Fifth annual Sydney Mines Heritage Festival set this weekend

The Sydney Mines Heritage Festival is celebrating several historic anniversaries this year. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Johnny Miles winning the Boston Marathon in 1926. It’s also the 40th anniversary of The Barra MacNeils, the sibling group from Sydney Mines who have brought their Celtic stylings across the world. It’s also the fifth anniversary of the festival itself. Hosted by New Deal Development, a non-profit in Sydney Mines focused on building affordable housing, it began in 2021 as a way to bring the community together after the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it’s grown into a weekend-long celebration with music, games, ceremonies, and more. Taking place on Main Street from Friday to Sunday, the festival features several exciting events: Johnny Miles 5K run, an award ceremony celebrating The Barra MacNeils, and three nights of performances from local bands and musicians. Also planned is a pizza-eating contest, a vendor village, food trucks, bouncy tents, and kids’ games. “Last year was the biggest, and then this year, I think it’s going to be bigger,” said Dave Julian, CEO of New Deal Development. “There’s lots of entertainment.” EVENTS ALL WEEKEND The Johnny Miles 5K Fun Run, organized by the Northside’s Got Sole Club, will take place during the festival’s weekend of events. Beginning at Jubilee Elementary School on Main Street at 9 a.m., participants will run through Convent Street, Church Street, MacInnis Street, followed by Notre Dame Street with Sydney harbour in full view. Runners will then take to Shore Road, turning onto Fraser before wrapping back around to the elementary school via Main Street. There’s also another type of marathon for those looking to eat their fill. Domino’s Pizza has partnered with the festival to host a pizza-eating contest on Saturday at 4 p.m. Those interested can register by calling 902-736-3796. It is open to those aged 18 and older. “Right now, it’s a competition online,” said Julian with a chuckle. “Mostly guys challenging other guys to outdo them at eating pizza. It’s cute, it’s nice.” Among the performers for the weekend are local musical acts Final Cut and Erin O’Brien on Friday, Down House, Full Circle and Night Train on Saturday, and on Sunday, The Circle, Evon & Jim, Angela Iannetti and Company, and Band of Thieves, followed by Canada’s Got Talent alumni The Turnbull Brothers and Cape Breton rock band Alter Ego. Friday will also feature a kids’ dance at 4 p.m. with DJ Jason on Main Street, and Saturday will feature a performance by the Northside Dancers at 1 p.m. The vendor village will take place on both Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., with over 35 vendors participating including food trucks. The bouncy tents will be free for kids to play in from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with kids’ games, face painting and prize draws available from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. AWARD CEREMONIES “They’re from Sydney Mines, and this is their 40th anniversary of entertaining folks all over the world,” Julian explained. “It’ll be nice to recognize them right here in their hometown.” Another award ceremony will take place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for Volunteer of the Year, given to a special person who has contributed their time and effort to make a positive impact in the community. “The first year, we had the Volunteer of the Year award,” said Julian. “It was called after one of our board members, Clarence Dawe. He’s been volunteering with us for over 60 years, and he’s still volunteering. It’s in his honour.”