Newfoundlanders and Labradorians came home for Come Home 2022 celebrations and the province welcomed many first time visitors too.  The weather coorperated with record breaking sunshine for one record setting NL  summer.

There was a little something for everyone to enjoy. Wonderbolt Productions celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022, and they dazzled and delighted audiences all summer long. The George Street Festival was a huge hit and so was the Churchill Park Music Festival with both attracting huge and enthusiastic crowds. 

But whether it’s the large concerts on George Street or the smaller gatherings on an outport wharf, it’s been quite a summer to celebrate, Premier Andrew Furey said. “To see this (Come Home 2022) come from a concept to reality, and then to see the return, well the actual numbers speak for themselves,” he said as he launched into some cheerful chatter about the rise in tourism numbers throughout Come Home 2022. And the fun continues through the fall too with Come From Away: The Concert and Tell Tale Harbour yet to be celebrated and enjoyed. 

What was your favourite Come Home 2022 experience? Was it the Stanley Cup or a concert? Was it seeing family or friends or was it a wedding celebration that was delayed due to the pandemic. 

Share your super summer story with us at letters@nfldherald.com 

Charles & Camilla’s 2022 Royal Tour

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived St. John’s on May 17th to begin a three-day Canadian tour largely focused on reconciliation with Indigenous people. 

The couple attended a welcome ceremony at the provincial legislature with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon then it was off to Gov. House and Quidi Vidi.

Photos provided by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, taken by Alick Tsui Photography.

Kellie Loder Proves They’re Fearless

Not only is Kellie Loder selling out shows, but they are selling totally out of merch at these performances as well, they added when The Herald swung by for a chat. “The opportunity to be on a national television show, what that has done for me is amazing. People stop you on the side of the road and people shout at you from their cars. And it’s so positive,” they said of appearing on Canada’s Got Talent. 

 Had reality set in yet? Since being a  national sensation on CGT, so much had changed. “You work so, so hard for so long to get that sort of recognition that when you finally get it it’s a bit wild. Like, I still feel like I’m a small town kid from Badger and now people are wanting to carry my things and bring me water and food and steam my clothes. And I’m like, ‘What’s happening right now?’” 

Loder also felt “different” seeing their face on a NL Herald cover. “I would go to the store and The Herald would always be on the front counter, and I would see different faces every week on the cover and I always wondered if I was ever going to make the cover, do you know what I mean? I always wondered that, even when nobody knew who I was.” Well, now they certainly do! 

Show Your Pride in NL

Irma Gerd made NL proud as one of the contestants of the third season of Canada’s Drag Race. 

Gerd told The Herald that “The amount of support that I’ve gotten from all of Atlantic Canada, not just Newfoundland, has been overwhelming. Just positively overwhelming in the best way.” 

Pride events throughout NL recognized and celebrated the diversity of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community within the province and the Provincial Government sponsored St. John’s Pride Week as a part of Come Home 2022. Sponsored events included Drag on Water held on Saturday, July 23 as well as the St. John’s Pride Parade

Staycation with the OZFM Summer CREW

Kali Kenny and Noah Perchard hit the road in the OZFM Staycation Summer Cruiser and brought the cheer and the joy to many as they travelled the province throughout the summer of 2022.

Kenny told The Herald that being a member of the Staycation Summer Cruiser Team was a “dream come true.” 

The Regatta Returns

For the very first time in Royal St. John’s Regatta history, there was a Women’s Long course race. 

North America’s oldest annual sporting event concluded with repeat champions in both the men’s and women’s races. NTV were winners of the Men’s Championship Race and Hyflodraulic won Stirling Communications Women’s Championship Race with a time of 5:11.

This year’s Regatta saw crowds return to the banks of Quidi Vidi Lake for the first time since 2019.

Jaida Lee Makes History

At 16 years old, Jaida Lee became the first female to compete in Men’s Baseball at the Canada Summer Games in 2022. The teenage baseball sensation and her father, Dave Lee, shared with media how “unreal” the experience was,  included the fact that she got to throw an opening pitch at a Blue Jays game.

Alex Newhook Brings Home Lord Stanley

Colorado Avalanche forward and St. John’s native Alex Newhook couldn’t stop smiling the day he brought the Stanley Cup home to St. John’s! 

