On Christmas Day 1947, Kerrobert Memorial Arena opened its doors, and nearly 75 years later, the community is set to celebrate the milestone.
James Armstrong was 16 when it was being built. He's now 91-years-young. He remembers the construction of the arena because he helped.
“There were three of us on the top scaffold. I was trying to nail one of the last few boards on the northwest corner. I remember it was really cold out there. We (nearly) froze to death by the time we got down.”
Armstrong was one of several volunteers who say they were given afternoons off from high school to help build the arena.
Mervin Norris who currently resides at the same retirement living home as Armstrong was also a volunteer.
"Anything to get out of class," he said. “I would say it's a lesson in small-town efforts when you have the proper supervision and so many volunteers that you can do such amazing things."
The rink, which is a landmark in the town, bears the name Kerrobert Memorial Arena. It's dedicated to Kerrobert district servicemen who died in World War I and II.
Its ties to World War II run deeper as the building itself is a former Royal Canadian Air Force hanger, purchased for $6,500 from North Battleford.
Kerrobert's Mayor, Wayne Mock's uncle served in World War II and helped build the arena.
“When the first skate happened, that meant everything to this community,” Mock said.
In its time Curtis Murphy used to call the arena home before going on to play in the NHL.
George and Squee Allen played senior hockey for the Kerrobert Tigers at the Memorial Arena after playing in the NHL and American Hockey League. Both brothers even helped build the arena.
On the curling side, several banners bear the name Brad Heidt who competed in the Brier.
“This place has so much history,” said Mock.
"Our arena is definitely the heart and soul of our community."
In its 2022 census, the town registered a total of 961 people. Mock says arenas like Kerrobert’s mean more to smaller communities.
“I've seen a lot of surrounding communities that have lost their's and soon after, you lose everything else,” said Mock.
“People get drawn to communities that have something for the families.”
Both James Armstrong and Mervin Norris say they're happy the arena has stood the test of time and brought the community so much joy.
“Wonderful place and one of the best centres in the area for years,” said Norris.
“My daughter figure skated in the arena, got her figure skating training in the arena. It was good for her,” said Armstrong.
“When you think back we're pretty proud to of worked on it.”
On Saturday, the community will commemorate the Kerrrobert Memorial Arena with a special guest to drop the puck for the U18 Tigers game versus Unity.
There will also be a special ceremony featuring the Legion, which will make a presentation to one of the town's living veterans from World War II.
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