Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
November 15, 2007

Federal and Provincial Governments Help Norstead Village Bring Viking Customs to Life

The world-renowned Frommer�s tourist guide calls it a �must-see attraction� on the Northern Peninsula and now it�s about to get even better. Norstead Village, an award-winning replica Viking community, has received an investment of $210,250 from the federal and provincial governments to enhance its programming and marketing.

"The Government of Canada is working with its partners to get things done for rural communities in Newfoundland and Labrador," said the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Government of Canada. "Our government�s funding of $187,000 will enable Norstead Village to build on its reputation as a high-calibre tourist attraction with programming and activities that provide visitors with a once in a lifetime experience."

Norstead Village is located on a four-acre site approximately two kilometres from the UNESCO World Heritage Viking Site at L'Anse aux Meadows. This funding will allow Norstead Village to improve its programming by giving site re-enactors the opportunity to improve their interpretation skills, as well as their mastery of Viking crafts and trades such as nalbinding (one needle knitting), pottery, blacksmithing and spinning. The funding will also be used for marketing.

"The history of the Norse on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland is a unique and fascinating part of our history that attracts visitors from around the world," said the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. "Norstead Village not only offers tourists the rare opportunity to relive the past, but plays an essential role in making this part of the Northern Peninsula a much sought after tourism destination."

"Norstead Village was created to give visitors the experience of what living in a Viking village, approximately 1,000 years ago, might have been like," said Gina Noordhof, president of the board of directors for Norstead Village Inc. "To that end, we have paid close attention to the accurate recreation of the spirit and style of an ancient Norse settlement. Moreover, this funding will allow us to continue improving our product and our services so that the visitor experience will be further enhanced."

In addition to observing demonstrations of Viking trades and crafts and enjoying Viking tales, visitors to Norstead Village can also step aboard the full-scale replica of the Viking ship, Snorri. Norstead Village won the provincial Attractions Canada award for Best New Attraction in 2000 and was the centerpiece of a series of events held in the same year to mark the 1,000-year anniversary of the Vikings� arrival in the New World.

Funding is being provided by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency through its Innovative Communities Fund ($187,000 for two years), Parks Canada ($4,000 in kind over two years) and the provincial Department of Innovation Trade and Rural Development ($19,250 for one year).

ACOA�s Innovative Communities Fund focuses on investments leading to long-term employment and economic capacity building in rural communities.

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Media contacts:

Doug Burgess
Director of Communications
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
709-772-2935
Scott Barfoot
Director of Communications
The Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-4570, 690-6290
Gina Noordhof
President of the Board of Directors
Norstead Village Inc.
709-754-3105
 

2007 11 15                                                   11:35 p.m.


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