Bobcaygeon to get $25K for arena upgrades
Hockeyville title goes to Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick
BOBCAYGEON — Plans to improve the Bobcaygeon-Verulam Community Centre will have to be altered but that doesn’t mean the local arena isn’t still a big winner.
Just becoming a finalist in this year’s Kraft Hockeyville has helped put Bobcaygeon on the map in a positive way, after the tragedy that hit Pinecrest Nursing Home and the pandemic’s significant impact on the community’s economy that relies heavily on tourism, says City of Kawartha Lakes councillor.
Not only did it pull the community together, but the effort also raised awareness and shone the spotlight on the important part the arena has played in so many lives over the years.
“Everyone showed how important the arena is by rallying for the Kraft Hockeyville contest, sending their stories and photos, and spending hours voting. Thank you to the whole town for that, and to our volunteers who got behind our Hockeyville entry, bringing everyone together for this great cause,” stated Ward 2 Kawartha Lakes councillor Kathleen SeymourFagan.
Although supporters of the community’s arena were unsuccessful in bringing home the top prize of $250,000 — that honour went to Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick to help rebuild their area that sustained major damage in a fire last September — that doesn’t mean they’re emptyhanded.
Bobcaygeon, along with the two other finalists — Saint Adolphe, Man., and Lumsden, Sask. — will each receive $25,000 towards upgrades in addition to $10,000 in new hockey equipment from the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s Goals and Dreams Fund.
“Congratulations to Elsipogtog First Nation in their grand prize win and to all communities in the top four who worked so hard for their arenas,” stated Ann Adare who was instrumental in rallying the community after resident Mike Mudie nominated Bobcaygeon for the contest. “Thank you to Kraft Hockeyville for reminding us all what we can accomplish when we work together.”
Those involved in the contest campaign expressed great appreciation to everyone who rallied behind Bobcaygeon and especially those who spent hours voting over the 32-hour period, decorating business window fronts and signage, and sharing memories on social media.
Earlier in the campaign, Ann Adare, a member of the Impact 32 steering committee, told Kawartha Lakes This Week that the centre is the heart of the community: “It’s where we go for all of our different events like the fall fair, the fiddle and step, the Canada U.S walleye tournament’s held out of there, people do weddings there.”