The timing couldn’t have been better and fans young and old couldn’t get enough of the party that came with Lord Stanley held during Come Home 2022 celebrations.

About being only the third player from Newfoundland and Labrador to win the Stanley Cup, Newhook shared how he received congratulations from the other two who had done so before he did – Daniel Cleary and Michael Ryder. Newhook cheered along with fans so loudly as he yelled, ’Our fans are the best in the world’ that Newhook seemed to  have lost his voice during part of the Stanley Cup parade.

Was it emotion or cheering along with fans that cause the brief quiet spell? Probably a bit of both, but whatever the reason, it was a grand day in the province and an unforgettable day for Alex Newhook and his family and friends. Congratulations! 

Loder, there with a friend for a meal and a chat, was gracious enough to have a chat with a fan, even posing for a few pictures in the process. 

Come Home Queer

Having not long finished performing at the Come Home Queer celebration, Loder was beaming from the support – and from being on a recent cover of The Newfoundland Herald!  

“I was really, really impressed with how well the story was done. Dillon (Collins) had so many nice things to say.   I was really emotional when I read it,” they said.

Not only is Loder selling out shows, but they are selling out of merch at the shows as well, they add. “The opportunity to be on a national television show, what that has done for me is amazing. People stop you on the side of the road and people shout at you from their cars. And it’s so positive.”

You work hard for so long, and then suddenly, you’re a known name and face, Loder said.  “You work so, so hard for so long to get that sort of recognition that when you finally get it it’s a bit wild. Like, I still feel like I’m a small town kid from Badger and now people are wanting to carry my things and bring me water and food and steam my clothes. And I’m like, ‘What’s happening right now?’” 

Loder also felt “different” seeing their face on the Herald cover. “I would go to the store and The Herald would always be on the front counter, and I would see different faces every week on the cover and I always wondered if I was ever going to make the cover, do you know what I mean? I always wondered that, even when nobody knew who I was.”

‘Full circle moment’

It’s quite the feeling, Loder continued.  “It was like it was really a full circle moment to see my face there and be like, ‘That’s my face. And it’s on the cover of The Herald.”

Any words for fans? “I’d love to encourage people to come out and say ‘hi’ at the shows that I’m going to be doing in Newfoundland, and just keep watching out for me and keep saying ‘hi.’”

For more on Loder follow The Herald, and for show times and tickets, visit  kellieloder.com. 

“Has life changed?,” opens our sitdown with Kellie Loder, the resident pride of Newfoundland and Labrador. “Change” could be the understatement of the century. Loder, who’s graduated from superstar-in-waiting to full-blown national treasure, chews the question for a moment.

“It’s pretty wild to go anywhere now and be recognized. It’s different. It’s strange. It’s lovely. It’s wonderful. But yeah, I feel like I’m made for it,” Loder shared honestly, before adding, even more candidly, “A part of me worries that it’s going to be like a flash in the pan, but I don’t feel like it is.”

For those firmly housed in a bubble, Loder made international waves for their runner-up performance in the sophomore season of Canada’s Got Talent. Wowing the all-star judges with one knockout showcase after another, Loder firmly cemented what many on this island and beyond already knew: Kellie Loder’s Got Talent.

“When I walked out for the first time, I was confident enough in my abilities that I almost knew that I would leave an impression because it’s either I leave an impression or all these people that have heard me sing before are lying to me. I felt confident. Went out and did the thing and, you know, blew some minds,” Loder laughs, echoing remarks from their debut performance.

‘I was hoarse’

Loder rocketed through the ranks of the series, earning a slot in the grand finale, though not one that came without struggle.

“What really was interesting about the finale and working so hard to get to that point where there were just eight acts left, I woke up the morning before the finale and I was hoarse,” Loder shared.

“My voice was only at like, 30 or 40 per cent. I have videos of me talking that day, and it’s just not good. Like it sounds like there’s a frog in there and it’s like, honest to God, really? We did the rehearsal the day before and after the rehearsal I cried because I felt like my voice let me down. And I had worked so hard to get to this point.”

Nursed back to health by a close friend and a medical team that rolled out what they referred to as “super-star treatment,” Loder entered the finale at roughly 70 per cent of their singing prowess, still managing to clock in at a more-than-impressive second place finish.

Loder admits the night of the finale was an emotional rollercoaster for all hands, with demand for the result so high that the series website crashed, with Newfoundland rallying en-masse behind their home-grown contender.

