Rider Nation Community Celebration this Friday
October 1, 2013, 2:09 am
Kevin Weedmark
The Conexus Convention Centre will be a sea of green this Friday as the venue hosts its biggest party ever.
More than 1,000 people are expected to converge on the convention centre for the Rider Nation Community Celebration.
The event is free for anyone to attend—as long as partiers are wearing Rider green—and includes a free barbecue and a broadcast of the Riders at the B.C. Lions on a massive screen.
Giveaways during the evening include a 50-inch TV and a trip for two to Las Vegas for the Grey Cup weekend.
The massive party is part of the town’s prize for taking second place in the Richardson Pioneer Rider Nation Community Celebration.
In addition to the party, the town will receive $25,000 toward improvements to the new football and soccer fields at Bradley Park, including an irrigation system.
The $25,000 cheque will be presented at the Community Celebration, at half time of the Saskatchewan-B.C. game.
Moosomin was named one of eight finalists for the award based on the strength of an application put together by rec director Mike Schwean.
The town then won second place, good for $25,000 for recreation and the $10,000 party—based on online voting.
Schwean says there has been a lot of interest in the Community Celebration.
“Right now we have 676 tickets booked, but I’m sure we’ll get over 1,000, said Schwean. “I would love to see 1,500 or 2,000 people there. It would be good to just pack the place.”
He said he was surprised how many people signed up in advance for the Rider bash.
“I thought a lot of people would come, but I didn’t know people would sign up,” he says. “If this many people have signed up already, this will be the biggest event we’ve ever had in the convention centre.”
Most events are planned around a budget based on how many tickets organizers can sell. Schwean says it’s a very different experience to plan an event where there’s a large budget and no need to cover expenses, since Richardson Pioneer is covering the cost of the event up to $10,000.
“I’ve never planned anything where you plan to lose $10,000,” he says with a laugh.
“People can come and eat and watch the game, and unless they’re having a few drinks, it won’t cost them anything.”
The event will feature visits by Gainer the Gopher and the Rider Cheerleaders.
Friday’s events will include a barbecue starting at 5 p.m., the Rider Fan Club version of “Who wants to be a Millionaire at 6:30—and while the winner won’t be a millionaire, they will go home with a 50-inch TV.
A great local party band will entertain for the evening, and the Hamilton at Toronto game will be shown on the massive 16x16 foot screen before the main event—the Riders at the BC Lions, starting at 8 p.m.
Anyone who wants to book seating for the event, free of charge, can email Mike Schwean at msmn.rec.brd@sasktel.net.
