There's no question that the Mahone Bay of days gone by was a busy daytime hub of activity in Lunenburg County. The unceasing thumping of hammers along the busy waterfront, the clip-clopping of horses pulling buggies along Main Street, and the high-pitched call of the train in the distance as it pulled into and out of the station on the town's edge were signals that yet another day had begun in the busy, oceanside community.

 But life in Mahone Bay in the late 19th and early 20th centuries revolved around much more than work. Suffice it to say that the townsfolk, young and old alike, were careful to get their fair share of play as well as labour.

 Interestingly enough, one of the most popular annual activities of the 1880s celebrated much of the work that local farmers put into their fields during the run of a typical year.

 The first ever Lunenburg County Agricultural Fair, for instance, was held in Mahone Bay in 1886. Attracting hundreds of people from throughout the county, the agricultural fair was one of the highlights of the season, held mostly in a massive building located on Exhibition Drive, which is today Clearway Street.

 To usher in the new fair, Timothy Lantz of Clearland grew an immense pumpkin in his fields that he entered into competition at the fair. Not only did Timothy win the local prize for having the largest pumpkin, but he also was invited to attend the World's Fair in Chicago and the Grand Colonial Exhibition, held in London, England, because of his plump pumpkin.

 Mahone Bay hosted a handful of Lunenburg County Exhibitions in the late 1880s and early 1890s before the event was moved to yet another new exhibition building in Bridgewater in 1892.

 The grandiose exhibition building, which stood out on the town's skyline against the backdrop of the harbour from surrounding hillsides, was used to host Mahone Bay's many other fairs, festivals and carnivals until it was torn down in the 1920s.

 Some traditional pastimes were not so different than those enjoyed today by young community members. Both hockey and baseball, for example, were taken up by the townsfolk, and those who couldn't play themselves took an avid interest in watching their Mahone Bay home team take on other nearby communities from the stands.

 Mahone Bay School certainly helped to perpetuate local sporting competition in the early 19th century. With competitive hockey and baseball clubs, the institution fielded some of the finest young athletes in the county, with the same young men often starring in both sports.

 On the ice, locals such as William G. Ernst, Happy Freeman, Guy "Honky" Daurie, Jack Spidle and many others demonstrated pulling on the dark sweaters on Mahone Bay's earliest hockey teams.

 The high school hockey club included one Spurgeon Hirtle. A talented skater, Spurgeon would go on to leave the confines of the area, playing several seasons with the Acadia Axemen hockey team, and even serving as captain for the 1921 and 1922 seasons. After his academic days were behind him, Spurgeon moved to Edmonton, Alberta and, with a divinity degree from the Newton Theological Seminary in hand, became a minister. He eventually married and eventually had children, including a daughter, Merna Lynne Hirtle.

 In her later years, Merna would find herself the muse for an aspiring Canadian writer named W.O. Mitchell. The two were married and Merna was at his side as he crafted Canadian classics such as "Who Has Seen the Wind?"and "Jake and the Kid."

 Back in Mahone Bay, through to the 1920s, local hockey action was the wintertime hit. The local newspapers of the day, including the Bridgewater Bulletin, frequently had more commentary on local hockey matches than local political matters, and fever swept through Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and Lunenburg annually to such a degree that special train runs in the evening were often arranged along the old Nova Scotia Central and Halifax & Southwest Railway lines to accommodate curious crowds.

 Hockey fever, it seemed, attracted the attention of both male and female audiences, even if, at times, the action both on and off the ice was considered a tad too offensive for female audiences. The Bulletin reported on several instances that players not dressed on a particular evening would circulate throughout the crowd, hooting, hollering and generally causing mayhem among the onlookers.

 Even young Clara Quinlan, in her teenage years, took in Mahone Bay Wanderers' hockey matches, noting her adventures and the outcome in her diary.

 During the summer months, with leaves budding on trees, birds in the air and the wafting scent of baked goods drifting through the air, many locals would turn their attention to the local horse racing track, located off upper Main Street at the end of what was then known as Sun Hill.

 The site of Phillip McLeod's old race track has long since grown over and become a pasture, but in 1895, when the track first opened, it was a site of much activity and attention. With impressive crowds, undoubtedly unafraid to make a slight side wager, races often offered purses in the neighbourhood of $350, a princely sum for the sport of kings at the turn of the century.

 When horses weren't on the track, local cycling enthusiasts took their two-pedalled mode of transport to the pathways in head-to-head competition.

 And while many of Mahone Bay's social activities were sporting in nature, still others were far from competition oriented.

 In the summertime, the harbour made a natural escape for those who wanted to take to the ocean and enjoy the sea breeze. With the remarkable number of local boat builders, whether it was on a schooner, a sloop or a dory, anyone who wanted to get out on the water and explore the countless local islands had every opportunity to do so.

 And for those who lacked an affinity for the sea, there were also several cultural alternatives. The parishioners at the town's six churches, for example, often organized evenings of musical entertainment for locals to enjoy.

 One particular ensemble based out of Mahone Bay, The Boys in Red, wowed local audiences for years with their vocal range and talent. The Boys in Red were so popular in the late 1890s that they were invited to play the Bridgewater Music Hall, an auditorium that accommodated more than 600 people.

 And, if going out didn't quite tickle the fancy of Mahone Bay's residents, there was always the old standard of staying home, waving to passing neighbours from a swing on the front stoop, enjoying the sunset and, just maybe, a little bit of fiddlin' on a quiet summer's eve.

 Sources: The Bridgewater Bulletin; "Dear Old Mahone," Mahone Bay Settlers Museum; Acadia University, Esther Clark Wright Archives.

Written and researched by Patrick Hirtle.