Digby Wharf Rat Rally
Digby Wharf Rat Rally
You wouldn’t think that spending the weekend with thousands of Motorcyclists would constitute family fun – but it does!
My father grew up in Digby, so he loves going there. He has instilled that love for Digby in my boys, too. Any chance we get to go, we do.
So, it was my father’s idea that we go down to check out the Wharf Rat Rally and do some investigative reporting as to what it’s all about.
Here’s what the website says:
The Wharf Rat Rally was originally conceived as a free event bringing together riders of all types in a family-friendly environment. It begins the Wednesday prior to Labour Day Weekend and continues for five action-packed days.
The heart of the rally is the central core of the Town of Digby which offers both a central meeting place and access to the Bay of Fundy on the Digby Wharf.
Events take advantage of both the streetscape and the water and include music, vendors, raffles, watersport demonstrations, and guided tours.
And, it is the place to be! There are thousands and thousands of people there taking in the festivities.
According to the website, in 2011, the town of 2,092 had an influx of 50,000 visitors and 24,000 motorcycles over the course of five days.
That’s a lot of people.
The entire weekend is extremely well-organized, which makes attending the event very easy.
We weren’t sure if the Wharf Rat Rally was meant only for bikers, or if there were things for spectators to check out.
We weren’t sure if the event would be good for kids.
So, we decided to check it out.
Here’s what we found out.
Before Going
Before the trip, I tried to do some research. The Wharf Rat Rally has a great website… if you are a biker, but not so helpful for general spectators.
Over Twitter, I received a lot of great information from the Digby Courier who answered my many questions and provided me with all the details. I will share those here.
A draft schedule of events is available on line but it is subject to change, so it’s easiest to just pick one up when you get there.
Arrival
Head to Digby. You’ll know you are going the right direction when you are surrounded by hundreds of motorbikes!
Once you head toward town, just past the hospital, road blockades are set up, and you cannot drive any further (unless you are on a motorbike).
You can risk driving as close as you can and looking for a parking spot, or just use the shuttle bus.
Head to the Evangeline Mall (in the parking lot of the Big Tim Horton’s). It will be on your right hand side. Dollarama and Shoppers are also in this mall.
In the parking lot will be a big registration tent. Head there.
The shuttle leaves for downtown every few minutes, and you don’t have to worry about parking. Plus, it’s free!
At the registration tent, you can go in and pick up a copy of the daily schedule.
The Day
Once you are downtown, enjoy yourself walking around!
All along the waterfront are hundreds of booth selling anything from food, leather goods, clothes, motorbike products and much more. It’s fun to wander through.
There are also a lot of bikes on display too!
Most of the events for spectators happen in the afternoon, so plan to arrive for lunch and then take in some of the activities.
We had lunch at the Digby Baptist Church. For a free will offering you could have chowder, homemade biscuits and rolls and fresh desserts! It was a great, cool place to sit down and have a break with a homemade meal.
While there a reporter from the Digby Courier happened to be there and took a picture of Thomas and my father! It made it online to the paper, too!
From there, we watched a stunt bike show on the wharf. This was really fun to watch as the stunts were incredible.
Be forewarned, I did catch my youngest trying to do some of these on his bicycle afterwards!
Other events we could have watched included scallop shucking, water shows, drift biking, show and shines, and so much more.
Pick and choose what you want to see, depending on where you are in Digby.
Otherwise, we found it was a lot of back and forth, up and down the streets.
Atmosphere
Even though there were thousands and thousands of people in Digby, it did not feel crowded or claustrophobic. There were crowds of people, but because the roads are blocked off, and everything is so well organized, you can safely manoeuvre through town.
Everyone was so friendly, and there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the bikers.
While lining up for the luncheon at the Church, we were with a few bikers. They turned to us grinning, saying “we’re all bad people, you know!”
Which of course is not at all the case. There were a lot of stereotypical looking bikers, but none of the behaviour that so many mistakenly associate with bikers. These are just people who love motorbikes.
The whole atmosphere was definitely family friendly, and we would not hesitate to go again!
If you are looking for something different to do, head down to Digby for the Wharf Rat Rally. You will be pleasantly surprised!
Valley Drive-in Bingo
Valley Drive-In Bingo
“That was so much fun! Can we come again next week?”
That was my son’s reaction to to going to the drive-in for their weekly summer drive-in Bingo night!
Here’s what the website says
Located at the Valley Drive-in in Cambridge, this is run by the Coldbrook Lions.
Every Tuesday night gates Open at 6pm. Play beings at 6:45PM.
You tune your radio to 99.9 FM. If you get a bingo you honk your horn.
Sounded fun enough! I have friends who had been before, but never with kids. So, we took it upon ourselves to find out if the Valley Drive-in Bingo was family fun.
Play begins at 6:45 on the dot. So, we showed up at 6:15 so we would be good and ready!
When we arrived at the gate, we explained to the attendants that we had no idea what we were doing! They were so great to us and explained everything to us. I highly suggest admitting this upfront!
Buying Bingo Cards
The attendant explained that to get all the cards and the full meal-deal, it would cost $30 (cash). As you drive in, there are attendants all along the entrance and you can buy different sheets from each person. CASH ONLY.
However, we decided to build our own package.
You need to buy a “Main Gate Book”. This is for all the regular Bingo games. You can get them 3, 6 or 9 to a page.
We got 2 “3 Up” booklets. One for the front seat and one for the back seat. One child and one parent in the front and one child and one parent in the back seat.
Older children (12+) could handle a card on their own, but because this was our first time, and the numbers are called so quickly, we decided to work as a parent-child team.
