Revving up
Devil’s Half Acre Motorcycle Event could draw thousands to Kentville’s downtown
There are already preliminary plans for a second annual event as the inaugural Devil’s Half Acre Motorcycle Event is shaping up to be a huge success.
“All we need is support and good, fine weather,” organizing committee member Harlon Wood of Centreville said.
Wood, a chief instructor with Safety Services Nova Scotia Motorcycle Training and longtime motorcycle enthusiast, said the Town of Kentville has been very supportive of hosting the event. They couldn’t do it without the buy-in of the Kentville Development Corporation Limited, representing the downtown business community.
Wood said area businesses would no doubt reap the benefits of economic spin-offs from the influx of visitors.
He said organizers are also very grateful for the involvement of volunteers from Valley Search and Rescue (VSAR). Pulling off an event like this takes a team effort.
The downtown core will be closed to non-motorcycle traffic between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on June 17. Wood said approximately 40 vendors plan to set up for the rally. One vendor, Chop Shop Cycles, is coming all the way from Ontario.
It’s hard to judge at this point just how many motorcyclists will attend and the weather forecast will no doubt play a role.
“How many do we want?” Wood said. “I want thousands.”
He said there would be something of interest to just about everybody. There will be live music, stunt bike demonstrations and motorcyclists running drills.
There will be a few food vendors coming but organizers also hope downtown restaurants will experience a spike in business that day. Wood said Acadia University has offered accommodations at a reasonable rate for people coming in from out of town.
“I’ve had some people ask whether it’s going to be family friendly. For sure it’s going to be family friendly,” Wood said.
Along with wife Cheryl, Wood attends the annual Daytona Bike Week in Florida. This led to the idea of holding a motorcycle event in Kentville, something he mentioned to Mayor Sandra Snow in November to get the ball rolling. He said organizers hope to fill the town with fun. It’s possible the event could be expanded to two days or more in the future.
There has been a great social media response to the event through a Facebook page and there will be radio campaigns in the Valley and Halifax. They’ve had a large banner on display on Cornwallis Street. This will likely be moved to the F.W. Robinson building as the rally draws closer. Auto Trim applied a wrap over an enclosed trailer that’s been parked in various locations to promote Devil’s Half Acre.
Helping Valley Search and Rescue
There will be a silent auction held in Centre Square from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in benefit of VSAR. A wide variety of quality items have been donated.
VSAR team leader Matt Crandall said they have more than 50 members volunteering for Devil’s Half Acre, along with many of their family members.
They’ll be helping with traffic control, selling 50-50 tickets throughout the event and will be holding a boot drive fundraiser. They’ll have an information booth to promote educational programs the organization offers and they’ll have some of their equipment on display. They’ll also be having a barbecue to raise funds.
“The team is a very strong team. They’re communityminded and they do a lot that’s not noticed so it’s nice to be able to push some of our members out into the spotlight and show the good quality of team that we do have,” Crandall said.
Between the fundraising at Devil’s Half Acre and the $100,000 capital grant that Valley Search and Rescue has received from the county of Kings, Crandall said they hope to be able to break ground on their new garage and have the equipment inside by winter.