It started with a lobster dinner. Now it's an East Coast institution

Detailed summary

The Shore Club in Hubbards, N.S., has spent more than eight decades serving up classic lobster suppers and live music to people from around the globe. A new CBC documentary pulls back the curtain on how the Harnish family managed to turn a rural dance hall into a Maritime institution.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the edge of a picturesque Nova Scotia cove, thousands of roaring fans watched the sun melt into a sky brushed with amber and blue, eagerly awaiting rocker Matt Mays to strike his first chord.

The outdoor festival took place just outside The Shore Club, a historic music venue and lobster supper hall in the tiny community of Hubbards that has endured for 90 years and draws visitors from across the globe.

After playing inside the wooden building every summer for decades, Mays admitted he initially worried whether its signature “magic” would follow him outdoors. It did.

“It's one of those places on earth that all the vibes are,” Mays said in a new CBC documentary about the club.

“It's a very spiritual event for myself … and if it's spiritual, that means it's just bigger than anything.”

The outdoor shows at the Shore Club represent yet another evolution in the story of how a quaint venue in a rural South Shore hamlet at the end of a winding road became a world famous Maritime institution.

Each summer, the family-run business draws thousands to its classic lobster suppers, electric concerts, camping under lofty pines and basking on its private beach.

The venue has gained a reputation among big Canadian artists and music fans for its distinct atmosphere and long-standing traditions.

Its unique Maritime esthetic has drawn the likes of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders, Mariah Carey, and Prince Charles and Lady Diana.

Opening of the article, excerpted from CBC News. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.