Lumby cheers win

by Kate Bouey - CASTANET Apr 2, 2016 / 4:11 pm

http://khv2016.ca/en/

The Village of Lumby went crazy Saturday afternoon. The roar of jubilation from the crowd shook the rafters of the Pat Duke Memorial Arena as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on national television that Lumby had won the Kraft Hockeyville 2016 title. In addition to $100,000 for upgrades to the arena, the village will also host an NHL pre-season game. Local organizer Angie Clowry, the driving force behind efforts to push Lumby to the top of the contest, said she is not certain if the game will be played in the local arena or a nearby community. An NHL committee will visit the area to make a decision in the coming weeks, said Clowry. The second-place finisher, St. Isidore, Que, also wins $100,000 for arena upgrades but no game. Ahead of the announcement, villagers partied beside the arena, listening to a rock band, dancing and picnicking, while children jumped on a number of bouncy castles and clambered over local fire trucks. “I feel like we've already won,” said Clowry, just ahead of the announcement. “The community spirit and just getting everyone together for a common, positive goal, it's been fantastic.” Clowry had teams of local people voting online day and night for the village during that stage of the process, urging other communities to take part. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster made an appeal for support in the Legislature. Mayor Kevin Acton lifted the Hockeyville trophy high after the announcement, joined by other regional politicians including Foster and Rick Fairbairn, chair of the North Okanagan Regional District board. The amount of excitement and cohesion (the contest) has generated, not just in Lumby but the region surrounding it, and even Armstrong and Enderby, Vernon and Kelowna, it's been amazing,” said Acton. “It's kind of hard to fathom the amount of support that's been given by everybody.” Villagers in Lumby are ecstatic after winning the Kraft Hockeyville 2016 title. The winner was announced Saturday afternoon by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on a Hockey Night In Canada broadcast. National media organizations, including CBC and Sportsnet, were on hand in the village to broadcast the reaction live to the nation. Organizers, led by cheerleader Angie Clowry, worked tirelessly over the preceeding months to push the village to the top. Villagers, from teens to grannies, spent countless hours voting online. In the end, only St. Isidore, Que. stood in the way as the two communities beat eight other towns across Canada to each win $100,000 for renovations on their local arenas – with Lumby coming out on top. The village's Pat Duke Memorial Arena is slated to undergo work to transform the girls' changing room. As winner, Lumby gets an NHL preseason game played in the local arena or nearby. Villagers partied all day Saturday before meeting in the arena later in the afternoon to watch the broadcast live on a big screen.
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In addition to $100,000 in arena upgrades to Pat Duke Memorial Arena, the community will host a pre-season game between Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers andDrew Doughty’s Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 2.