(Photo supplied by the Town of Arnprior)
Arnprior will have plenty to be excited about as the town celebrates upgrades to the Nick Smith Centre, even with the absence of a local celebrity.
Town staff will host a grand reopening event at the arena over the September 4 weekend after over a year of renovations for both rinks, centred around an exhibition game between the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and the Ottawa 67’s on September 5.
Events Supervisor Lucas Power says it is disappointing that the match will not include Braeside native Kaden McGregor, whom the Petes traded to Brantford this week, but it is still not every day that the community gets to host a competition of this calibre.
The multi-million dollar renovation of the Nick Smith Centre has included new ice pads, boards, and stands for the Glenn Arthur and Bert Hall rinks, plus more storage space and other comfort and accessibility improvements throughout the building that the town is eager to show off to the community, especially the climate-controlled public viewing mezzanine.
Community response to the planned festivities has been positive, with Power urging those who haven’t bought their tickets for the game to save their seat before it’s too late.
Town staff is expected to announce more activities planned for the weekend celebration, including a fanfest event, in the coming weeks.
(written by Kasey Egan)
