An event that is being called "Weyburn's chance to show their Rider Pride", the Weyburn Rider Nation Roundup, will take place this Friday, May 14, rain or shine. If it is sunny, the event will be held at the Comp track, and if it rains the event will take place at the Weyburn Curling Rink. Either way festivities start at 6 p.m. and there will be a number of activities until 9 p.m.
The show of support has been "amazing," said Rider Nation co-chair Rochelle Wendt. "It certainly proved that we were right when we said Weyburn was Riderville."An initial show of support from the community took place for Rider Pride Day on Apr. 30, which had been the original day set for the Roundup, but is now being called the Roundup kickoff day when bad weather rescheduled outdoor activities. "It was a very fun day," said co-chair Nicole Wendt. "Everywhere we looked (on Apr. 30) there was green, painted windows, flags and people dressed up."The delay of events was "better" for the Weyburn Rider Nation committee. "If anything, we were able to make the Roundup bigger and better, by planning even more events," said Nicole.The Roundup will be organized as a field-style party with several fun activities for all ages. Volunteers from the Weyburn Minor Football Association will be manning the barbecue (food provided by the Weyburn Co-op), entertainment will be proved by Music Craft, and a family fun zone (sponsored by Crescent Point Energy Trust) will include face-painting, tattoos, balloons and give-aways.Special Weyburn Rider Nation gear will be available. In addition to some of the prizes that will be awarded (prizes provided by Barber Motors), there will be a contest for best-dressed adult and best-dressed child. Another contest residents will be able to enter will be the Rider-trivia contest for a chance to win a hot tub rental from Majestic Spas.Throughout the evening, Access 7 Weyburn will be there to film video footage for a contest that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are currently running to determine which community is "Riderville". This is an opportunity for all Rider fans in Weyburn to showcase their "Green-and-white" pride and improve the chances of being a finalist in the contest."This is our time to shoot the majority of our fans and our Rider Pride, so we really encourage residents to come down to the Roundup so that we have the best submission," said Nicole. "We only have one shot to make this video."In addition, a slideshow that was collected during 'Rider Pride Day' on Apr. 30 will be shown during the evening on a big-screen television. One of the highlights of the Rider Pride Day was that Roughrider Marcus Adams paid a visit to several places around the community.From 6 to 7 p.m., the Weyburn Junior High and Weyburn Comp cheerleaders will perform, there will be a Roughrider player autograph signing, and Gainer the Gopher will be available to meet and greet all fans. For those people who arrive before 7 p.m., they will be eligible for the prize draw for two tickets to the 2010 Grey Cup game to be held in Edmonton (courtesy of Great Plains Ford).Later in the evening, the winner of the Weyburn Rider Nation's song-writing contest will debut their winning song and Carve's Band will perform. An official after-party will be held at the Detour Band and Grill starting at 9 p.m.The Saskatchewan Roughriders 'Riderville' contest runs from May 1 to June 15, and during those dates a selection committee will judge entries and visit competing communities. Since there is no definite answer to when the selection committee might be in Weyburn, residents are encouraged to continue displaying their Rider Pride.There are roughly 20 different communities who are competing in this contest. The Weyburn Rider Nation is aware of significant campaigns taking place in Yorkton and Estevan. "We are keeping an eye on them, just as we are sure they are keeping an eye on us," said Rochelle. "We want to make sure that we aren't being out-done, and we are pretty confident that we aren't being out-done. And there are still things that are being planned that we are keeping secret."Five finalists will be selected by the selection committee, and will be announced at the first Riders game of the season on July 1. As a finalist, a community will receive at least $2,500 to benefit minor sports organization. All five finalists will be posted on www.riderville.com and voting will be open to all fans in the province.One grand prize will be awarded at the Riders' Labour Day game, with that community earning the official designation of "Riderville", winning $25,000 for minor sports organizations, and a full-day Roughrider football and cheerleading camp.