We also bought one book of “specials”. When these games were played, the child in the front, jumped in the back to play (2 kids and one adult). This worked really well.
Then, we bought one Triple Win Card.
We didn’t buy the Cookie Jar and the pre-mini games.
Click here for full prices and explanations.
YES! This all sounds incredibly confusing! But, trust me, it is not!
Playing Bingo
Once you get through the gate, they give you a list of rules and the order in which you will play each game.
It is all colour coded, and before they start each game, they clearly identify which game you are playing.
Park facing the canteen, turn your radio on, and get ready to play.
The numbers are called quite quickly, so you need to be working together and paying attention!
There is a 10 minute intermission and the canteen is open. Play ends around 9pm.
Tips
- Bring Bingo Dobbers. You cannot mark them off with a pen. It MUST be a dobber.
- Bring a clipboard, large book or tray to put under your cards. You could tell the professionals, as they had all the equipment ready!
- Make sure your kids are old enough. Our 8 year old started to get bored and tired by the end. It’s best for kids 10+. If kids are bored, they will start to make noise, and you won’t be able to play, concentrate or hear the numbers.
- Tell them at the gate you are new. They will explain everything to you.
- Bring cash.
Have a whole lot of fun!
We didn’t win anything, but came close a few times!
Valley Drive-in Bingo is one of those eccentric events you’ll only find in the Valley, so you need to go at least once, whether with older kids or for a date night!
Valley Drive-in Bingo runs every summer till the end of September at the Drive-in in Cambridge, NS.
Remember, all the money goes to charity, so get out there with your dobber and play!
Valleyview Provincial Park, Bridgetown
Valleyview Provincial Park, Bridgetown
Tucked up on the North Mountain above Bridgetown is the Valleyview Provincial Park which is definitely worth discovering.
The Park features a picnic area and interpretive panels with an incredible view of the Valley.
This is one of our favourite places to stop en route to Annapolis Royal. In fact, we have been coming to this picnic park every year for about 30 years, and always having a picnic at the same table on the same day. It’s tradition!
Camping
Valleyview has 30 wooded overnight campsites (unserviced). There are vault toilets, disposal station, fire grills, walking trail, wood and ice. Wireless Internet access available at the administration building.
More information and to book a campsite.
Although there are not very many amenities or things to do within the park, it is a great location for exploring other places such as Upper Clements Park or the Fundy Shore.
Hiking
There is a 1km hike in the Valleyview Park. After having gone to the park so many times and never having done the trail, we decided to check it out. 
The trail head can be accessed beside campsite #29.
The trail goes along what appeared to be an old logging road. This would make it fairly easy to traverse with certain strollers.
This 20 minute hike weaved through the trees
And came out at a lake
Before looping back to the campground area.
If you are looking for a quick pit stop or want a great view of the valley, definitely stop at the Valleyview Provincial Park above Bridgetown.
There is no fee for the picnic park or to walk the trail.
Happy exploring!
Crystal Crescent Beach
Crystal Crescent Beach
I remember the moment I first laid eyes on Crystal Crescent Beach. I literally gasped.
It was so beautiful it took my breath away. This is Nova Scotia!
Crystal Crescent Beach Provincial Park is situated in Sambro Creek, South of Halifax. This beautiful park has 3 white-sand crescent beaches to enjoy with boardwalks to the first 2 beaches and 2 vault-toilet facilities.
The water is turquoise. The sand is white. The water is warm. The sky is blue. It’s the perfect place to spend the day at the beach!
How to Get There
Crystal Crescent Beach is located on Rte 349, 29 km south of Halifax. My GPS in the car couldn’t locate Crystal Crescent Beach, but it did find Sambro Creek. Otherwise, use Google Maps for directions.
It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Kentville to Crystal Crescent Beach. Take Highway 102 towards Halifax (Bi Hi) and then Exit 1D towards Sambro Creek.
You will drive on twisty, windy roads and doubt yourself several times, but keep going!
Tucked away, down at the end of the world, is the most beautiful beach, ever!
I always find the beach there a bit windy, so take a light sweater, just in case. And, bring your picnic lunch. There is a little convenience store nearby, but nothing at the beach.
Treat yourself to a relaxing day trip and spend the day at Crystal Crescent Beach!
Admiral Digby Museum
Admiral Digby Museum
Right in the heart of downtown Digby is the Admiral Digby Museum paying homage to the history of the town.
Here’s what the website says
Housed in a mid 1800s Georgian home, the museum features period rooms containing artifacts, and archives that relate to the interesting Maritime & Pioneer history of Digby/Digby County, its people and industries.
Explore the Town or County history or research your own Digby County roots in our Genealogy Department.
Our Visit
My father grew up in Digby. In fact, his house was a stone’s throw away from the museum. He remembers being in this building before, but when it was a house. So, when we were last in Digby, we decided to check it out with him.
We decided upon the guided tour of the museum, just so we wouldn’t miss anything as we went through.
There are scavenger hunts for the kids, but this time, they just chose to listen and wander through.
There were so many interesting exhibits to see and stories to hear.
About Digby’s scallop fishing industry.
And listening to an old gramophone recording.
Our favourite was the textile room and learning about Victoria fashion and the extremes to which women went to be beautiful!
What’s great about the museum is that many of the exhibits have QR codes with them, so you can scan them with your phone to learn even more about the displays!
It took us about 45 minutes to go through the museum.
Hours and Admission
Admission to the museum is by free-will offering. This is how museums such as this can exist, so please be generous!
