Event marks end of “Old Barn” era
The ribbon was cut just after 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, outside the front doors of the new Day & Ross Community Centre. The ceremony officially opened Hartland’s long-planned arena complex.
Residents, former players, leaders and volunteers crowded around the entrance before filing inside to see the facility that replaced the former Hartland Arena, known to most locals simply as The Barn.
“It’s inspiring to reflect on,” said Hartland Mayor Tracey Demerchant, moments before she cut the ribbon. “The belief in this project never wavered. It’s been two decades in the making.”
The old rink opened in 1967 during a wave of centennial-era arena construction across Canada. Its reputation for cold weather became a running joke in town and beyond. Bill Hogan, MLA for Woodstock-Hartland, described it in the legislature as “the beloved and legendary Hartland ‘Barn,’ touted as the coldest arena left of the classic deep-freeze arenas built around Canada’s Centennial in 1967.”
By early 2024, the building had reached the end of its practical life. After the final skate, public works staff cut a square of ice from centre ice, preserved it and later mixed it into the first surface at the new facility.
“It’s long overdue,” said Hogan at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It’s a wonderful attraction for the community,” after which he added, “Go Huskies!”
Also on hand to celebrate the new community centre was New Brunswick Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and Grand Falls-Vallée-des-Rivières-Saint-Quentin MLA Chuck Chaisson.
“It’s wonderful to be here in Hartland. (The facility) has been years in the making,” he said, recalling his 2011 campaign where he was a proponent of the new arena.
Chaisson also praised how Hartland came together to make this dream a reality.
“The Day & Ross Community Centre will serve as the heart of recreation and wellness in the community, and will improve the quality of life (for residents) for generations to come.”
“This is a tremendous achievement,” said Richard Bragdon, MP for Tobique–Mactaquac, in a letter read at the opening event to the crowd. “I commend all who made this happen.” He added that the new facility will be a “benefit to the entire region.”
Inside the new facility on Nov. 14, visitors toured the lobby, stands, and the upper walking track while volunteers and staff guided them through the building. Once the crowd settled inside, the Hartland Huskies skated out for the first official game in the new arena, facing the Nackawic Nighthawks. The stands filled quickly, with many spectators watching from the rail along the walking track – and the Huskies lost the game 8 to 1.
The project was supported by $3.6 million from the Government of Canada, over $2.9 million from the Province of New Brunswick and more than $2.4 million from the Town of Hartland. The Friends of Hartland group contributed more than $120,000 through weekly 50/50 draws, and the town recognized donors through a Recognition Wall and personal seat plaques.
The new complex includes a full-size ice surface, a walking track, a community room, a kitchen, a fitness room, modern dressing rooms and accessible viewing areas. The centre will support year-round programming, including hockey, public skating, youth activities and fitness. Larger concert-style events will become possible once final fire-flow upgrades are completed in 2026.
By game time, the excitement had settled into something familiar: the sound of skates cutting into new ice, the noise of a hometown crowd and a sense that Hartland was stepping cleanly into its next era of recreation. The old barn may be gone, but the community that filled it now has a new, modern space built for the next generation, with a piece of the past both in memory and, quite literally, in the ice beneath their feet.
