Apple of His Eye
Eastern Canadian Basketball League President Tim Kendrick’s voice booms with pride when he talks about his beloved Annapolis Valley. Kendrick is certain the Valley, known as one of Canada’s most bountiful agricultural regions, will also be fertile ground for professional basketball.
The Valley Vipers are one of seven teams throughout the Maritimes that tip off the league’s inaugural season in late March.
“I get calls every day and a lot of them are from friends I’ve had for a very long time,” Kendrick says. “They keep asking about tickets, schedules and other plans for the league and I keep telling them we are on track to get rolling,” the Wolfville, N.S. native adds. “The people of the Valley are proud of their area and they can hardly wait to support their own team in the Eastern Canadian Basketball League.”
The Vipers will play out of Kings Mutual Century Centre, a sparking 1,500-seat arena in Berwick, which sits in the middle of the Annapolis Valley.
“We’re going to be about 20 minutes from Digby and about 20 minutes from Kentville, New Minas and Wolfville so we’ll be bringing in fans from all over the Valley,” Kendrick says.
Bobby Best, manager of the 14 year-old arena, said residents are looking forward to seeing the Vipers.
“Basketball has always been very popular and getting a professional league is going to be great,” Best says. “We have a small town where everyone is friendly and the players are going to love playing here.”
Kendrick, who coached high school basketball at Horton High in Wolfville for 22 years, predicted the Valley Vipers “will be one our league’s jewels.”
Other teams in the league are: Moncton Motion, Bathurst Bears, Saint John Union, Truro Tide, Charlottetown Power and Summerside Slam.
The regular season schedule and first player signings are expected to be announced on or near February 1.
Papa Johns
In 1984, Papa Johns Pizza started in the small town of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and its popularity has spread all the way to Atlantic Canada. Today, Papa Johns boasts over 3,600 restaurants and can be found in more than 35 international markets outside of the USA. In Atlantic Canada, we opened our first Papa Johns franchise in Moncton, operating under the name of PJ Atlantic Restaurants Ltd. in 2009.
This was the first of many Papa Johns restaurants to be opening over the next few years to serve the Maritime provinces. We now have a dozen restaurants in the following areas:
639 Mountain Rd., Moncton
555 Dieppe Blvd., Dieppe
20 Plaza Ave., Saint John
528 Smythe St., Fredericton
133 McAllister Dr. Saint John
19 Babineau Ave., Charlottetown
1909 Mountain Rd., Moncton
269 Main St., Fredericton
94 Hampton Rd., Rothesay
540 Pinewood Rd., Riverview
961 Bedford Highway, Bedford
644 Portland St., Dartmouth
We believe in our brand’s heritage and commitment to quality. We believe that better ingredients really do make a better pizza.