Fredericton Junction, Perth-Andover have eye on $25,000 prize
Published Monday July 6th, 2009
Two New Brunswick communities will compete for a $25,000 prize as part of TSN's nationwide Kraft Celebration Tour contest.
Fredericton Junction and Perth-Andover will go head-to-head as two of the 20 Canadian communities picked for the competition.
Voters will decide which community deserves $25,000 in funding for a local sports upgrade project and a live broadcast from TSN's flagship program SportsCentre.
Commentators Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole will be visiting each of the winning Eastern communities to tape an episode of the show.
Fredericton Junction would direct the money towards improving its new Tri-County Complex hockey arena and recreational facility.
Perth-Andover is hoping to put the money into developing a comprehensive water sports program at its local marina.
People will be able to vote for the community of their choice between 1 p.m. on July 21 and 12:59 p.m. on July 22.
Dr. John Richardson, one of the community leaders behind the Tri-County Complex project, said the prize could help the volunteer committee prepare the new facility for use.
"We're refurbishing a used Zamboni, we're trying to equip our canteen and kitchen with new - or almost new - appliances. We need exercise equipment - matting, balls, new machines," he said.
"That would certainly chew up $25,000 in a hurry."
He said the project could definitely use the financial boost, but being selected for the competition also rewards the community effort that has gone into the entire Tri-County Complex project.
"Even more important to us than the money is the recognition that a big company like Kraft would single us out as making a heck of an effort over a 20-year period," he said.
"We've done this all on our own, starting with $0.25 and moving on up. There was no million-dollar donor or municipality to start this. I think it's quite an achievement and the more recognition we get, the more interest we're going to see."
Dan Dionne, chief administrative officer for the Village of Perth-Andover, said the community will use the prize money to buy canoes and kayaks and encourage local residents to take advantage of the beautiful St. John River.
"We really haven't developed that area to date," he said.
"The community has been prone to flooding and the river has caused us a lot of grief over the years in the spring. So we're trying to take advantage of the river in the summertime and this is one of the ways we'd like to do that - to use that area for more waterfront activities."
He said Perth-Andover will be rallying people to the cause in the coming weeks.
"They have a great project too, so it'll be a fun competition," he said.
"The great thing is that one community in New Brunswick is going to benefit from the challenge, and we hope it's us."
Organizers received 434 nominations from more than 330 communities across Canada.
The Kraft Celebration Tour editions of SportsCentre will air on TSN between Aug. 22 to Aug. 31, leading up to the network's 25th anniversary on Sept. 1.
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