LAMPMAN - Lampman was buzzing with excitement on Oct. 5 as fans gathered to celebrate their beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders for the Riders on the Road event at the Lampman Curling Rink.
Earlier in the summer, the McDougall Auction company, who are partners of Riders on the Road, approached local resident Blake Dube about hosting Riders on the Road event. Dube contacted the Lampman Recreation Board to see if there was any interest is hosting such an event in October.
They said yes to the event and went into full force in finding out all the details that were involved.
As the date approached, the Roughriders planning team came and met with the Lampman Recreation Board team. The decision was made to use this event to fundraise for capital projects within the recreation facilities.
Stacy Trombley, one of the event organizers, said the committee put some letters together and reached out to the many businesses in Lampman and surrounding areas, and they came through with enormous support and donations.
Upon entering the curling rink, it was decorated from one end to the other in Roughrider colours, with balloons, table cloths and Roughrider logos hanging on the walls. Most of the fans wore Roughrider jerseys or t-shirts. It was a sea of green and white.
Nyla and Robin Saxon spearheaded the decorating, along with Nyla’s mother Marlene.
“They did an amazing job and took it to another level, making the curling rink a scene right out of a Rider Pride fairytale,” said Trombley.
The festivities were to be kicked off with a parade, however Mother Nature had other plans with the 100-kilometre winds. Since the community, businesses and the school had created floats to take part in the parade, they plan to hold the event at a later date to display the commitment and support they had for this endeavour.
Live and silent auctions had nearly 90 items donated, which included a signed jersey by current Rider Ryan Sceviour. He attended the event along with teammate Joran Herdman-Reed. They were available for photo ops, autographs and even took the time to judge the Lampman School Roughrider colouring contest entries.
The Riders on the Road team brought 620 CKRM host Gloria Evans, members of the 620 CKRM Saskatchewan Roughriders Cheer Team, the pep band and of course mascot Gainer the Gopher. They also set up inflatables for the kids with games like a football toss and cornhole, just as they do at their Party in the Park.
Border Insulators, R and R Tank and Equipment Rentals, Hutt’s Trucking and Woodley Well Services all jumped on board to sponsor the roast beef dinner that was lead in preparation by Ryan and Nyla Saxon.
Grimes Sales and Services, Precision Ag., Kendall’s supply, Ag Resources and Johnson Plumbing and Heating donated items for the live auction.
There was also a prize for the best-dressed Rider fan, which was won by Dave Dyer, and he walked away with a signed Saskatchewan Roughrider football.
“All in all, Riders on the Road was a wonderful event to wrap up harvest,’ said Trombley. “We also took a win, putting the Roughriders into a playoff spot.”
The curling rink became a noisy place when the Roughriders beat the Edmonton Elks 28-24.
This event raised over $20,000 for the Lampman Recreation capital projects, to the delight of the board.
The organizing team thanks the Riders on the Road for reaching out to Lampman to host the event, and all the sponsors, volunteers and those who attended for making this such a success.
“We could not have done this without the support of the community, businesses and all those involved,” said Trombley.
