Here is the second part of Kevin Sullivan’s Foreword in the Anne of the Island novel, in which he discusses how Anne of Green Gables led to Road to Avonlea and how that influenced the development of Anne of Green gables: The Continuing Story.

Here is the third and final installment of “Anne of Green Gables: Evolution of a Series”.

Here is the second installment of “Anne of Green Gables: Evolution of a Series” that discusses how Kevin Sullivan brought Anne from a young orphan to a mature woman with a family of her own.

The following is the second excerpt from Kevin’s foreword in the “Anne of Green Gables” Centennial Edition novel. In this segment, Kevin explains the importance of staying true to L.M. Montgomery’s visual description of P.E.I. and finding a great cast.

The highly anticipated digitally remastered, widescreen special edition of Road to Avonlea – Season 6 will be available at the end of March 2012 exclusively at shopatsullivan.com. Here’s a sneak peek at the front cover.

We were excited to see Mag Ruffman (Olivia King-Dale) on Global's Morning Show last week, and even more excited to learn that she's working on a series of how-to videos with Lowe's Home Improvement.

Royalty as Celebrity Road to Avonlea shows us many different pass-times that were popular at the turn of the century. Social events, sports, reading, and crafts were all common activities. The internet, television, or splashy gossip magazines, didn't yet exist, but people still followed the lives and times of important figures. Even without gossip magazines and websites, and television news, the interest in certain public figures definitely existed during the time of Avonlea. ‘Celebrity’ took a different form, with the most interesting of all public being Royal families. As we see in Road to Avonlea Season 6, “What a Tangled Web We Weave”, a visit from the Polish Countess Polenska brings great intrigue to the small town. In Season 7, “King of the Great White Way” the mention of King George V is enough to excite even no-nonsense Hetty King. After the death of his father, King Edward VII of England in 1910, King George V took the British throne and he reigned from 1910 to 1936. In keeping with the time, the King and Queen had a large family, raising 4 boys and 1 girl, and their lives were followed by people around the world. The Royal families of all of Europe interacted both socially and politically, and their activities therefore made the newspapers around the world. Even before photographs were commonplace, Royalty would be emulated in their style of clothes, hats, hobbies and interests. Today many different types of celebrities are followed in this way, but the privileged world of the Royals still holds a special allure—Queen Elizabeth II is the first British Monarch to have her own youtube channel! http://www.royal.gov.uk

The Cannery In the days before refrigerators, canning was one of the only ways to preserve food. The McCorkndale cannery was an integral part of life in Avonlea. It was a major employer both for the factory workers and the fishermen and farmers who provided the food for canning, and provided food for people all across Canada. The cannery features in many Avonlea episodes. In Season 4, Episode 12, the business is sold to an American named H.B. Dunn, but Hetty King is determined to stop his plans to radically change Avonlea. Hetty purchases the cannery from Dunn, before turning it over to Jasper and Olivia to run as their own operation. When Jasper and Olivia take over, the business becomes known as the Dale Cannery, and Jasper is able to use his scientific knowledge to improve productivity and increase profits! Unfortunately, in Season 7’s episode “The Last Hurrah”, the Cannery is the site of a devastating fire, and the Dales eventually decide that they are unable to rebuilt it. The Cannery was vital to Prince Edward Island, and its role in Avonlea gives us another glimpse into what life was really like for people during that bygone era.

Look familiar?

Road to Avonlea features some spectacular winter scenes that remind us of the beauty and joy!