Strathmore will transform into a winter wonderland during the Rogers Hometown Hockey Festival this month.

Hometown Hockey is a huge two-day event that will see a number of hockey-related community activities on December 21 and December 22, as well as a live broadcast during the pre-game show for the December 22 game between the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars with Ron McLean and Tara Slone.

Some of the festivities will kick off on December 21 with a free pancake breakfast and a number of other community activities hosted by the Strathmore and District Chamber of Commerce.

“We are going to have it in downtown Strathmore at the Strathmore Centre parking lot, some people would call that the old co-op parking lot,” explained Strathmore and District Chamber of Commerce president Hayley Poirier.

The festivities for the kick off take place from 8 a.m. t 11:30 a.m on Saturday.

“We are going to have a free pancake breakfast sponsored by the Strathmore Lions. We are going to have a celebrity and dignitary ribbon cutting at 10 a.m.” she said.

There will also be a hockey skills competition open to all ages, with prizes and a smore contest.

“We are going to have judges that decide which smores taste the best,” said Poirier. She noted that the smores don’t have to be traditional either, they can be creative like smore-flavoured hot chocolate, or smore popcorn, in the form of a bar or cookies too.

“People are encouraged to make their smores, their favourite recipe and then bring it down to be judged between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. that morning,” she said.

During the festival the NHL fan experience will be held at the Family Centre parking lot on Brent Boulevard.

There will be live entertainment, NHL alumni meet and greets, giveaways and a Parade of Champions.

This large venture will require a number of volunteers to work at least two shifts on the weekend. Volunteers will be needed at some of the four activity stations: Ball Hockey, Popcorn, the Rogers Community Zone and at the Playmobil. Volunteers can sign up at the Town of Strathmore website.

Organizers are also looking for a special person to take up to the role of brand ambassador. This is a paid position employed by Rogers Hometown Hockey.