13-06-2025
From brews to BBQ: Maritimers get set to celebrate Father's Day weekend
Andrew Morrow and Bryan MacDonald, co-owners of Breton Brewing Co. in Coxheath, N.S., are pictured on June 13, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Ryan MacDonald)
Dads who stop in for a pint at Breton Brewing in Coxheath, N.S., this Father's Day weekend will find something in common with the two men who run the craft brewery.
'We both have two young boys,' said co-owner Andrew Morrow, who operates the microbrewery with his business partner Bryan MacDonald.
'Mine are 11 and eight, and same with Bryan.'
The pair's other baby – the brewery – is just a couple of weeks shy of its tenth birthday, which means their business came to life shortly after the men became fathers for the first time.
'Yeah, it was a juggle for sure,' said Morrow. 'I mean, we both had other professions too and we had young families, so it was definitely a test of strength and attitude.'
At Governor's Pub & Eatery, a restaurant along the Sydney waterfront, owner and head chef Ardon Mofford said the hope is the recent streak of wet weekends will finally end giving fathers and their families some patio weather.
'Obviously, we'll get more dads in here and they'll get to sit outside and enjoy the scenic view of the harbour,' said Mofford of the possibility of a good forecast for Saturday and Sunday. 'We're going to fire up the barbecues. We have all kinds of steaks and ribs on.'
Along with dad jokes, there is another thing fathers are known for: good advice.
'I think just doing everything to 100 per cent capacity, making sure you're doing things well,' said Morrow about a life lesson given by his father.
Morrow's first job was cleaning an apartment building in Montreal.
'I used to have to vacuum and sweep and I made sure it was done really well,' he said. 'I carried that on for my whole life, and I would always say that to my sons too, 'Do whatever you're going to do and do it really well.''
MacDonald will spend some of the weekend with his father Paul – a retired high school math teacher who is one of the regulars at his son's business.
'He's supported me over the years, but kind of allowed me to make my own decisions,' the younger MacDonald said. 'But he's been very helpful, and I still chat with him most days about different things in life and I know that Father's Day is an important weekend.'
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