The first restaurant in serve Kentucky Fried Chicken in Nova Scotia was Town and Country Restaurant on Quinpool Road in Halifax. Town and Country Restaurant was located where Quinpool Road’s modern KFC is today.
Town and Country was owned by “Colonel” Ernie Edwards and began serving Kentucky Fried Chicken after Edwards met Colonel Harland Sanders during the 1950’s. This meeting was reported to have happened at Halifax’s Hotel Nova Scotian, today’s Westin Hotel in the city’s south-end. Colonel Harland Sanders was in town at a restaurant industry convention to promote franchise opportunities for his restaurant chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
One account of a guest at the hotel who was attending a wedding and shared an elevator with Sanders was that The Colonel and himself both wore white suits, but Colonel Sanders suit was pristine with no grease marks.
This was the first account of Colonel Sanders visiting Nova Scotia, but there were at least three other visits in 71′,72′ and 76′.
Colonel Sanders rode on the back of an open convertible with franchise owner, Ernie Edwards in Dartmouth’s Natal Day Parade of 1971. The above photo was captured by Emery Pettigrove who was attending the Natal Day Parade. The limousine is passing along Octerloney Street with Christ Church in the background.
Colonel Sanders would return to Nova Scotia in 1972 where one of his stops included Antigonish where he visited the Town’s Kentucky Friend Chicken location and was interviewed by local radio station CJFX.
It was a visit to Colchester County in 1976 that lives in the minds of many. Colonel Sanders was good friends with Colchester’s Don “Bun” Hay, a WWII veteran. Hay owned Truro’s popular restaurant, The Sugar Bowl and had begun opening Kentucky Friend Chicken outlets including the popular one in Stewiacke. Bun Hay hosted Colonel Sanders for almost a week in and around Truro. The Colonel made many rounds to public events including The Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition. He visited The Truro Raceway, and the Kentucky Fried Chicken Shubenacadie location.
“He was at my house that same week (as the Provincial Exhibition) as my father was Warden of Colchester County at that time and toured Colonel Sanders around the area.” recounted Lisa Patton on Facebook. “No one told me he was coming though so both my brother and I were in our jammies ready for bed when our photo was taken with Colonel Sanders”
Colonel Harland Sanders died in Louisville, Kentucky in 1980 at the age of 90. His memory lives on in Nova Scotia’s 21 KFC locations which still feature his image.