After weeks of putting together a pitch, the southern Alberta town of High River has been selected as one of the top four communities in the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville contest.
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“We are extremely excited to be named as a finalist in the Kraft Hockeyville contest,” said Melissa Pryor, chair of the High River Kraft Hockeyville committee.
“Now the real fun begins as we enter into the final phase of the contest and rally everyone we know to vote.”
The committee demonstrated their resiliency in their recovery from the devastation of the 2013 floods.
“This arena was underwater and the flood waters rescinded and the obvious damage was fixed,” High River Councillor Cathy Couey said. “We are still seeing some impact.”
If they are successful, the grand prize is $250,000 in arena upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season game.
“High River has never felt sorry for themselves,” Kraft Hockeyville committee member Brianne Fredell said. “We thought: how are we going do this? And…Hockeyville is a way to celebrate. This town deserves this and it would be awesome.”
The committee is asking the community and others across the country to help rally for the grand prize. People can participate by voting as many times as they can over March 30-31.
“We will have a dedicated Hockeyville Hub set up at the Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex and volunteers will be on site to assist people who would like to vote,” Pryor said. “We plan to have waves of voters utilizing our resources throughout the two days of voting.”
If selected, the town has revealed the prize money would go toward a new Zamboni, a new sound system, arena lighting LED retrofit as well as painting and architectural upgrades.
The improvements would be welcomed by 14-year-old High River hockey player Ty Hipkin, who already has fond memories at the arena.
“Game-winning goals and fun times with friends,” he said. “Coming here–it’s a happy place.”
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