The DDC is looking for Tourist Information Ambassadors to work in the Downtown this summer. Candidates must be outgoing and be knowledgeable of the businesses and services provided in the area. You must meet the conditions of the Student Employment Program and be a graduate of high school. Previous experience in customer service, tourist related work and / or training is a benefit. The ability to speak French is also an asset.

Please forward your resume before the close of business on Friday, June 22 to info@downtownstjohns.com or drop them off to the DDC office at 155 Water Street, suite 202-203. No phone calls please.

Here's a riddle: Heart's Content, Little Heart's Ease, Dory Buff, Red Cliffe, Memories of Brazil Street, Hard Tack.

What do all these have in common?

Besides their Newfoundland association, they're among the new paint colours developed by Templeton's and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The collaboration has taken about two years, said John Templeton, a partner with his cousin Dave Templeton in the downtown St. John's paint, wallpaper, home decor and hardware store.

The idea for Newfoundland-specific paint colours came from customers requesting heritage hues.

Previously, the store only had sample cards from places like mainland Canada or New England.

"It was not really representative of Newfoundland colours," John explained. "We just wanted to go back and bring out the Newfoundland colours."

"A lot of mainlanders were coming down and buying houses in rural Newfoundland," added Dave.

"They'd come in and say, 'I've got a heritage house - set me up.'"

George Chalker, executive director of the Heritage Foundation, said his organization has often been asked to help property owners select Newfoundland heritage colours. Problem is, there was no palette unique to the province.

"Secondly, people kept wishing to use heritage colours from elsewhere, primarily the United States, not local to the Newfoundland scene," Chalker said.

John dug out old paint cards from Matchless Paint, from the time when it used to operate at the Standard Manufacturing plant on Water Street.

Chalker said some of the original colours still exist on buildings, but with the advent of vinyl siding and other outside influences, those colours were starting to disappear.

Standard Manufacturing and Templeton's have had a long affiliation, Dave explained, with the paint store acting as a distributor.

Those old colours inspired the homegrown historic colours developed by Templeton's and the Heritage Foundation, John said, adding that the new paint chips sat on the paint store's counter for awhile to draw customers' comments.

"We had a lot of fun with it," Dave said.

The main colours are all based on traditional paint tints from Newfoundland, with some inspired by old Reid Newfoundland rail station colours that can still be seen in Avondale and Carbonear.

The main palette colours are accompanied by contemporary, co-ordinating colours, also named to reflect provincial heritage.

Chalker said Lara Maynard of the Heritage Foundation helped come up with the names.

Before the 1950s and '60s - when tintable paint became common and more colours burst onto the scene - homeowners didn't have a lot of choice, according to the paint history on the palette. Back then, houses were often painted one colour, with limited attention paid to trimwork.

And going back even further in time, in the early part of the 20th century before commercially made paints were available, paint was homemade and there were colours like Red Ochre and Dory Buff - colours replicated in the new line.

Ochre was composed of powdered hematite, or iron ore, and ranges in tone from orange to yellow. Early settlers mixed it with fish oil, seal oil or sometimes linseed oil.

The new colour palette also has a Jelly Bean series - eye-popping yellow, orange, orchid, aqua, vernon and red.

Other available colours include Duckish, Foggy Dew, Beachy Cove, Mussels in the Corner, Snow Dwigh, Doughboy, Harbour Deep, Bristol's Hope and Nanny-Goat.

Black is black and white is white. Iceberg Alley is an off-white. Blasty Bough is a rich brown. Sheilagh's Brush is ivory and Mollyfodge is mocha. Bark is well, bark coloured.

Scrunchions is the colour of fried pork fat - a surprisingly pleasant tone.

Rising Sun is a brilliant orange. Christmas Syrup is the colour of Santa's coat, minus the white.

Logy Beige is, indeed, beige.

Ferryland Downs looks like a lush meadow.

The palette is available at any store that sells Matchless products.

Excerpt from The Telegram Wednesday, June 13 by Barb Sweet bsweet@thetelegram.com

Canada's #1 morning show is heading east, far east that is. Canada AM's Beverly Thomson, Seamus O'Regan and Jeff Hutcheson will broadcast from St. John's on Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15. These special broadcasts are in association with the Canada Tourism Commission and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The broadcasts will give the rest of Canada an up-close look at all of the spectacular scenery and rich cultural heritage associated with Newfoundland and Labrador. Thursday's show is live from the Rooms. The show's line up includes musical guests "The Irish Descendants". Friday's show, live from Harbourside Park, Water Street, will offer a kitchen party with musical guests, "The Navigators".

