TYNE VALLEY, P.E.I. - Largely on the success of its Rock the Boat Music Festival, the 2017 Tyne Valley Oyster Festival has been able to inject more than $100,000 into community organizations.
The biggest benefactor of that success is the Tyne Valley Community Sports Centre and the community’s minor hockey and figure skating organizations.
“When we launched Rock the Boat in 2014, one of our main goals was to reduce the cost of minor hockey and figure skating for families in the area,” said Jeff Noye, chairman of the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival.
Noye said he recently delivered a cheque in the amount of $52,000 to pay off the balance of the sport centre’s mortgage.
Oyster festival vice-president Adam MacLennan estimates 70 to 80 per cent of the proceeds are from the highly successful 2017 Rock the Boat concert, which drew 5,000 music fans.
MacLennan acknowledges he has been receiving many texts and calls over the past two weeks from music fans inquiring about the performers for the fifth annual Rock the Boat music festival which is scheduled for Aug. 4.
He said he expects to have the answers soon.
“It’s just an email away from saying, ‘go ahead.’ That’s basically where we’re at.”
Because everyone on the committee is volunteer, MacLennan said it takes a little longer to get all the preparations completed.
“We’re going to have a good line-up this year; we’re pretty confident in it,” he added.
He said several festival weekend campsites at Green Park, Rock the Boat’s venue, have already been booked online in anticipation. He suggests that interest reflects the atmosphere and reputation Rock the Boat has created in just four years, adding that the festival has received many messages commending the festival for its friendly volunteers, the venue, and how well the festival is run.
Rock the Boat performers have included such Canadian acts as Tom Cochrane, Blue Rodeo and Trooper
“Paying off the mortgage at the Community Sports Centre is a big step toward achieving our original goal,” said Noye. “We achieved this together. I would like to thank the countless volunteers, our sponsors and funders and especially the festival goers that have made the festival such a success.”
“I think we’ve built a reputation around Rock the Boat being a relatively inexpensive event for people and families to come to,” MacLennan commented. “It’s become a relaxing experience that people come back to year after year.”
