The short answer -- The third weekend in August.

 

Good to know -- The New Brunswick Antique Auto Club Giant Flea Market is always the third week of August. We expect 40,000 visitors to peruse the nearly 1,000 tables set up around Princess Louise Park that weekend. Plan to join us between 8 am and 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, and between 8 am and 5 pm on Sunday.

 

 

 

The short answer --The weekend after Labour Day.

 

Good to know -- The Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta always takes place the weekend after Labour Day. You will be able to watch 30 hot air balloons from across Canada and the U.S. float over Sussex during those three days.  However, with the Sussex area fast becoming the hot air ballooning centre for Atlantic Canada, you can often see one of these wonderful creations floating overhead year round!

 

The twice-daily launches happen at approximately 6:30 am and 6 pm as they  usually provide the calmest air conditions of the day. There must be practically no wind for hot air balloons to fly safely, making it a highly weather-reliant sport.

Hot air balloon rides can only be booked the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no preregistrations and no guarantees a flight will happen. You can obtain information on flights during the fiesta from the information booth in Golden Jubilee Hall, near the launch field in Princess Louise Park.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The short answer -- There are 16 covered bridges in the Sussex area, one-quarter of the 61 such bridges remaining in New Brunswick.

 

Good to know -- Eight of those 16 covered bridges are within a 10-minute drive of downtown Sussex. This makes the Sussex area the Covered Bridge Capital of Atlantic Canada. Find instructions on a variety of self-directed tours of the bridges on our Downloads or Bicycle page.

 

You can tell a New Brunswick covered bridge from others like it by two main characteristics. The first and most apparent is they were not painted, with the boards being left to weather to their signature grey colour. The Point Wolfe covered bridge in Fundy National Park is the rare exception. The second reason is the taller openings or portals. As most of the bridges were built in farming territory, the rules were the bridge had to allow a full wagonload of loose hay to pass through easily.

 

 

 

The short answer -- To make them last longer. A covered bridge lasts up to five times as long as one without a roof.

 

Good to know -- The pragmatic men who constructed New Brunswick's covered bridges put the roof over the bridge floor for a very simple reason. Protecting the working beams, or the supports underneath the bridge floor, from the wetting and drying that comes with being rained upon extends the useful life of a bridge substantially. An open or uncovered bridge could be expected to last 20 years. Covering that same bridge means it will still be serving travelers 80 to 100 years after it was built.

 

 

 

There are just over 4,200 residents within Sussex town borders. Neighbouring Sussex Corner is home to 1,300 residents, with the greater Sussex area serving 30,000 people.

As for dimensions, the town is 3.5 km wide from the border it shares with Sussex Corner to Hwy 1 at the west end (near Gateway Mall). It is 2 km from the intersection of Leonard Drive and Main Street in Sussex to the flashing light at Needle Street (Route 121), Sussex Corner.

 

 

 

The short answer -- No.

 

Why not? -- The Sussex train station on Broad Street is one of its signature landmarks. In fact, Sussex was created because of the train. Freight trains pass through town regularly, but passenger service has been discontinued. The closest connection for passengers wishing to travel by rail is Moncton. The Sussex train station is now home to a military museum, the Sussex visitor information centre, business offices for the local chamber of commerce and downtown business association, as well as Sully's famous ice cream stand.

 

 

 

The short answer -- The big one is Daisy, the calf is Buttercup.

 

Good to know -- The world's largest cows, Daisy (the mother) and Buttercup (the calf), greet visitors to Sussex from their paddock at Exit 195 on Hwy 1. Daisy is four times the size of a normal cow. The Holstein cows were a gift to the town of Sussex from the Irving family to mark the area's history as a dairy community.

 

A mature Holstein cow normally measures five feet tall at the shoulder and 8.5 feet long from nose to tail. Daisy stands 12 feet high at the top of her head and is 16 feet long, while Buttercup is five feet tall and eight feet long. This makes Daisy more than twice the height and four times the size of your average cow!

  

 

 

The short answer -- For more than a century, we have been producing the most milk in the Maritimes.

 

Learn more -- The Sussex region was producing most of Atlantic Canada's milk when the town was incorporated in 1904. Local businessman Hugh McMonagle is credited with importing some of the best dairy cattle to the region in the mid 1800s. This lead to its reputation as the Dairy Centre of the Maritimes. The Sussex area is home to 1/3 of New Brunswick's dairy farmers today. Our proud reputation continues, with Dairytown Products producing the world's best butter and being a regular national leader in this golden spread.