally-owned property to touch up a privately-owned statue is something altogether different.”
“The plaque wouldn’t automatically allow that to happen,” said the mayor. “They’re two separate things.”
The platform that Shep sits on was built by the former Village of Dorchester before amalgamation, but the village did not commission the new fibreglass Shep. Rather, a group of residents frustrated with the slow process to replace the former wooden statue took it upon themselves to commission and install the ‘Shep the Second’ in the spring of 2023. The Fundy Biosphere Region chipped in to cover the cost.
The Sandpiper Festival takes place August 8 to 10, and promises live music, educational workshops, and of course shore bird viewing at the Johnsons Mills Shorebird Interpretive Centre. The street fair on Cape Road takes place Saturday, August 9. Interested vendors can email recintern@tantramarnb.com
