Riders reveal Grey Cup Festival community celebration winners, more events

The expectations are always high at the beginning of a Saskatchewan Roughriders season, but the stakes are raised when the team hosts the Grey Cup.

On Friday, the Riders announced the first events that will kick off the Grey Cup Festival in Regina in November.

But Barry Clarke, the Riders’ board chair and co-chair of the Grey Cup Festival, said events will not be centred in Regina.

“We’re only six months away from the Grey Cup, and one of the things that we’re passionate about is that our Grey Cup is going to be a provincial event that is going to touch all corners of the province,” Clarke said during a media event in Saskatoon.

The Riders are living up to that standard, according to president and CEO Craig Reynolds.

“Festival week in Saskatchewan is actually going to kick off in Saskatoon,” Reynolds said.

The festival announced its celebrations by introducing two events during the week that include a youth rally at Merlis Belsher Place on Nov. 15 to open up Grey Cup Week.

“The event will celebrate the young people making a difference in their local community and nurture compassion in young people providing them with tools to create transformational social change,” Reynolds said about the opening event.

But that’s not all that will be coming to Saskatoon.

“As well, nothing quite says Grey Cup like a good old-fashioned pancake breakfast,” Reynolds said of the event that’s to be held at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on Nov. 16.

During Friday’s announcement, the Riders also revealed the six communities that will receive $25,000 grants to support their fundraising efforts for sports and cultural initiatives through the Richardson Pioneer Rider Nation Community Celebration contest.

The winners were Abbey, Birch Hills, the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, Langham, Marshall and Whitewood. Their projects can be seen below.

The two events announced Friday will not be the only ones happening during the Grey Cup Festival. More details will be released about upcoming activities in the coming months.

Those who want to secure their tickets to the game on Nov. 20 at Mosaic Stadium will have the opportunity when they go on sale June 14.

(Saskatchewan Roughriders/Submitted)