Chester, Nova Scotia

Chester, Nova Scotia
Village
Chester, Nova Scotia
Motto:  A Progressive Community
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
County	Lunenburg County.
Municipality	Chester Municipal District
Founded	1886
Government
• Warden	Allen Webber
• Deputy Warden	Floyd Shatford
• Chief Administrative Officer	Darrell Hiltz
Elevation	17 m (56 ft)
Population  (Chester Census 2001)
• Total	1,591
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code	B0J 1J0
Area code	902
Telephone Exchanges	273 275 277 279 299 980
NTS Map	021A09
GNBC Code	CAGYN
Website	chesterareans.ca
Part of a series about Places in Nova Scotia

Chester (2001 pop.: 1,591) is an incorporated Canadian village located in and part of Nova Scotia's Chester Municipal District in the southeastern part of Lunenburg County.

History

Chester was officially founded in 1759 as the Shoreham grant, although French fishermen had already built a few houses on the site. The first permanent European-descended settlers were a group from Massachusetts who came to the area in 1761. A colourful part of its early history is known as the "rouge ruse" wherein the townswomen, young in old, garbed in cloaks with their red lining worn outwards marched in an early morning of 30 June 1782 to successfully convince American Privateers lying offshore to find another place to pillage. The privateers then proceeded the next day with the Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782).

HMS Hogue, which trapped the Teaser Light

During the War of 1812, the American Privateer Teaser Light was trapped off the shores of Chester by the HMS Hogue (1811) among other British vessels. To avoid capture, the captain of the Teaser Light destroyed the ship, killing most of the crew.

Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in the province as a result of being a vacation and resort destination, with many seasonal and year-round estates and mansions. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made Chester into a cruising destination. A Provincial ferry from the village provides a schedule of daily trips to Big Tancook Island and Tancook Island .

Chester was the site of a controversial proposal to change status of the village. A committee had been formed in hopes of changing the status of Chester by incorporating as a town, thereby leaving the Chester Municipal District. Many residents of the village under the banner "Citizens for Fairness" successfully fought the motion on the principle that the majority of citizens, by ballot, should decide such a fundamental change. Some also saw the possibility of higher taxes, costs for a town hall, a mayor, and water and sewage services as reasons to not incorporate. They won the right to a plebiscite in the fall of 2002 from the Nova Scotia Legislature. The motion was defeated in a public plebiscite on February 22, 2003. chester is very popular in the summer and lots of tourists come to visit.

Geography

Front Harbour, Chester

The Ferry WIilliam G Ernst, leaving Chester, NS after boarding passengers for Tancook Island, NS

The village is roughly centred on . It is situated on the Chester Peninsula, which extends into Mahone Bay.

The village has two natural harbours, Front Harbour (including Front Cove) on the east and Back Harbour (including Back Cove or Mill Cove) on the west. The village is also immediately south of Stanford Lake. chester recently had a contest for a village sign the winner was debroah houser also known as the matlady she donated her prize money to pro kids. the other winner was erin cassells who picture will be put up at the chester lido.

Schools

Chester has an elementary school, Chester District School (grades Primary–5) and a middle school, Chester Area Middle School or CAMS as it is known (grades 6–9). Forrest Heights Community School brings together students from New Ross and Chester for grades 10–12.

Festivals and events

The village is home to the Chester Playhouse one of the best-known community theaters on Nova Scotia's South Shore. Chester is well known for its annual summer sailing regatta, Chester Race Week, where keelboats from all over the eastern coast of North America compete during the second week of August. In the last weekend of July there is the annual Chester Garden Show and the House and Garden Tour along with harbour tours. Also that weekend is the famous Bonnie Lea Lobster benefit. Winter is a time for events including Sing! Choirs" in December and February's "Coldest Day" variety fundraiser. There are a number of public boat launch sites around Mahone Bay. The waters are fine for kyaking and sailing. For walkers and cyclists there is also the Chester Connector which is a municipal operated section of the previous rail line and which is shared with motorized recreational vehicles.

Movies

Scenes for several films, miniseries, movies of the week, and television shows have been shot in and around Chester:

• Echoes of a Summer (1976)
• The Secret (1992)
• Dolores Claiborne (1995, exterior of Vera Donovan's)
• Two if by Sea (1996)
• Black Harbour (1996)
• Love and Death on Long Island (1997)
• Catch a Falling Star (2000)
• The Weight of Water (2000)
• Deeply Lynn Redgrave and Kirsten Dunst; East Ironbound Is., etc. (2000)
• Blackfly (2001)
• A Town Without Christmas (2001)
• Beach Girls (2005)
• Candles On Bay Street (2006)
• Noah's Ark (2008)

TV shows

• Haven Syfy Series currently filming in Chester, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Hubbards, Nova Scotia

External links

• The Municipality of the District of Chester
• Chester Municipal Chamber of Commerce
• Chester and Area Visitor Information Centre
• Destination Nova Scotia
• Chester Yacht Club, Home of Chester Race Week
• Chester Clippers Jr. "C" Hockey Club
• Chester Playhouse
• Chester and Area Family Resource Centre
• Church Memorial Park
• Chester District School
• Chester Area Middle School
• Forest Heights Community School
• Chesterbound - Lots of Local Links
• Chester war memorial
• Chester bronze cannons
• Local Chester Weather, Updated every 5 minutes
• Parish of St. Stephen's