02-05-2025
Shipping container beverage hub to open in popular Salisbury park
A former member of Parliament is embarking on a one-year pilot project to provide a snack and beverage space in a popular Salisbury park.
Alaina Lockhart, who previously served as Fundy Royal's MP, is now president of The Fox in the Park, a new shipping container space to offer craft beer, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages in Highland Park, which has undergone significant renovations.
Last year, Salisbury had added an extension to its existing walking trail and a new amphitheatre for community events. Lockhart's husband, Rick, is the owner of Sussex Ale Works and when the couple heard about the improvements to the park, they approached the town to see if they could do a beverage hub as a pilot.
Lockhart said they had seen other similar concepts with The Holy Whale in Riverview and the licensed beer garden in Dieppe Rotary St-Anselme Park.
'The feedback I've heard from both locations is that the community really enjoys them,' she said, noting they will be able to benefit from the traffic of the walking trails and events in the park.
Soft pretzels from The Country Home Bakery in Sussex, as well as chips, will be part of the snack offerings, but Lockhart said they would also like to collaborate with other local businesses in Salisbury.
'That's kind of the exciting part about setting up in a new community is seeing what partnerships happen there,' she said.
There will be seating around the shipping container hub with a licensed area, and will fit with the woodland atmosphere of the park. Lockhart said they plan to have activities, like live music or trivia and contribute to the park being a gathering space.
'It's a great opportunity to kind of feel it out and be nimble enough that we can respond to what the community is looking for,' she said.
The hope is to be open on June 1 and operate from June until October from Thursday to Sunday with the potential of having pop-up openings later in the year to coincide with community events.
Lockhart said The Fox in the Park got its name from Salisbury's reputation as a fox farming community, as well as the values she and her husband hold as business owners.
'We'd like to think that the way we do business is clever-minded and curiosity driven and that fits with the fox as well,' she said.
Salisbury's chief administrative officer Austin Henderson said in a statement the town is looking forward to offering this on a pilot basis, in hopes of attracting more people to the park.
'The Town has been intentional with investments at the park, including the new amphitheatre and the trail network that connects directly to the park, and we are hoping this will bring people to the core of our community and leverage these assets,' said Henderson. 'This type of vision is in alignment with the Town's Economic Development Strategy, aimed primarily at getting people off of the highway area into our community.'
