August 22, 2026 in East Chester
The party is on. See you today, Saturday, August 22.
It is hot and hazy in Chester, perfect for a cold IPA.
Ten years ago, I had an “event”on the soccer field—and thanks to some incredible friends, quick-thinking soccer players, and lifesaving CPR, I’m still here to talk about it! Come celebrate with us. Like any good fishing story, the details of that day get bigger every year, so come hear the latest version in person.
📅 The Details
- When: Saturday, August 22. Drop in anytime during the afternoon or evening.
- Rain Date: Sunday, August 23.
- Where: 3131, Hwy 3, East Chester, NS, B0J 1J0.
- Parking: I will post a map showing the places to park. If it is busy, and you are just dropping in for a quick visit, it may be better to park just outside the property so you don’t get blocked in.
- Who: Friends, soccer teammates, plus your husbands, wives, kids, and plus-ones. The more, the merrier.
☀️ Update – August 17, 2026
Thank you all for sending an RSVP indicating that you will probably come to the party on Saturday, August 22. We have over 100 people who will be down at some point in the day / night. It is going to be a great day. Kids are welcome, we will have 6 – 10 young people between 20 and 25, and a few 10-11 year olds, so feel free to bring yours.
I wanted to send out a quick update on a few things, probably too much information. Please visit the website for any changes, including the rain date of Sunday, August 23, but the weather looks like it may cooperate on Saturday.
Do you play guitar or other instrument? Please bring them and we will sign along.
We are also celebrating our dog Sylvie who just turned 15 years old. She is feeling great, but because of her age we are asking people to leave their furry friends at home. The party will make her a little anxious, so other dogs may not be the best thing for her. She is a superstar, so feel free to take selfies with her and tag her Instagram account @SylviePooch.
Layout of the property.
We will have the main gathering at our place at the top of the hill, but feel free to walk down to the water. You can sit of the dock and put your feet in, or you can go for a swim, take out our kayak, or paddle boards. Our boat will be marked with balloons if you want to swim out and chill out there for a bit. If you plan on getting in the water please bring a towel.
Hosts
Our place is at the top of the hill, Marc, Joanna, Abbie (& Connor) and Calvin will be able to help you with everything you need.
Joanna’s brother and sister live down the hill, Nevin, Kelli, Ben and Zoe (on the left), Nicole, Rob and Lilly (on the right). Please take a minute and chat with as many of them as you can.
Parking.
The website has a good map of where to park. Our main driveway is narrow (marked with balloons), and we may have a camper in it . This driveway is a great idea if you plan to drop off a cooler, food, etc, and then park in one of the other places. We will have one car Parked at the end facing out, so you can park behind the white VW, but you may not be able to make a quick exit, so keep that in mind when parking.
Duncan Road is right across the street (Hwy 3), but be mindful of our neighbours and the trail crossing. Please be careful exiting our upper driveway as there is a blind crest on both sides, take a few seconds to make sure no cars are coming up the hill or driving too fast from the Chester direction.
Our neighbour has also let us use their yard for more parking Nick’s driveway is the next one over from us, Rabbit Lane, marked with balloons. As you turn into Rabbit Lane immediately turn right for parking. If you go all the way down Rabbit Lane, please turn around at the end and come back to park.
Graves Island Extra Parking Lot is not very far at all, and it is also on the map.
Games
We will have a few games to play that I hope everyone can enjoy. Bucket golf is new to us and is a lot of fun and if you have a pitching wedge or sand wedge please bring it along, so more people can play. We have 5 our 6 clubs right now.
Corn Hole, and washer toss are favourites. We have a few Washer tosssets but only one corn hole set, so if you have one you want to bring down please do.
If you like fishing, the mackerel may be running by the dock and I will have a couple of rods down there for you to use.
Food
We will have a BBQ going in the late afternoon with burgers, sausages, chicken burgers and veggie burgers. We have friends bringing green salads, potato salads, Mac & Cheese, sweets and in the evening we will have some corn chowder. If you want to bring something, send me an email, or bring something easy that can withstand the heat, cookies, sweets, chips, and simple snacks.
Drinks
A few coolers will be placed strategically around the property with beer, soda water, water, pop, etc. And we will have a recycle bag for the empties. If you plan on sticking around you might want to BYOB but we have a bunch to share.
Tenting
We have a number of people who will pitch a tent and stay the night, so if you want to do that, please let me know. I have 3 tents that will be set up, one is taken, so if you want to spend day night, please do
Porta potty
For the past two years our well ran out of water from our well in late August, so we rented a porta potty. It will be close to our place in the upper driveway. The house will be accessible all day
Thanks for reading to the end of my long-winded email. The last thing I will say is that there are a lot of people coming from all phases of my life. I have friends from pre-school and elementary, high school and university, parents and players that I coached 35 years ago all the way up to 5 years ago, as well and friends, co-workers and random people I met on the street. If you see someone you don’t know, please ask them “ How do you know Marc?” If they look at you strange, they may be my soccer buddies who know me as “Butsy.”
See you all this Saturday and expect a hug.
✉️ RSVP
Please send a quick reply email to to let us know:
- If you can make it (and how many people you are bringing).
- If you plan on pitching a tent on the lawn.
I will update this page with more details as I think of them. Drop me an email if you have any questions. See you there!