'We don't want to jinx ourselves': Tyne Valley preparing for top-4 Hockeyville announcement

Organizers of the Hockeyville bid in Tyne Valley are expecting several hundred people at a viewing party for the announcement of the communities in the top four, and plan to hit the ground running if they make the cut.

The announcement will be made March 14 during Hockey Night in Canada, and there will be a party at the Tyne Valley fire hall.

The contest has a top prize of $250,000 to be put toward arena upgrades.

"We don't want to jinx ourselves," said Adam McLennan, chair of Tyne Valley'sHockeyville committee.

"We don't want to get too far ahead, but same time you only got 13 and a half days between the announcement and when voting starts and that doesn't leave you a lot of time, especially when it all falls around March break."

The Tyne Valley bid has been receiving a lot of support because, unlike other communities,Tyne Valley is looking to rebuild entirely after losing theirarena to fire in December.

McLennan said there is a lot of organizing to be done to rally votes if the community does make the final four, and they don't want to be caught flat-footed.

"It's going to bea mass event that will be co-ordinated in a very short period of time," he said.

The community will be able to draw on its experience of hosting the annual oyster and Rock the Boat festivals, he said. The committee is also getting advice from nearby O'Leary, which won in 2017, and Renous, N.B., which won last year.

The event at the fire hall will begin at 6 p.m. on March 14 and is open to all ages. McLennan said the party is not just to mark Hockeyville, but also to celebrate all the work that has gone into getting the Tyne Valley rink rebuilt.

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