Pictou vying for title of CBC’s Cultureville

Pictou has its name out there once again and is now vying for the title of CBC’s Cultureville.
Last year’s winner was Saint John, New Brunswick and this year, Beth Henderson of the Pictou Renaissance Society is hoping it’s Pictou.
Henderson received a phone call from CBC’s Colleen Jones regarding the town’s nomination as one of the Maritime towns in the running for the title of Cultureville 2012.
The contest takes submissions online for the town in the Maritimes that best signifies a cultural centre in the Maritimes. CBC listeners and watchers can go online to vote for the top 10 towns and then help narrow it down to just one winner.
CBC representatives were in town recently to film various areas.
“I gave them a tour of the Pictou Historical Photograph Society’s photo display at the deCoste Centre,” says Henderson.
“And the Pictou Renaissance Society was a key area we wanted to focus on because its mandate is to renew arts and culture in the area.”
Henderson says the focus of the interview with Jones was also on the Ship Hector and its descendants as well as their “stamp of culture in the old stone houses that still remain,” says Henderson.
“As Scottish immigrants chose a new chapter in their lives by coming to Pictou, we are inviting retirees to start their new chapter here,” says Henderson.
Pictou has a rich history of culture that still shines through daily with the local pipe bands, art galleries and festivals.
“There is real evidence that culture is appreciated in our area,” she says, noting the number of people who have visited Pictou and made it their home, opening stores and renovating old buildings.
“I did a walk about with the CBC crew in the downtown area to show them the architecture and tour the foundry and then they went to tour the Ship Hector as well.”
The tour lasted more than two hours with the final stop at the Pictou-North Colchester Exhibition, which Henderson says is a real showcase of the art and culture in this area.
CBC will be showcasing the top 10 towns on a TV show called Maritimes Cultureville, a 30-minute show providing three minute glances at 10 towns chosen as contestants for the Cultureville name, airing September 27.
“I thought this would be a really neat way to draw attention to Pictou and maybe get some interest out there,” says Henderson.
“The Pictou Renaissance Society has been very successful in being ambassadors of Pictou, focusing on the retention of history and culture.”
Voting for the Maritimes Cultureville can be done by visiting www.cbc.ca/maritimes/cultureville/.