After years of wishing, waiting, hoping and more waiting, the residents of Estevan got their first glimpse of Spectra Place Friday night.
The city's new events centre was finally unveiled to the public when it hosted the fifth and final area fundraising dinner which was headlined by Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke.
While the wait to open the arena was a bit longer than expected, the reaction of all who entered the facility Friday indicated it was more than worth it as there were plenty of rave reviews from those attending the dinner and the speakers themselves.
"Look at this magical place you guys have built," said Burke, who was effusive in his praise for Spectra Place. "What you, you the community have done is take a dream and convert it (to reality). This thing is awesome."
Although there is plenty of finishing work yet to be completed, construction crews have been working at a breakneck pace over the past few weeks to get Spectra Place ready enough to hold the dinner.
And it's a good thing they did as the final dinner, like the four that preceded it, was another major success.
With the always entertaining Burke as the featured speaker and Saskatchewan Roughriders Darian Durant and Gene Makowsky also part of the agenda, more than 700 people made their way to Spectra Place and raised well over $200,000, the bulk of that total coming through the live auction.
A new F-150 half-ton donated by Senchuk Ford was the big-ticket item in the auction, bringing in $64,000. Another hot item was the rare opportunity to travel with an NHL team offered up by Burke. The package, which went for $25,000, includes a game in Toronto and a chance to join the Leafs on the road for two games.
The next major event scheduled for Spectra Place is the April 15 grand opening concert featuring Canadian rockers Tom Cochrane and Red Rider with special guests Kim Mitchell.
Tickets for the concert can be purchased at ticketmaster.ca. Tickets must be purchased in advance as there will be no sales at the door.
For more on the fundraising dinner and the athlete of the year award presentations, please see page B1