As well, Jeff Hutcheson, Canada AM's weatherperson, will be broadcasting live from Quidi Vidi Village and Signal Hill on June 14 and 15 respectively.

The public are invited to attend any of the four broadcasts free of charge and encouraged to bring a sign for loved ones far away to increase the chances of being on air. Extensive release and go for traffic and parking restrictions will be in effect at four locations.

In addition to the broadcasts, Canada AM, the Canada Tourism Commission and Newfoundland and Labrador are unrolling the "Canada, We Are More" contest. Four viewers will get a chance to discover Newfoundland and Labrador. For details go to www.ctv.ca/canadaam.

For more information contact: Bernadette Walsh
Special Projects Officer
Department of Economic Development,
Tourism and Culture
City of St. John's
576-8537
bwalsh@stjohns.ca

An Information Session regarding the 2007 Harbour Interceptor Sewer (HIS) Construction Plan and Traffic Plan for Water Street East will be held Friday, June 8 at 2:00 pm in the Foran/Greene Room at City Hall.

The purpose of this meeting is to present to stakeholders (i.e. DDC, businesses, Port Authority, Metrobus, residents, etc.) the 2007 HIS construction plan for the summer and fall of 2007 and the associated Traffic Plan to for the area of Water Street east of Prescott Street.

For more information contact Mark Stuckless at the City of St. John's at 576 6182 or the DDC office at 579 4139.

It's too late for Paul Madden to get stage fright. The developer has just spent in the "$800,000-range" for the building that housed the old Capital Theatre and, more recently, CBC Radio.

He plans to pump another $3 million into refurbishing the former 500-seat venue, located at Duckworth Street and Henry Street in downtown St. John's.

"The journey of 1,000 miles starts with an operating line of credit," joked Madden, whose developments include Spa at the Monastery and the controversial condo development known as The Narrows being built at the former Standard Manufacturing site.

He intends to turn the theatre into a live performance space that fills the void between the 160-seat LSPU Hall and 1,100-seat St. John's Arts and Culture Centre.

Once open, the venue will be available for theatre, concerts, film screenings and lectures.

CBC Radio broadcast from the 324 Duckworth St. building for 54 years before moving to the CBC-TV building on Prince Philip Drive last month.

The national broadcaster converted part of the Capital Theatre into a studio after the popular movie house shut its doors in the late 1970s.

Madden, who remembers standing in line for movies at the Capital as a boy, started his bid to buy the building after a conversation with St. John's actor Rick Boland.

He said Boland told him about the need for a mid-sized theatre in the city and mentioned some potential properties.

Madden suggested the CBC Radio building, which he knew was going on the market.

He talked to others in the arts community and confirmed the need was real.

He then put a "significant deposit" down on the building.

The deal closed last Thursday and he picked up the keys at noon Friday.

A live theatre fan, Madden estimates that refurbishing the venue will take between nine and 15 months.

Walls and floors have to be stripped and the radio studio will be converted.

"This will be a very enjoyable challenge," he said. "This is something I know, I understand, and I like creating things. I like the fact you can come down here with a crew and start taking out walls; basically, taking something right from scratch and rebuilding."

Boland, who in a quest for such a facility spoke to a number of developers and looked at a various sites, welcomed Madden's purchase.

Noting there are things to be worked out with the arts community, he expected the venue would complement the city's existing theatre spaces, allowing for some shows to enjoy more feasible runs as well as possibly opening up new projects.

"There's a market and he's a developer so why not develop it?" the actor asked.

While the theatre will be his main focus, Madden plans to lease the remaining space in the building to artists and arts groups.

He wants it to become a downtown arts centre and said there's room available if there are artists interested.

Someone wanting to set up a recording studio has already approached him.

Madden said his plans for the building have gotten a lot of support, but he admits people wonder how he'll make money from it.

"Everyone seems to have this thing around the arts, that it is hard to get in and make money and make it work and make it as a business."

Madden is not too bothered by that sentiment, though. He looks forward to the challenge and said he's been there before.

"When I started the Spa at the Monastery, everyone told me I was nuts, that it was definitely not going to succeed, and yet it is certainly in the top three spas in Canada, by Chatelaine magazine."

By Steve Bartlett The Telegram June 5, 2007