Christmas season starts early with candle pour event in Cape Breton community

Members of a small Cape Breton community got together over the weekend for an event that looked like a scene straight from a Hallmark Christmas movie.

People packed the storefront at Canapa Candle in Louisbourg, N.S., on Saturday afternoon for a holiday-themed event where people learned how to pour their own Christmas candles.

"It gets kind of gloomy in Louisbourg, especially around this time (of year) with the fog, so we're celebrating Christmas a little bit early with a candle pouring,” explained store owner Farrah Aspinall-Renaud.

What also seemed to fit the ‘Hallmark script’ are the ups and downs of a small business trying to be successful in a community that typically shuts down in winter.

"It is a tourist town,” Aspinall-Renaud said. “We get cruise ships here and lots of tourism with the Fortress but the community has been amazing - especially with a day like today."

One of the participants, Karen Burke, helps run an inn a few blocks away, so she has a vested interest in supporting local.

However, that was only part of the reason she and more than a half-dozen friends came out to do some candle pouring.

"Actually, we gathered at the Inn this afternoon for some pre-holiday vibes - so this was a great segue for our afternoon,” Burke said. "I thought it was a lot of fun. It was great to have our family come to Louisbourg, and our friends."

At a brand new bistro just down the road, staff were handing out free hot chocolate to anyone who took part in the candle pour.

The bistro has only been open since May, and staff said they know their first winter in Louisbourg will require some sticking together like the collaboration that took place on Saturday.

"Any given day can be busy, or any given day can be like today when you can fire a cannon up and down Main Street,” said owner and chef Michael Mollard of the largely empty streets on the cold November day. "We'd like to be open year-round. I mean, it's a challenge now so let's wait and see what happens when it's -20 (degrees Celsius) and the wind is blowing down the street.”

Back at the candle shop, the amateur artisans caught onto their craft pretty quickly.

With well over a month until Christmas arrives, it appears more is still being planned to get people in the community into the festive spirit.

"We actually have another event coming up,” Aspinall-Renaud said. “It's a night market. So there's going to be live music in town, we're going to be doing a night market here at Canapa Candle, and that's going to be closer to the end of the month."

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