Ramping things up

Della Sweet is brimming with excitement as the Hockeyville Winning Weekend celebration draws near.

“There’s going to be some fun things. I’m excited,” Sweet declared.

Sweet is one of the five members that make up the O’Leary Hockeyville Committee. They’ve been dubbed the Fab Five, the group that spearheaded O’Leary’s successful campaign to become the 2017 Kraft Hockeyville national champion.

O’Leary was declared national winner on April 1. Ever since that date, the committee has been busily preparing for the Sept 23 to 25 celebration which leads up to an NHL Pre-season exhibition game in Summerside on Sept. 25.

All the celebrations on the 23 and 24, as well as a Sept. 25 pep rally, will be held in O’Leary.

The celebration gets stated with an Initiation Jamboree organized by O’Leary Minor Hockey. Approximately 80 children from across P.E.I. who were first-year Initiation players last year, will participate in the jamboree that Sweet said will have lots of fun elements as well as Kraft Heinz snacks.

That event will be followed immediately by a skills competition. Interested players from Novice to Midget can register to participate.

There’s a free public skate at the Sports Centre from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m., and Sweet said participants are invited to show their Hockeyville spirit.

A Stars of Hockeyville Men’s Recreation tournament starts Saturday evening and will wrap up Sunday evening.

On Sunday, a Kraft Hockeyville outdoor festival will be held on the adjacent soccer field and will include entertainment with Cory Gallant and a big lineup of singers and dancers on the KD Stage. The stage will also play host to fun events like lobster shelling and potato peeling contests.

A Taste of Our Town tasting tent will also be set up and various local businesses will have samples to try. There will be an admission fee to the tasting tent. Minor Hockey and the Maple Leaf Curling Club will also have food items for sale.

Inflatables, obstacle course, puck shooting gallery, face painting and other activities will be offered for kids.

Inside the rink on Sunday, the UPEI Panthers Women’s Hockey team will host the St. Thomas Tommies at 4 p.m., but the Panthers will arrive early to put on a skills clinic for up to 40 Atom and Pee wee-aged boys and girls. That clinic will be followed by a skills demonstration and practice by the Charlottetown Islanders.