Hometown Hockey is only a couple of weeks away from invading Portage la Prairie.

David Sattler, Co-chair of the Hometown Hockey organizing committee, is looking forward to a busy weekend of local activities to go along with the event.

"We were looking at how we can add our complement to the festival in itself, and bring as many non-profit or community groups together. Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until noon we're going to have a pancake breakfast which will be hosted by the Portage la Prairie Rotary Club. For a small fee, you can have a breakfast outside and enjoy the set-up to the festival."

Sattler says there's going to be an exciting hockey game at Stride Place Saturday evening as part of the festivities.

"Recreation Opportunities for Kids (ROK) is hosting the Battle of the Badges (Saturday evening), which is a charity hockey game between local RCMP members and firefighters. This hasn't been done in the past 10 or 15 years, and after speaking to both departments, they both seem really excited. The entire event will be free, admission at the door will just be a donation, and there will be a silent auction and different types of activities during the game."

All the proceeds from the game will go back to ROK, which Sattler says is a great organization for kids here in Portage.

"ROK is also hosting a 3-on-3 hockey tournament for all ages on Saturday and Sunday," says Sattler. "Lynne Parker has been working hard to put this all together and there is more information available through ROK about the tournament if you're interested."

The Friday before the festivaln Hometown Hockey will be stopping by Yellowquill School in Portage. "They'll have Hometown Hank, 'Paz' the hockey juggler, as well as a special speaker. That person is still being nailed down, but it's going to be a big celebration, a kick off to get everyone excited about the upcoming event."

The Portage Minor Hockey Association will be present for the Hometown Hockey weekend. "PMHA is running concessions on site" adds Sattler. "They have the rights to that and they'll have a barbeque. We're hoping a lot of people will come out and support it because it's for a great cause. The hope is to use the funds to help with development for hockey programs in Portage."

The organizing committee is looking for some volunteers to help out over the weekend. They need 25 to 28 people that will handle everything from making hot chocolate and coffee, to parking assistance at park-and-ride locations like Portage Co-op, PCI High School and La Verendrye School.

"Some of it is working alongside Ron McLean on Sunday, or Tara Slone," boasts Sattler. "Helping them do what they need to do. We will be working with local minor hockey to do some kind of clean-up stufft too."

Interested volunteers are being asked to contact Monica Chorney at Stride Place.