Saint John’s regional growth agency has launched a new anthem for the region it hopes will help attract more people.
Envision Saint John teamed up with local band Tomato/Tomato to reimagine the classic children’s song “Down By The Bay”.
“We really looked at how do we celebrate the region that we live in, and what better way to do that with a local favourite Tomato/Tomato,” Paulette Hicks, CEO of Envision Saint John, said in an interview Monday.
“They have a strong following, they really represent who we are very authentically, and they are very talented.”
Hicks said they wanted to showcase the urban beauty of Saint John and the towns surrounding it: Quispamsis, Rothesay, Grand Bay-Westfield, Hampton, and St. Martins.
Tomato/Tomato — made up of husband and wife team John and Lisa McLaggan — visit several popular spots in the region during the two-minute and 36-second video.
That includes Imperial Theatre, the historic Saint John City Market, the Fundy Trail Parkway, and even one of the region’s several cable ferries.
The campaign song and accompanying music video, released Monday, have already garnered hundreds of views and, according to Hicks, a lot of great feedback.
“People are loving it,” she said. “They certainly see themselves in this as part of the region, so hopefully building pride and place, but even more so I think people are using it as a teaser and an invite to get their family home.”
“Our right-size city and nearby towns offer a quality of life that is the envy of much of the country,” Hicks added, noting our province’s “exemplary management” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Envision Saint John says while the new song and video will be the focus of their destination marketing campaign this season, it is designed to be a platform for growth across all the attraction pillars within their mandate.
You can see the lyrics for the anthem below the video.
Down by the bay
Where the fog horns blow
It feels like home
Wherever you go
And when you do
You’ll probably say
Have you ever seen a city
With a Harbour so pretty?
Down by the bay
Down by the bay
Where the rivers flow
We call it home
You should really go
For if you do
You might just say
Have you ever been carried
By a cable ferry?
Have you ever felt culture
like a modern sculpture?
Down by the bay
Down by the bay
Where the sea dogs roam
It’s close to home
So why not go
And if you do
You’ll want to stay,
cause…
Did you ever think you’d rove
an enchanted cove?
Have you ever had a beer
In such an atmosphere?
Down by the bay
Have you paddled down a river,
yeah, you can giv’er?
seen historical places
on the Kennebecasis?
Have you ever seen the shore
From on the ocean floor?
Or walked on the air
with the wind in your hair
Have you ever cast a line
from a beach so fine?
Or ever even seen
So many trails of green?
Have you seen a city’s heart,
Filled with public art?
Have you ever seen a market…
Um… what rhymes with market?
I don’t know, but it’s the oldest one in Canada
Down by the bay
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