Hockey is returning to Taber — just not in the usual way.
The Town of Taber is partnering with Play On! Canada to host its first-ever street hockey tournament March 27 and 28. Funds raised from the event will help reopen the community centre, which was significantly damaged in an explosion in December.
Amy Allred, economic development manager for the Town of Taber, said the town is excited to partner with Play On! Canada to bring the sport back.
“There are plenty of ways for everybody to be involved — you can register a team, come cheer teams on, volunteer or donate,” she said. “[There are] six rinks being set up in the parking lot here right beside the community centre… Each team will get a few games, it’s a round-robin tournament, of course with the possibility of more if you make it into the playoffs.”
Six outdoor rinks will be set up in the parking lot adjacent to the community centre, with games running Friday evening through Saturday. The round-robin tournament guarantees each team multiple games, with playoff spots up for grabs. Organizers say the event can accommodate up to 500 players.
On Saturday morning there will be a free pancake breakfast hosted by South Country Co-op, and on both days barbecues will support the two businesses that operate out of the arena and have been shuttered in recent months.
“We wanted to find a way to support them as well,” Allred said.
The weekend will wrap up with Raise the Roof, a charity concert organized by Spider Entertainment. The Road Hammers will headline the show, joined by other musicians including Michelle Wright.
Allred said Spider Entertainment has been instrumental in rallying support.
“They’ve taken the initiative themselves to get something set up and to get the community rallied around it,” she said. “That’s part of what makes Tabor such a great community.”
Allred said when the town approached Play On! Canada — which has hosted street hockey tournaments nationwide — about bringing the event to Taber, organizers said it made sense to support the initiative because of close family ties to the area.
“We’re really excited that they’re bringing their world-renowned hockey event here.”
Allred said being without the community centre has been difficult for the town. The ice arenas, curling rink and community centre — all housed in the same building — have been closed, disrupting hockey schedules, drop-in programs and more than 260 annual community events typically held at the facility.
“It’s really taken away that hub for our community that we usually gather around,” Allred said.
She added that neighbouring southern Alberta communities stepped up, adjusting ice schedules to ensure Taber teams could continue playing.
The town has announced the community centre portion of the building is expected to reopen by March 1, with the large ice arena targeted for Aug. 1.
The timeline for the small ice surface and curling rink remains uncertain as council weighs long-term rebuilding options, including replacing costly equipment such as the Zamboni.
“There are still so many questions and ideas as to the full rebuild,” Allred said. “We want to ensure the next chapter is strong — not just for the next couple years, but that we build with the future in mind.”
Ken Holst of Spider Entertainment and Taylor Gow, president of the Tabor Titans, are organizing the Raise the Roof charity concert set for 7 p.m. March 28 at the Agri-Plex in Tabor.
Holst said the idea to raise money through a concert and related events came together after discussions with Gow.
Headlining the show will be The Road Hammers, who will bring what Gow described as their “hammer jam.” Gow said he reached out directly to the band through social media.
“I just happened to throw out some DMs on Instagram and see if anything would stick,” Gow said. “And actually, the Roadhammers were pretty responsive right away and they were fired up.”
Holst said the band will be joined by Michelle Wright, Trevor Panczak, Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar and Dan Davidson as special guests.
“We’re going to have an awesome time,” Holst said.
Gow encouraged residents of neighbouring communities to attend.
“Tabor’s not far from Lethbridge, guys,” Gow said. “Head on down the road. Let’s have some fun.”
Event details and registration information for Play On! Canada can be found on the Town of Taber website. Concert information and tickets are available through Spider Entertainment.
