Friday January 20th was a big day for the people of Grand Manan - that small exotic island in the Bay of Fundy.

They not only welcomed NHL legends for a game of hockey --- they had the grand opening of a new, heated mezzanine in their brand new rink.

You might not think of this as such a big deal -- but the people of Grand Manan only just got their rink last year.

Before that - there was no real reliable place to play hockey or skate.

Here's our interview with Rob MacPherson who is the chief administrative officer for the village of Grand Manan and we reached him at his office last Friday...

Close To Home: True Maritime Stories edition:

Pt1: Interview with contest winners

Winning Story:

1) Ebenezer Bishop

Pt2: Interview with Panelists & Thom Swift

You still have 2 days to get your entry into us -- we're looking for great Maritime true stories.It's all in conjunction with Canada Reads 2012. The national debates are focussing on non-fiction this year -- and we want to showcase true Maritime tales.The winning entry will be announced on Friday - then handed over to award-winning singer-songwriter Thom Swift to be crafted into a song.

Here's an entry we received from Catherine Norman-Donovan in Martin's River, NS. She calls her story "Millie's Tale"

 Millie's Tale Pt1

Do you have a Maritime story that's just waiting to be told??

As part of Canada Reads 2012, Close To Home is inviting you to tell your "true stories" -- for a chance to hear that story immortalized in song.

We're looking for stories of Maritimers who've succeeded despite the odds, or survived a series of mishaps, or lived through an unimaginable tragedy. It could be your own story, someone you know, or that of a historic Maritime figure.

Our panel of experts is Gooselane Editions publisher Susanne Alexander, Nova Scotia journalist and author Stephen Kimber, and PEI teacher and writer Deirdre Kessler.

They will choose the winning entry which will then be crafted into a song by award-winning New Brunswick singer-songwriter Thom Swift.

Give us a call, or write to us with your true Maritime story.

The deadline is Thursday, January the 19th at 4:00 p.m.

Close To Home brings listeners to the places where we live around the Maritimes -- and this holiday season, we want to bring you even closer to friends and family across the region.

We're inviting you to call in and send out a Christmas tune -- anything done by an East Coast artist - to someone in the Maritimes.

If you send out a greeting, you'll be eligible for prizes we'll be giving away -- including new Christmas CDs by Eleanor McCain and Dave Gunning, and a brand new CD from Natalie MacMaster.

Just call 1-877-429-4588, or message us on Facebook.

Do you live in a Maritime community that has a name no one seems to get right? We'd like to help you set the record straight...Whether it's Baddeck, St. Croix or Port Mouton...give us a call and tell us how it's done...We'll be giving away copies of the book Place Names of Atlantic Canada by William Hamilton, and we also have a copy of Rogues and Rascals: True Stories of Maritime Lives and Legends by Bob Kroll.

So call or write and give us the correct pronunciation of your town or one that you know about: 1-877-429-4588.

Every second Tuesday, all summer long, there's a small house in the north end of Halifax that opens up its gate and lets the neighborhood in. For the last three years, Ella Tetrault and her friend Bethany Riordan-Butterworth have been running something called the Fuller Terrace Lecture Series from the comfort of their own backyard. The event has become a community hit, with an average of 100 people showing up. On the line to tell us more - including what exactly they're doing - is Ella Tetrault