Hear ye, hear ye: International crier competition comes to New Glasgow, N.S.

Town Criers from all over the world converge in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia for the International Criers Competition.

New Glasgow, N.S., was louder than usual on Friday as a group of criers from around the world paraded through the streets as part of a celebration of history and heritage.

The New Glasgow 150 International Town Criers competition kicked off with the home cry at Carmichael Park at 1 p.m. on Friday. It will be followed by an open cry at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the farmers market and a theme cry at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Carmichael Park.

“This event will honour a changing tradition while showcasing our town and region to visitors from across Canada and abroad,” said Mayor Nancy Dicks in a news release. “We look forward to welcoming this diverse and eclectic group of criers and their consorts as they bring their uplifting energy and talent to our town.

The event is part of New Glasgow’s 150th anniversary celebrations this year. It has brought in criers from Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Jim Stewart has been the town crier for New Glasgow since 1992 and he was the Nova Scotia Guild champion in 2011 and 2018.

“Town criers are keepers of history, heritage and voice,” Stewart said. “This competition is an opportunity to not only showcase our craft, but also to bring communities together in the spirit of celebration.

“We’re thrilled to share this tradition with New Glasgow during such a historic year and to show the breadth and versatility of today’s town criers.”

Stewart said the idea of the competition stretches back nearly a decade.

“Believe it or not, it started in 2017, we talked about it and we looked at doing it tentatively in 2019 and then this thing called COVID happened which kinda put a number of things off for a number of years and then it made sense to do it as part of New Glasgow’s 150th,” he said.

A film crew from New York City will be recording the competition for a movie about contemporary town criers.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Emma Convey

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