Every spring for the past 22 years has been a blur of activity for Barb Hunter. Hunter owns The Deckhouse Pub on Summerside's Spinnakers' Landing, and this is the time of year when shes busy getting things cleaned up and ready to go for the busy tourist season.

This year, the shops at Spinnakers' Landing are shooting for a June 12 opening day, and Hunter is anticipating opening day with a renewed sense of optimism this year.   "It feels great, were looking forward to a good summer", she said.

Spinnakers' Landing is owned by the Summerside Port Authority and there was a lot of effort put into sprucing up the facility last fall; most of the buildings have new roofs, some have new flooring, the boardwalk was extended and a new sound system was installed. A new fountain has also been installed in the central pond. 

"It was time to freshen the place up", said Hunter, and its added a spring to her step. It just makes it more exciting to get back into it ... change is good, and you need a little refreshment.

Arnold Croken, president of the port authority, said recently that he's expecting a busy summer on the Summerside waterfront. There has been a lot of talk going on behind the scenes amongst the various stakeholders in the city on how best to compliment each other, he said, and Spinnakers Landing remains a key component of those efforts. They are, for example, working with local groups to bring more concerts and live entertainment to the Spinnakers' Landing pavilion.

"Over the past year there has been a significant effort from a whole host of organizations in Summerside to work together to make the most out of what we all offer", said Croken. Thats been fantastic for us at Spinnakers'. Everyone, I think, sees the benefit in promoting one another as we move forward.

Anyone interested in learning more about whats going on at Spinnakers' Landing can check out its social media outlets or its website, www.spinnakerslanding.com.  Colin.MacLean@JournalPioneer.com