Pond Hockey is coming to Strathmore with a day filled with events for everyone! 

Event organizer Scott Silva with HeckYa is looking forward to launching this event in support of a community organization, “Everything we do is always for a good cause or charity and this time the cause is The Wheatland & Area Hospice Society. We're looking to help them raise money to build their new hospice.”

While all of the events including pond hockey and ringette, human bonspiel, the beer gardens, the Drew Gregory Show, and more are free, the organizers are encouraging donations from those who come down to take part in the events.

The day will be jam-packed with something for everyone, that was one of the main goals for Silva. To ensure anyone could take part in one event or more and have a great time.

“It's going to be happening in the community of Lakewood, it is the one-day event where there's a sanctioned ice skating on the pond.  One pond that's dedicated to both pond hockey and ringette and the other pond, which is about 14 acres in size, that's where we're going to have some of the outdoor events, and also free skating as well.”

Registration is now open for teams who want to participate in the pond hockey and ringette and teams can register directly on the event website pondhockeywinterfestival.ca, there is no age limit and Silva explains that they will do their best to match up ages and skill levels but that the main goal is to come and support the community and have a great day.

Along with a show from Drew Gregory, there will be a few more special guests making appearances, “In the morning we're going to have our opening ceremony where we're going to be reading our land acknowledgment and also having our smudging ceremony on top of that throughout the day, we're going to have different appearances from local dignitaries, and then also some NHL alumni are going to be coming out.”

Silva notes that for those who may not be able to attend but would still like to donate they can visit the website pondhockeywinterfestival.ca and there is a donate button that will send the donations directly to The Wheatland & Area Hospice Society.

This is the first year for this one-of-a-kind event in Strathmore and Silva’s hope is to bring it back each year and support more great organizations along the way.