Owen Sound is coming alive this weekend with winter activities.
Starting Friday, the new grassroots event HockeyFest will begin, which aims to carry on the spirit of Hockey Day in Canada held in the city last year.
The festivities will start with school visits at 9:30 a.m. at the Keppel Sarawak Elementary School, then at noon at Hillcrest Elementary School.
The first puck drop of the weekend will be at 10 a.m. for the east versus west high school games with the girls starting off, which will be followed by the boys at 12:15 p.m.
Then on Saturday, there is girls hockey starting at 9 a.m. until noon, then the University of Waterloo Warriors will face the York University Lions at 2 p.m.
Owen Sound Events and Activation Coordinator Jen Wright says it will be a jam packed full two days.
“It’s all about fun and hockey, all of the schools from the area bring their students on busses and it is just a really great opportunity for these kids to get on the ice and the Waterloo Warriors will also be there on the bench helping coach,” says Wright.
The games on the Saturday will be followed by the 78th annual Kiwanis Santa Claus Parade, the Festival of Northern Lights and road hockey.
Starting at 3 p.m., the River District’s Holiday Magic event will run until 9 p.m., which includes outdoor seating, fire tables, photos with Santa, contests, giveaways, specials, and sales at local businesses.
The Santa Claus parade will begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the Festival of Northern Lights light-up ceremony at 7 p.m.
Attendees are asked to bring with them non-perishable food items or a donation to the toy drive.
Children and youth are invited to take part in organized road hockey along 2nd Avenue between 8th and 9th Street that night after the lights are turned on. Teams of four, between the ages of eight and 14, can sign up here.
As part of this holiday event, the following roads will be closed to traffic and parking starting at 2 p.m. on Nov. 18:
-1st Avenue East from 8th Street East to 9th Street East
-2nd Avenue East from 8th Street East to 11th Street East
-8th Street East from 1st Avenue East to 3rd Avenue East
-2nd Avenue East from 7th Street East to 8th Street East. It will be open to local traffic only.
All roads are expected to reopen by 9 p.m.
During this time, the Brooke and Core transit routes will detour around the closures on 8th Street East at 4th Avenue East crossing the Sydenham River at 9th Street rather than 8th Street.
