Downtown Dartmouth community oven re-opens to public
One of the hottest places to eat in Dartmouth is open again -- the Park Avenue Community Oven, located in Leighton Dillman Park.
“How many communities have an oven in the park right in the centre of town? It’s something we celebrate here in downtown Dartmouth,” says Tim Rissesco, executive director of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission (DDBC).
Like any hearth, the free community wood-fired oven has become a gathering place for people looking to connect with friends old and new. Ned Newell first visited the oven nine years ago. He liked the social atmosphere so much, he became a volunteer.
“When I first got out of the military, I didn’t really know too many people in the area. When I discovered the oven, I met so many people from everywhere,” says Newell.
This week, students from the DDBC are hosting open ovens every day from noon to 3 p.m.
“It’s been great. We’ve had big groups of people,” says Emerson Hotson, a summer student with the DDBC. “On a busy day, we can assist 40 to 50 visitors an hour.”
Anyone is welcome to use the oven during open oven times. There is no charge to cook at the facility. You do have to bring your own food, with pizza being one of the fastest and easiest dishes to prepare.
“The oven exemplifies the community downtown. People come here and eat together. They can purchase food from one of the restaurants in downtown Dartmouth, or they can bring supplies from home. We have plenty of picnic tables to use as well,” says Rissesco.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the oven had been shuttered since fall of 2019. It is now open every Saturday until late October from noon to 3 p.m. There is also one more open oven hosted by DDBC next Thursday. Park Avenue Community Oven organizers are currently recruiting more volunteers to increase the oven’s operating capacity.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.