TORONTO and WINDSOR, N.S. – Martha Stewart had to cancel her planned trip to Nova Scotia this weekend as well as what was to be a special appearance on Life Network.
The style maven was to attend (and take part in) the sixth annual Pumpkin Regatta, a unique event where competitors row across Lake Pesaquid in Windsor, N.S., in decorated pumpkins.
However, Stewart only realized at the last minute that her parole conditions mean that she must apply for a special visa in order to travel out of the U.S. and since she doesn’t have one, she can’t go.
"I was really looking forward to it (the regatta) and Howard Dill, who was featured in our magazine and who grows amazing pumpkins up in Nova Scotia, invited me personally to come up,” said Stewart. “And it’s a very important festival because it involves the Children’s Wish Foundation. So I was all set, the plane reservations were made, our crew was ready to go and then I got a call that it is very important that with someone with my legal status right now to have a special visa to enter Canada and there’s no way for me to get the visa by Saturday.
"So I’m very sorry Nova Scotia, I’m sorry Children’s Wish Foundation and I’m especially sorry Howard Dill that I won’t be able to ride in one of those crazy pumpkin bateaus…but we will be sending our crew anyway and showing the wonderful regatta on our show in a couple of weeks and I’m just sorry that things like this do happen," she continued.
The Regatta will still be profiled on Martha on October 20th at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Life Network.
Stewart pledged $1,000 for the Children’s Wish Foundation, which was then matched by Life Network.