Arthur keeps Blomidon Provincial Park closed another weekend

One of Nova Scotia’s most popular camping areas remains closed as the cleanup from post tropical storm Arthur continues.

It could be next week before Blomidon Provincial Park reopens.

The park remains closed to the public, for the most part, while crews continue to clean up from the mess left behind.

Visitors can play on the beach, but the campground still needs tidying up and there's no power. Wires can be seen torn from power poles.

Kristl Walek didn't know about the closure until she arrived at the park.

“Surprised and sad,” she said. “We drove up here from Annapolis today. I'm a lover of nature and of wild plants and I spend a lot of time in this park.”

The bad news for campers hoping to enjoy the park is also bad news for local businesses who benefit from the tourists.

In nearby Canning, butcher Andrew Huntley says business is slow this week.

“We get a lot of campers from the one here and the one at the look off. So we've got two campgrounds we do in the summer and yeah, it's a lot of business."

Kevin Rand runs the local Home Hardware and has seen the impact of a closure during peak camping season.

"It's, you know, it's crucial to our economy here in Canning. We have a couple of different parks but Blomidon is probably the busiest park," he said.

Provincial officials are also anxious to get the park reopened.

“We're keen. We're eager,” said Jordan Post, who is overseeing the clean up for Natural Resources.

“The staff are working hard and I know that people are chomping at the bit to get back up here. This is prime camping season so it will be great to get back up and running again."

Post says if Nova Scotia Power can hook up the electricity this weekend the park could be back up and running by Monday.