The Creston community is abuzz with excitement as it prepares to host the provincial championships for hockey. But this year’s event holds special significance beyond the rink—it coincides with Creston’s centennial, marking a century of resilience, camaraderie, and ice sports.
The 100 Years of Ice Sports Legacy project will be taking place over the coming week.
From March 17 to 20, the U18 Tier 4 Provincial Championships will battle it out on the ice while an exhibit celebrating 100 years of Ice Sports will decorate the Erickson Room at the Creston and District Community Complex.
“We wanted to celebrate our local sports heroes and our sports history for the last 100 years,” said host and project director Kayla Hooker.
“We’re really hoping everyone’s going to come out to, of course, cheer on our home team during provincials.”
Hooker says ice sports have deep roots in the valley.
“We had Jet Fumerton turn 100 last year; she has since passed away. We saw this as an opportunity to bring together all the stories, the history of our local sports heroes, and work towards what we’re calling the 100 Years of Ice Sports Legacy Project,” explained Hooker.
“Our plan is to build a permanent exhibit in the arena that would bring together all that history and the stories, celebrating not only our sports heroes but also our volunteers and all the other contributors to our sports in the valley here.”
Hooker says that exhibit will allow people to provide input and guidance on how they put together the stories and history of ice sports in the valley.
“We do have a fairly rich history of ice sports in the valley here. We’ve got a strong curling club, figure skating, and minor hockey. And then, of course, there’s the Creston Valley Thunder Cats. I think it’s a way to really bring community members together in one place.”
Hooker says she’s heard many stories, from the arena burning down and the community banding together to build a new one to farmers pouring out rinks in their fields for kids to play.
“When I talk to community members, it’s really interesting to see their eyes kind of get misty. They’re reflecting back, and some of the people I’ve talked to have been doing this for more than 40 or 50 years.”
“You know, skating on Duck Lake and some of the other local farms that would pour rinks, so they’d have backyard rinks. And what that was like. So yeah, it’s been really fun to hear from people in the valley and learn about the other people we need to follow up on to hear more about their stories.”
The opening ceremonies will kick off the tournament with a ribbon cutting on March 17.