August has been a bumper month for businesses along the Halifax waterfront — unless they were selling umbrellas.
Thousands of people turned out for a harbour-side stroll on the last Sunday of the month as temperatures hit 26 C on yet another sunny August day.
A steady lineup waited to cool off with an ice cream from Cows. Victoria Pifano, a scooper at the shop, said the stretch of dry days has kept her busy.
“It was the busiest I’ve ever seen it,” she said. “It’s been pretty good, weather-wise.”
The peak period came during the Halifax International Buskers Festival, when customers lined up around the building.
Chris Denham, a manager at Murphys on the Waterfront, agreed good weather means good business.
“Everything’s been busy — the boats, the restaurant. It seems like we haven’t had any rain,” he said after the lunch rush. “With the nice weather, people are actually coming out.”
At the southern end of the waterfront, Eric Osborne sat on the docks dangling his feet in the harbour as a nearby street performer belted out Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones.
The Montreal resident was on a spontaneous road trip to Halifax and taking a moment to bask in the sun.
Osborne had heard stories about the harbour and didn’t trust it for a dip, but decided his lower extremities would be safe.
“I thought about it for a while and decided that my feet aren’t very clean anyway,” he said as he splashed his toes. “It’s lovely.”
