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Prince Edward Island - Story Ideas for 2009

 

Drink up!

What used to be a clandestine creation, cooked up in a backcountry still, has joined the Prince Edward Island drinks scene - yes, moonshine PEI style is now available on the shelves of the local liquor stores and not only that, you can visit the Myriad View Distillery in Rollo Bay and check out their Strait Lightning and Gin as well. Nearby in eastern PEI, the owners of Johnson Shore Inn have developed another tasty Island spirit, in the form of potato vodka. Take the Island's most famous primary product, distill carefully and sip a vodka that is more silky and smooth than grain-based spirits. Visitors can tour the distillery located in beautiful Hermanville.

Still thirsty? Rossignol Estate Winery in Little Sands produces fruit wines, liqueurs and traditional grape wines. Imagine the fresh taste of apple captured in a delicious Liberty Blossom dessert wine, or the fruity bouquet of blackberry mead. Finally take a sip of history at the Gahan House brew-pub where the Sir John A's Honey Wheat Ale is only one of seven ales made on site with no additives or preservatives.

 

 

Eat up!

Drinking alone is never recommended, so match up your sipping with some scrumptious Prince Edward Island meals. The restaurant scene has been hot over the past year, with a dozen or more new dining establishments opening up. In the heart of Charlottetown, renowned chef Gordon Bailey just opened the doors to Lot 30. Near the Island's North Shore, the Pearl is a new café that serves a nice mix of affordable menu items - a great spot for brunch. Snacks or tea? Hurricanez by the Bay is newly opened in Darnley, while Grandma's Afternoon Tea Room is now open in Winsloe, Charlottetown. Tucked away in Georgetown or Victoria are the Rusty Anchor and Ruthie's. These round out the perennial favourites like Dayboat, Inn at Bay Fortune and Flex, where mussels are served 47 different ways. And by the way, Flex will soon to open a sister restaurant in Manhattan!

 

 

 

Live like an Islander:

Learn to tong and shuck oysters, own a standardbred racehorse for an evening, uncover some "Seaweed Secrets," or make moonshine (legally!) These are just a few of our "Once in a Lifetime" experiences that also include geocaching, fishing for lobster and creating a piece of folk art.

 

 

First year fantastic

A brand-new fall food festival launched October 2008, with an ambitious schedule of 130 different events spread clear across Prince Edward Island. Many of the events sold out and the Fall Flavours Festival drew praise from all corners. To name just a few of the activity choices in 2008: learn our Seaweed Secrets, "Tong and Shuck" for PEI's famous and delicious oysters, create organic herb oils, sign up for Culinary Boot Camp, study Smoking & Curing, or get tickets to very fine meals served by the province's most talented chefs. Apply now, since the 2008 press trip booked up early.

 

 

Golf News

Spruce up your golf game at the Canadian Golf Academy, then show off at some of Canada's top courses, including the famed Links at Crowbush Cove, the newly renovated (at a cost of $5 million) or perhaps try out Mill River, the host course (and first Canadian location) for an upcoming "Big Break"series on Golf Channel. Golf Channel is also featuring Prince Edward Island this year with an episode of Golf with Style as well as a broadcast of two of the PEI Legends of Golf face-offs: Nicklaus vs. Watson and Singh vs Weir. In other Island golf news, Golf PEI has formed alliances with some major tour organizations; the International Association of Golf Tour Operators will feature Prince Edward Island in 2008. A fun new event is planned for July 2009 that will invite international couples to compete in a friendly way in a three-day festival

 

 

One hundred and counting...

2008 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of the world-famous novel Anne of Green Gables. Parties, festivals and new theatre productions were just some of the special activities, however two new Anne-themed films were produced as well. Anne of Green Gables, A New Beginning stars Shirley MacLaine and Barbara Hershey, and tells the story of Anne prior to her arrival at Green Gables. Zuno films has created a story around the love for Anne among young Japanese girls. The $2.3 million Canadian-Japanese co-production just wrapped up filming in Prince Edward Island, but it is not a remake of the Anne story, rather a tale that follows the journey of Anne Lee, a young Japanese girl who visits Prince Edward Island to find her grandmother's first love, a Canadian soldier who gave her grandmother a copy of the novel in 1946. Japan's fascination for Anne dates to 1952, when the Japanese translation was published. Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million copies in 17 languages since its first publication 100 years ago.

 

 

Flying to the Island

Delta and Northwest Airlines both offered direct flights from the US to Prince Edward Island in 2008. Lucky residents of Boston, New York and Detroit were all able to fly direct into Charlottetown during peak season. Flight plans for 2009 are still under discussion.