Event though the rocks won't get rolled on the ice for weeks yet, day and weeklong pass tickets for the SaskTel Tankard went on sale late last week.
A total of 16 of the top men's curling teams will be battling it out at Affinity Place Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2018 to represent Saskatchewan at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier in Regina.
“We're actually promoting that the first 100 people who purchase an events pass will get ten per cent off,” said Helen Fornwald, co-chair of the Tankard organizing committee. “We have an event pass for $80, and that gets you in to the entire event. We have day passes for $20, and we have evening passes for one draw at $10. And then we have a corporate pass and those are 10 tickets and those are $175 each. And it's rush seating.
“All these passes include admission to our patch with live entertainment Friday and Saturday.”
That entertainment will be announced later at the patch, which will be open every night at the Wylie Mitchell Building.
Organizers were scheduled to announce a Junior Stars event Tuesday with 16 junior star curlers.
With Brent Gedak's rink qualifying for the event, Fornwald is hoping that spurs further interest in the Tankard with the ticket sales ramping up as well.
“We hope we get lots of support out for our hometown team and we sure wish him good luck,” Fornwald said. “We're pretty excited about that as well.”
The volunteer search still needs some more bodies. Fornwald says they're about halfway to getting the number they need. The volunteer officials' clinics will be coming up Dec. 9 at the Power Dodge Ice Centre.
“They're running a clinic for anyone who wants to be an official during that event,” she said. “It's the best seat in that facility when you're there as an official and you get to be hands on, right there.”
Sponsorship possibilities for the event are still available and some more will be announced in the coming weeks.
People can also pick up tickets at the Power Dodge Curling Centre or visit https://event.bookitbee.com/e/4h3ev
“We want to pack the facility,” said Fornwald. “We realize it's a much larger facility than it's been in the past... We're hoping we can do well with school students that will come and watch. We're working with the schools right now to bring some out to watch first class curling as well.