“Oh, there were a lot of emotions going on, I remember. All the acts were backstage in the ballroom watching the show when they weren’t on the stage themselves and I couldn’t even get through. Like I was on my phone trying to get through the website to see what people were talking about,” Loder recalled. 

“I just sort of sat there and I was like whatever happens, happens. We’ll call it destiny. We’ll call it fate. I was frustrated that people couldn’t get through of course. I was like everybody else.”

Despite a narrow loss to series winner Jeanick Fournier, Loder had arrived, firmly establishing themselves as a can’t miss musical heavyweight.

Rave reviews

In the immediate aftermath of their CGT run, Loder returned home to St. John’s for their first ever headline appearance at Holy Heart Theatre, one that earned rave reviews from the adoring Newfoundland faithful. 

“I really didn’t know how well we did, honestly, till I started seeing the feedback and talking to people” Loder admits. “And they said it was the best time they ever saw me. So I was like, okay then we’ll take it!”

Post-CGT and Loder is now firmly situated for success, acquiring a team that includes an established manager and booking agent, the fruits of years of tireless labours plying their trade and sharpening skills finally realized.

“Having a team now is just a game changer, really,” Loder said. “It’s like being a boxer and nobody believes in you enough to stand next to you, to grease your face up. And it just feels good to have people in your corner now. It just makes you feel stronger and makes you feel more fearless, no pun intended (laughs). You’ve been working hard your whole life at this and you’ve gotten really good at it. And now people want to help the dream come true.”

Sharing Stages

With their profile skyrocketing, and a slew of impact performances on deck – including the Ottawa Blues Fest, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, George Street Festival, and opening for Juno winner Chantal Kreviazuk in Niagara Falls, with an exclusive reveal of a cross-NL headline tour this September – Loder’s potential is limitless, as is the admiration from their home-province.

“I’m right there for it,” Loder shares with a smile. “I’m pleasantly surprised, like the way people talk about me and the way people lift me up in conversation, I’m just like, really? Me? It’s still very much like wow, that’s who you’re talking about, and who you’re talking about is me. I don’t know. I feel like I knew that this would happen eventually at this level, for sure. But I just didn’t know when it would or how it would. When you leave your house and somebody stops in the middle of the street in their car and gets out to give you a hug, there’s something to be said for that.

“You’re like a trailblazer in the eyes of a lot of people, right? They look up to you,” Loder adds reflectively. “I went to this school yesterday. I went to Rennie’s River Elementary and went to three different classrooms and sang songs for them, chatted to them and they thought I was like Freddie Mercury or something. They thought I was like Adele and they were lining up for autographs. Just like their little faces, man. I just can’t even handle it. They look at you and they say wow, that’s somebody who’s following their dreams. Such an experience, I could cry just thinking about it.”

Loder, who expressed that this island will “always be home,” is quick to respond to their thoughts on inspiring a new generation of dreamers.

A firm and fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Loder has seen the messages of those inspired by their fearless and candidly authentic run to super-stardom.

‘All I ever wanted’

“It’s so affirming, because that’s all I ever wanted. I love being a performer, yes. But at the end of the day, the reason I’m doing it is mostly for people to feel all the things, you know?,” Loder shared with passion. 

“Even through the songwriting, I want people to come to my show and have an experience and let their emotions come up and let them out and hopefully be inspired to also be true to who they are and live their best life, for lack of a better term. Walk in their truth, because when you walk in your truth there’s so much that happens that it just feels more aligned. It’s like going to the chiropractor for your heart. You go to the chiropractor, you get cracked and everything’s aligned again. When you walk in your truth, your heart gets aligned with your mind. And life just feels better. Colours look brighter. Food tastes better. Way to go. This is what living is.”

For more on Kellie Loder, including music and tour dates, visit kellieloder.com and all official social medias

“Mom was 97 when she died, and she always loved everyone – it didn’t matter their sexuality or  their colour or religion. Love was love as far as mom was concerned,” she said. 

The one thing her mother always treasured without question was her son – the late comedic great, Tommy Sexton of CODCO fame. 

“Mom set up The Tommy Sexton Centre in Tommy’s memory and that’s a huge thing, it’s a big accomplishment for anyone. And Mom’s acceptance and respect for every human changed attitudes towards homosexuals and she was all about being kind to our fellow men and women, no matter what their sexual preference or creed or colour or whatever,” she said proudly.

