By Pete McIntyre

Falkland shoots for Hockeyville title

Jan 9, 2020 | 11:11 AM

Lumby did it in 2016, and now another local community is vying for the title of Kraft Hockeyville.

The winning community in 2020 will receive $250,000 for arena upgrades, which Falkland would use to build a roof over its outdoor rink.

Falkland is a community halfway between Vernon and Kamloops, which is best known for its annual stampede and a huge Canadian flag on the hillside.

Kim Churchill is organizing the Falkland campaign and is directing people to visit the Kraft Hockeyville website to vote, submit photos and stories that are used to determine the finalists in the annual event.

“We kick things off each year in January when you can nominate and rally behind your community to show the rest of Canada your passion for the game,” the Hockeyville website said. “Our panel of judges will read each story, worth 80 per cent of the community’s total score, and tally up the rally points, worth 20 per cent, to determine the top four. The finalists will then go head to head in one round of voting to determine who will be crowned the next Kraft Hockeyville.”

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The nomination and rally process is from Jan.1 to Feb. 9, judging from Feb. 10 to March 13 and the top four will be announced March 14.

After that, voting runs March 27 and 28, with the winner announced March 28.

Three runner-up communities will each receive $25,000 for arena upgrades.

“Have lived here for 50+ years. Everyone would benefit from having a roof on our existing rink,” one posting on the Hockeyville site said.

Lumby used its winnings from the 2016 Hockeyville, along with government grants, for a three-million dollar upgrade to the Pat Duke Memorial Arena, with those improvements expected to get underway this spring.

In connection with the title, Lumby hosted an NHL exhibition game between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings at Kal Tire Place in Vernon on Oct. 2, 2016, a game that featured Oilers star Connor McDavid.

by Pete McIntyre

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