After delays thanks to COVID-19, the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame committee, the City of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Public Art committee are pleased to announce the permanent location for the Hall of Fame at the ATB Centre is now open.
“After 37 years, the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame is excited to finally have a permanent home where we can honour our inductees and celebrate our city’s rich history of sport with the community,” says hall of fair chair Dave McMurray. He is also looking forward to the first annual banqet and induction ceremonies since the start of the pandemic on May 6.
In 1984, the Centennial Committee for the City of Lethbridge asked a group of sports enthusiasts to think of a way of honoring sport as part of the activities of the centennial. This committee developed the idea of a Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame that would honour individuals who had contributed to sport over the years in Lethbridge.
Forms of recognition for inductees would be a plaque and pin which would be presented annually at a banquet held the last Saturday in April. A portable display would be purchased to display photographs and biographical information about each inductee. The displays were initially showcased for six to eight weeks each year at the Galt Museum, as well as other locations throughout the city.
After many years of working to establish a permanent site, Lethbridge City Council in 2014 voted to include a permanent site for the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in the new westside recreation centre, now known as the ATB Centre.
“Lethbridge City Council is thrilled that this permanent space is finally open for our community to see and to celebrate,” says Mayor Blaine Hyggen. “For a city our size, we have certainly produced an incredible number of amazing athletes, coaches, builders, and Olympians. We have also created a wonderful legacy by hosting many world-class events here in Lethbridge. Sports and sporting events have the power to bring people and cultures together and this local commemoration is great to see.”
The City’s Public Art Program worked with the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame committee to realize this new, permanent home.
The permanent site is located on two levels of the ATB Centre between the ice rinks and the YMCA. The lower level is where banners are displayed for the current hall of fame class and current Kinsmen Sports Persons of the year. Located opposite of the banners is a touchscreen database of members.
The upper level has display cases which currently contain items from past major sporting events Lethbridge hosted, memorabilia related to the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame and images of early sport in Lethbridge. Additionally, on the upper level there will be a video display of all inductees and members.
The hall also has a new website at https://www.lethbridgesportshalloffame.ca/. The is equipped with a searchable database.
