By Corey Fischer

Hometown Hockey Arrives

Jan 19, 2017 | 1:34 PM

Hometown Hockey has rolled into Vernon.

Numerous semi trucks are parked in the block around City Hall where the set-up for the Rogers Sportsnet show is taking place.

The crew is preparing for a fan festival and national broadcast this weekend.

Show co-host Tara Slone invites everyone to come out.

“We always have alumni on site and that’s a really big thrill for fans. We have a hot stove that I lead every Sunday that is a half hour Q and A with some of our alumni, and there’s a ton of free stuff for kids,” Slone tells Kiss FM.

Slone says they will try to get as much of Vernon’s hockey history into the show as they can.

“There is a lot to talk about,” she says.

Slone says it will include a feature on Larry Kwong, the Vernon resident who was the first Asian to play in the NHL in 1948

Slone says she and Sportsnet baseball analyst Gregg Zaun will be filming a feature at Silver Star Mountain Friday.

“I think he’s a hockey fan. He spends his winters in the Okanagan. He and his wife spend their off season in Kelowna. He and I will get to go skiing on Friday. He’s a kid from Southern California but he’s more experienced at skiing than I am, so it should be fun, adds Slone, a Montreal native who has been a singer in the band Joydrop.

Vernon’s economic development manager Kevin Poole says the set up will take about two days.

“It will go all day today. They started bright and early. We closed off the street about 6 this morning and at 7 o’clock, they started rolling in with their trucks. They must have about 50 people out there working on the set-up,” Poole tells Kiss FM.

Poole says Sportsnet has hired 15 local people to help with the equipment preparations, along with 40 brand ambassadors who have been promoting the event the last few weeks.

“They will be working throughout the two day festival. Some you will see at the Vipers games. Tara Slone (co-host) is actually dropping the puck at the Saturday game.”

Poole says the show producers chose the parking lot next to City Hall as the site for Sunday’s Hometown Hockey show at 4 pm.

“We showed them about four different sites when they scouted the location back in September. They want to look for something that will show well for the national broadcast and they settled on this location.”

In addition to show hosts Tara Slone and Ron MacLean, others who will take part in the event include Sportsnet baseball analyst Gregg Zaun, and former NHLers Russ Courtnall, Kirk MacLean, Dean McAmmond and Brent Gilchrist.

30th Street from 30th to 35th Avenues is closed off for the event until Monday morning.

For the festival, people are encouraged to park in the city parking lot on 31st Avenue which is free of charge on weekends.

Hometown Hockey Arrives

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