It has been a long two years, but in 2013, Estevan will once again kick off its minor football season at the Dana Quewezance Memorial Field.
To celebrate, Estevan Minor Football is hosting a Football Day in Estevan on Aug. 24 as its two teams, the Miners and Steelers, play host to their first home games of the 2013 season.
EMF president Steve McLellan said this day is the moment he and the rest of the Estevan football community have been waiting for since the field was washed away due to flooding in 2011.
"I think for everybody involved in football from prior to the flood until coming back, it's finally a bit of closure. It has been a long, long stretch of two years here where we have been displaced," said McLellan.
The past two years have involved a lot of hard work, assessing damage, making the decision to rebuild on the same site, fundraising and finally rebuilding the field almost from scratch. The effort was spurred on in August of 2011 when the TSN Kraft Celebration Tour rolled through the Energy City thanks to the EMF bid to rebuild the field.
McLellan also noted that they had only just finished work at the field in 2011 before the floods hit.
"The unfortunate thing, of course, was that we were just comfortably done when the floods hit," he said regarding the Dana Quewezance Memorial Field in Woodlawn Regional Park.
"I know some of us, especially myself and lots of us who have worked there all along with their own blood, sweat and tears getting put back into it, we're quite excited to return and be back to normal."
The majority of the work has been completed by volunteers and some other labour and equipment has been donated.
"This is our final push," said McLellan, regarding the final detail work that EMF had to complete in time for the pair of home openers.
"With the realities of any project, I guess, to be realistic there probably will be some work outstanding," he added, saying that there may still be some work to do at the field following the opening of the football season in Estevan.
The Football Day in Estevan festivities will kick off at noon, with the Miners taking the field for the first time at Dana Quewezance Memorial Field. The Miners will play against the Regina Cougars in their home opener.
"We hope everyone can come out. We'll have as many festivities going on as we can during the game,"said McLellan, noting 50/50 sales will start at that time. "We'll hopefully make it just a really fun, welcome back atmosphere there."
Following the Miners' game, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will take the field not at Woodlawn Park, but they will square off against the Edmonton Eskimos in Edmonton. That game will be broadcast at the Souris Valley Theatre.
"We encourage everyone to head over to that,"said McLellan.
There will be a raffle and the theatre's concession will be open as well as a beer garden.
"It will be a really great atmosphere. It'll be shown on the big screen so it'll be as close to being at the Rider game as we'll probably get in Estevan."
The bantam Steelers will be host to the next game on the day's docket. They will be up against the Regina Renegades for their home opener. Fireworks will mark the game's conclusion.
That display will mark the beginning of a cabaret, which will be held around the field and surrounding area. Chris Henderson will headline, along with Wonderland.
Proceeds from the cabaret and other activities from throughout the day will be split between EMF and the Souris Valley Theatre.
McLellan said all funds raised for EMF will go toward the costs incurred for the construction of the Woodlawn field.
"It should be a really fun day, and we're hoping everyone can come out. Towards the end of summer it'll be a busy day in Estevan, but we're hoping everyone can stop by for at least some part of the festivities,"added McLellan.