Remembering her brother, who died of AIDS at the age of 36 in 1993, Mary shared that, from a very young age, her mother referred to Tommy as “sensitive,” though she thinks now that her mother most likely always knew her son was gay. 

“Tommy was never ashamed. He used to say, ‘I’m not a practicing homosexual. I’ve practiced enough. I’m a full blown homosexual.’ And, you know, he was proud of the fact that he was who he was,” she said.

While Tommy’s comedic legacy is something to forever cherish, something else to never forget is how time-tested and true a mother’s love for her child should be, no matter what path their child travels. “My mom accepted Tommy as a talented, funny, beautiful human being and she always said she loved him for who he is and she never, ever wavered.” 

If ever there was a place that embraced all aspects of the supernatural, mythology, and folklore, Newfoundland and Labrador is it.

Folklore encompasses traditions common to a specific culture, including oral traditions like tales and proverbs, passed on from generation to generation. 

The word folklore was coined in 1846 by the Englishman William Thoms, and although folkloric materials can be found all over the world, the majority of popular folklore we know today was derived in Europe, particularly England, Ireland, and Germany. This would explain why it’s so alive in Newfoundland and Labrador’s culture, as settlers emigrated over the past two or three centuries from these areas. Much also comes from the cultures of aboriginal peoples. 

It’s no surprise that folklore is ever so present in local literature, including Bernardine Ann Teráz Stapleton’s latest novel Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands. 

A Successful Career

Stapleton, born in North West River and raised in Marystown, has been writing for all 40 years of her career in the arts. Throughout her childhood, reading and writing played a major role. 

“Truly, I was writing before I could speak, having learned to read and write from my grandfather reading from Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery magazines,” she shared in an interview with The Newfoundland Herald. 

“I did not utter a word until I was three years old, but was writing plays and books about murder and ghosts.” 

Her work as a playwright and collaborator has been incredibly successful in both achievement and longevity. Her play Offensive to Some, written 25 years ago, is still produced regularly around the country. She’s a recipient of the Rhonda Payne Award from Arts NL, and her play The Pope and Princess Di was listed on the Playwrights Guild of Canada SureFire List in 2018. 

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Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands embraces an array of mythological beings. The main character Girly Muckle is a queer teenaged Selkie, a creature living as a human by day and transitioning into a seal by night. 

She lives in a fictional village called The Battery, which is populated by folkloric characters who are slowly disappearing as their natural habitats are eaten up by industrialization. Girly and her friends form a band, The Queer Hands, and flout the rules by claiming their individuality and sexuality. 

“Girly represents the person who always feels like the odd one out, the queer hand within us all,” Stapleton says. “The sense of never belonging, never fitting in, never feeling at ease within our own selves. She’s the lost child we all hold inside. This makes her important, and I hope gives her an ageless relevance.”

Simple Lessons

Stapleton’s inspiration behind the book was simply thinking about what she wished she could have read herself as a teenager. A novel full of questions and exploration despite society’s judgmental and restrictive views.

Throughout the novel, we follow Girly’s journey as she struggles to come to terms with her own sexuality and feelings towards her best friend Sasha, an Adlet, which is a race of creatures from Inuit mythology of Greenland and Labrador. 

“It’s important, and essential, to see queer fictional characters in all forms of literature. As rich and varied as the queer literary landscape has become since my own youth, it is still light years away from being as densely populated as ’straight’ fiction,” she explained. 

“Perhaps one day we won’t need the labels, but then perhaps we always ought to, in order to be able to demand the space.” 

Although the novel was originally written with aim towards young adults, Stapleton explained that she wrote to her own inner child, an inner childlike aspect we all carry in our conscious mind. 

‘Be Yourself’

The innocent tone and personal growth of the novel makes the writing appealing to anyone of any age looking for empowerment in claiming their own self. 

“I hope my readers finish with hope and a sense of how fragile the world is, and how restorative even small acts of rebellion can be. Resist the pressure and tides of conformity. Be yourself among them. The lessons of the book are simple: to thine own self be true, tell the truth, follow your heart. It’s never too late to find out who you really are.” 

For more information on Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands, including where to purchase your paperback or eBook copy, visit bernistapleton.com, problematicpress.com, and amazon.ca.