Left to right: Penny Schoonbaert Community Services Manager Pembina Manitou Community Development Corporation, Jake Goertzen Manitou Mayor, and Clare Jago Arena Committee Chair

The Kraft Celebration Tour attracted hundreds of people to Manitou yesterday as the community hosted a live broadcast of TSN's SportsCentre, and received a $25,000 donation to put toward arena upgrades. Manitou had to go up against Hamiota in a nationwide online vote held in July, and more than three hundred thousand votes later it was selected as the lone Manitoba stop on the tour this year.

"I will go back all the way to the voting and the contest itself, people in the area, the town, and all across Canada got into the voting," says Manitou Mayor Jake Goertzen. "It was just phenomenal, and we just carried on from there. It has been great, just awesome."

Goertzen notes having the eyes of the nation on the town via the televised broadcast certainly brings a level of awareness about Manitou to those who may never have heard about the community previously. He says it was a great honour to host the tour, and gives a lot of credit to the volunteers who made it happen.

The $25,000 from Kraft Canada will help cover a portion of the $650,000 arena upgrade project currently underway in the town.


TSN personalities and crew prepare for the live broadcast of SportsCentre

"We are making everything wheelchair accessible in our viewing area, and of course outside," says Arena Committee Chair Clare Jago who notes the project also includes kitchen upgrades. The addition of a community hall is also part of the renovations. "We've got a long way to go to reach our goal, but this is definitely a good start to our fundraising and a way of celebrating the renovations we are doing."

"It's a building that has needed it for the longest time, and for small towns its hard to find the funding to do these renovations so it (the donation) is a big part for us."

Sports fans young and old, from town and beyond participated in the wide variety of activities and games.

"It's been awesome, and you can just see from the turnout here that certainly we are a community with spirit," said Manitou resident Myrna Keen one of the many people in attendance.

"It's my first time out here, and really what has blown me away is the hospitality," says Colin Ward who drove out from Winnipeg for the event. "There's really a sense of community, and I went up and down the streets and pretty much every house had a sign for the Kraft Celebration Tour. Everyone is having a good time, so it's been a lot of fun."