HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-03-07, Page 13THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1990. PAGE 13.
Volunteer help keeps Belgrave Arena debt-free
Continued from Page 12
has coached minor hockey at the
arena for 22 years. And the arena
has been a focal point for this small
village ever since 1934 when an
old-time bee of some 30 volunteers
levelled ground on George Cook’s
farm on the outskirts of Belgrave
and created the first skating rink of
the community.
The East Wawanosh History
book of 1867 to 1967 says that from
this point on “Belgrave became
more sports conscious and a better
place to skate and play ball was an
urgent need.’’ So in 1948 a public
meeting was called and it was
decided to erect a combined arena
and community centre.
The Belgrave Community pulled
together back then as farmers cut
trees from their fields for the
frames, gravel was donated for the
base and other people donated cash
for the construction costs. “An
estimated 75 per cent of the work
on the entire building was done by
voluntary labourers, mostly farm
ers,’’ reads the history book.
And this tradition has survived
right on through the years. In 1963
the community joined hands to
restruct the arena which had
collapsed from heavy snow on the
roof. “I’m happy to say that when
the reconstruction was finished, we
had money left over,” said Mr.
Coultes who was on the committee
that rebuilt the arena. Then in
1976, the building was condemned
by the Department of Labour.
Clarence Hanna, a former em
ployee of East Wawanosh Town
ship said the support of the
community at this time was really
surprising. “We raised all the
money from the community and
paid for the renovations,” he said.
In 1986 when the arena needed a
new roof, Belgrave residents were
again generous with ther time and
their money. “I canvassed for the
roof and I was amazed to come
home with about $1,600 just from
my street,” said Mr. Hanna.
“The Belgrave arena has helped
to keep community spirit,” said
Paul McKee, past volunteer at the
arena, “if a communtiy doesn’t
have something to work on togeth
er, they won’t be together very
long.”
It’s primitive but it worksand it’s cheap. The Belgrave arena is scraped out with shovels after every
use and these volunteers are (from left to right) Rob-Gordan, Ryan Cook, Shawn Logan, Cam Cook
and Brent Robinson.
But it isn’t just renovations that
have united the community for
there are annual traditions at the
centre that thrive from year to year.
The first annual event many people
think of is the Turkey Supper which
has been operated the same way
since it first started in 1949.
Mr. Hanna who has been chair
person of the event since its
inception said “we set for about
1,000 people and have 125 volun
teers waiting on the tables.” Each
concession surrounding Belgrave is
responsible for so many tables at
the feast so it’s definitely a
community effort. “It takes over 47
turkeys for the supper at a cost of
about $1,000 but the supper usually
makes between $2,500 and
$3,000,” said Mr. Hanna. The
money is taken care of by the
Belgrave Community Centre Board
which govern the financial aspects
of the arena. The revenue from the
Turkey Supper makes up a large
portion of the board’s income.
Another annual event is the
Belgrave school fair which is known
as the “biggest and best school fair
in Ontario.” Children make good
use of the facility from that school
fair to participating in such sports
as hockey. The kids from East
Wawanosh Public School use the
arena on a regular basis as winter
substitute for gym class.
“The arena is great for little
guys to learn hockey on, they don’t
have to skate so far to get the
puck,” joked Mr. McKee. He
added that a lot of times when the
younger hockey teams practice,
you can see their little brothers and
sisters practicing their first strokes
on the ice. “It’s a real family
atmosphere,” he said. All the
family gets into the action at family
skating nights and some of the
older residents often congregate at
the arena to play euchre.
The other aspect about the
Belgrave arena that sets it in a
unique position among other
arenas is its perennial debt-^ee
state. The arena is well managed
financially by the Belgrave Com
munity Centre Board who use the
proceeds from the Turkey Supper
as well as grants from the sur
rounding Townships to keep the
books in the black.
Winona Thompson, clerk-trea
surer for East Wawanosh Township
explained that Morris and East
Wawanosh Township both donate
$1,000 annually to the arena, a sum
that increased from $500 in 1989.
“It’s really not that much,” she
said explaining that East Wawa
nosh alone paid the Blyth arena
over $11,500 last year.
The reasons that the Belgrave
arena is self-supportive are due to
the very things that make it a
unique establishment. Having
natural ice eliminates expensive
maintenance and equipment and
the only costs to maintaining it are
the fees for the part-time caretak
ers. And with many residents in the
community volunteering their time
and services to the centre, little
extra costs are virtually non-exis
tent.
“If it wasn’t for volunteer help,
we couldn’t keep the place going,”
said Mr. McKee.
And the arena has a bright future
ahead it seems as the community’s
Kinsmen group revealed they are
examining the possibilities of what
can be done to improve the unique
facility.
The classifieds
are wall-to-wall values!.
-J Good
J Luck
/ Kinsmen
During
Paddyfest!
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