Â鶹´«Ã½AV

Any time the city invests in a project there will be those who are against the spending. 

That of course is to be expected. Rarely do you find unanimous support for anything. 

So there were the naysayers when it came time to plan the replacement of the Yorkton Exhibition Grandstand. There were those who felt the city could do without such a structure. 

And, there were those who felt if the grandstand was to be replaced, the taxpayers of the city did not need to pay part of the cost – leaving it up to others to raise the dollars. 

The Yorkton Exhibition Association were up to the task of taking the lead in raising money.  

For the YEA it was a rather logical step since the grandstand is an integral element of so much that they do. 

Every summer event over the decades the YEA has hosted has generally incorporated aspects held in front of the grandstand. 

The YEA has long focused on a simple goal in what it does, holding events which bring friends and families together, and often that means gathering on the grandstand seats to watch everything from music concerts, to tractor pulls, monster truck shows, fireworks and more. 

Without the grandstand the YEA would have been without a key draw, so they took on the challenge of fundraising with gusto. 

To the credit of Yorkton Council, they came on side early with $300,000 a foundational amount that gave the project a fighting chance to succeed. 

From there the community stepped up; Legacy Co-op leading the way as the naming sponsor. Other businesses and organizations followed; Richardson Oilseeds, LDC and the Yorkton Tribal Council most recently. 

The totaled raised nears the cost of Phase I of the grandstand at a cost of about $730,000, with a Phase II planned to put the finishing touches on things. 

For those wondering about the need for the facility, the packed stands for the Eastern Professional Chariot & Chuckwagon Association racing action sponsored locally by the YEA over the weekend are an example of why the grandstand is needed. 

When the Yorkton Hyundai Thunder in the Parkland Truck & Tractor Pulls presented by Yorkton Home Hardware are held the August 21^st weekend the seats are likely to be full again too. 

Of course the grandstand is not exclusively for the YEA. It is very much a community facility. 

Over the years the Painted Hand Casino has hosted rough stock rodeos, a day dedicated to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and centenary fireworks are among events held at the facility. 

Now that there is a shiny new grandstand it is to be hoped the community uses it well with a variety of events and shows that will bring our community together for decades to come – after all it was an investment made by our community today for tomorrow.