[Image-1] Dean Nelson’s family has been cutting granite since 1909. The vice-president of Heritage Memorials in Windsor says his company now produces upwards of 3,500 headstones annually for Atlantic Canadians. Emotionally and physically, it’s heavy work. Nelson spoke with The Coast about his headstone business and the mark it’s made. ——— 
 Where do you […]
Halloween
Posted inNews + Opinion
Ending the gay blood ban is easier said than done
[Image-1] If they’re not careful, the Liberals’ election promise to end Canada’s discriminatory gay blood ban could end up slipping through the bureaucratic cracks. The newly-elected Liberal government promised to end the restrictions Canadian Blood Services has in place preventing the donation of blood by men who have been sexually active with other men, but […]
Posted inArts + Music
Halloween high 5: A spoopy playlist
“Don’t Haunt Me, OK?” Cold Warps “C’est L’Halloween,” Matt Maxwell “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah,” Tracy Morgan and Donald Glover “Don’t Ghost My House,” Fresh Talks “Halloween,” Krispy Kreme Related Stories
Posted inNews + Opinion
Chatting with spirits at the pub
Since the spirit of his father visited him as a teenager, Shawn Leonard says he’s been able to communicate with the dead. He’s helped families find closure, and worked with the police to solve murders. The Coast wanted to shoot the shit with a real live ghost, and Leonard was game, so we met at […]
Posted inArts + Music
Modern tarot cards have ancient power
Reading tarot cards is a cool party trick or a fun Sunday afternoon activity, but it’s also an ancient form of divination is designed to uncover the deepest, darkest parts of the mind. “There is actual power to be had through the tarot deck,” says tarot reader Christel LeBlanc. This year, the local graphic designer […]
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax’s Ghostbusters
Ever been by yourself at night and get the eerie feeling you’re not alone? Your heart races. Your hands sweat. You scan the darkness to quash your panic. You feel uneasy and unsettled. What was that noise? Quickly turn on a light. Is someone there? They might be. Several times a week, Light Workers Paranormal […]
Posted inArts + Music
Just like DIY Halloween costumes
The best Halloween costumes are often the most creative. Silly word puns, elaborate mechanics or an outfit from a sci-fi movie set are usually the winners at costume contests. But if you’re like me, you wait until the very last minute to whip something together. What’s a ghoul to do? Luckily Halifax has a number […]
Posted inArts + Music
Playing Indian
Fall: It’s the best of times and the worst of times. Shellacked root vegetables find their hand-painted way onto tables everywhere, orange and black-themed displays festoon shop windows and with the chill of October comes my spooky sixth-sense that craves old ’80s horror movies and an unhealthy amount of candy corn. It’s itchy sweater, apple […]
Posted inArts + Music
Nights of Gore haunts hard
A cornfield, just past a graveyard in a place called Gore? That’s a spot just begging to be haunted. But the Nights of Gore Haunted Corn Maze wasn’t always a place to fear when the sun goes down. By day, it’s the Courthouse Hill, a family-run farm that just happened to have put its fields […]
Posted inArts + Music
A Halloween Playlist For You
siouxie and the banshees: goth talk Loukas Crowther is the Coast’s production guru. Hi Loukas. When he’s not making the paper sexy, Loukas is also a DJ (you can see him many Saturday nights at Tribeca as Loukas Stilldrunk) and he’s rather good at it. For the second year in a row he’s put together […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Coast’s guide to a DIY Halloween
Notes from Meghan Whitton (photographer): cloak was made with a sheet and two drapes. I made the sword out of cardboard and tin foil. the “shield” is an aluminum plate from the dollar store. Fishnets from the dollar store. Dog chain bracelets from the dollar store, and lots of makeup. Photographers’ notes: hockey pads, bike […]
Posted inArts + Music
Dreaming about Drakaina
Meeting French fantasy art model Drakaina at a local diner is like a phone booth rendezvous with Clark Kent. She’s not difficult to spot, even while wearing a wool minidress that demurely covers her double-D chest. It’s the hair that gives Drakaina away: long, blonde curls that cloak her shoulders and back. Fantasy art has […]