SACKVILLE, N.B. — Hundreds of ATV enthusiasts from throughout the Maritimes hit the local trails this weekend as the Tantramar and Memramcook ATV Clubs played host to their annual Winter Border Blast.
This year’s event was a tremendous success, attracting more than 200 visitors to the area, said Paul Branscombe, president of the Tantramar club.
“It was excellent, probably the best one we’ve had,” said Branscombe. “We had beautiful weather and great attendance.”
The event, which got under way on Friday afternoon with a couple dozen bikes traveling from the Coastal Inn to Cap Pele for supper, kicked into high gear on Saturday morning as even more ATVers from throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island descended upon Sackville to start their run. Branscombe said thanks to the fine weather, this year’s run brought in more people than it ever has, providing a nice economic boost for the area businesses.
“It’s a substantial injection into the local economy,” he said, noting that local restaurants, gas stations and motels are a beehive of activity throughout the weekend. “And it’s definitely a sign that ATVing is a tourism product here in New Brunswick.”
The Winter Border Blast got started several years ago by a small group of avid ATVers from the area who simply wanted to hit the trails for a weekend of wintertime four-wheeling and “Sackville seemed to be a good place to do it.” He said in good weather conditions, bikes can easily travel the well-groomed trails from the Coastal Inn and ride to several other club locales – including Memramcook, Dieppe, Shediac and Cap Pele.
The event has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Now serving as a fundraiser for the local club, organizers were on hand selling poker hands, 50/50 tickets and raffle tickets for a multitude of donated prizes.
“It’s an excellent money maker for the club,” said Branscombe.
The proceeds from this year’s run will go towards building a new Sackville shelter. A live band also provided entertainment Saturday evening at the Memramcook shelter.
Also on hand for the event were representatives from the Cumberland-Tantramar MADD chapter, the New Brunswick RCMP and public safety, who were checking for trail permits as well as chatting with participants about ATV safety and the dangers of impaired driving.
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