New on DAI: Pouch Cove Oral History

One of the recent additions to Memorial Library's Digital Archive Initiative (DAI) is the scan of the Number 17, May 2003 edition of "Regional Language Studies." The scanned journal includes a preliminary report by folklorist Elke Dettmer on the Pouch Cove Oral History Project, focussing on the Shoe Cove area. As Dettmer describes it:

"This project is an attempt to preserve a sense of the traditional life of Shoe Cove, which existed as a farming and fishing community before the Second World War. It complements the efforts of the Pouch Cove Environmental Committee over the past few years to clean up and reconstruct Shoe Cove Valley. I have specifically concentrated on the period of the 1920s and 1930s, as described to me by those people who kindly shared their memories during the Christmas Season of 1990-1991."

The full scan is available on the DAI at:
http://tinyurl.com/l28unh

The full pdf of the journal is available for download at:
http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/rlsn/RLS_V17.pdf

St. Swithin's Day Weather Lore

Happy, glorious bright sunny St. Swithin's Day (at least in St. John's).

"July 15th of each year was St. Swithin's Day and always acknowledged throughout Newfoundland," writes Newfoundland author Jack Fitzgerald in his book Ghosts and Oddities. The following weather-forecasting rhyme was often recited on the day:

St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair (or "no more" in some variants)

For details on the tradition, see the Catholic Encyclopedia at:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14357c.htm

and for a fabulous scanned text of the full St. Swithin legend, see
http://www.archive.org/details/legendofsaintswi00davi

Newfoundland also has its own St. Swithin's church, in Seal Cove, recorded on the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador's website at:
http://tinyurl.com/stswithins

Position available: Conference and Festival Planner

Employer: St. John’s Storytelling Festival Inc.

Duties:

Meet with individuals and groups to promote and discuss National Storyteller’s Conference for July 2010 and Provincial Storyteller’s Festival Fall 2010

Meet with sponsors and organizing committees to plan scope and format of events, to establish and monitor budgets and to review administrative procedures and progress of events

Co-ordinate services for events, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, conference and other facilities, catering, signage, displays, translation, special needs requirements, audio-visual equipment, printing and security

Organize registration of participants, prepare programs and promotional material, and publicize events

Plan entertainment and social gatherings for participants

Train and supervise volunteers required for the events.

Educational Requirements
A university degree or college diploma in business, tourism or hospitality administration would be an asset.

Several years of experience in hospitality or tourism administration or in public relations would be an asset.


Salary
This is a full time position.
APPLICANTS MUST BE E.I. ELIGIBLE, OR MUST HAVE BEEN IN RECEIPT OF EI WITHIN THE PAST THREE YEARS, OR HAVE RECEIVED MATERNITY BENEFITS WITHIN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, AS STATED IN THE REQUIREMENTS FOR JCP FUNDING.

***********THIS POSITION IS PENDING JCP FUNDING APPROVAL***************

Deadline: July 22th, 2009
Position Duration: Approximately one year, from October 2009-October 2010

How to apply:

Send cover letter and resume to
Mary Fearon
41 New Cove Road
St. John’s, NL
A1A 2B9