Are you ready to vote, Estevan?
The Estevan football family has reached the final 20 in its bid for the Kraft Celebration Tour.
The 20 remaining communities across Canada were announced by TSN on Friday, and Estevan will go head-to-head with Swan River, Man., for $25,000 and a SportsCentre broadcast.
Each of the 10 matchups across the country has a 24-hour period of voting which will determine the winners.
Online voting for Estevan and Swan River begins at 10 a.m. Saskatchewan time on July 19 and runs until 10 a.m. the next day. Voting is unlimited.
Should Estevan win, the TSN broadcast, featuring slapstick anchor duo Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole, would be held in late August.
"This is a huge opportunity, not only for football in Estevan but I believe for the whole community," said Estevan Minor Football volunteer Wanda Harron, who submitted the Estevan nomination.
If successful, the money would go toward repairs and necessary projects for minor football and the Elecs, including damage sustained at the fields in the Woodlawn area after this spring's flooding.
"It's a really neat thing for us, especially with what the southeast corner has gone through this spring," said Elecs head coach Marco Ricci.
Ricci said the main field at Woodlawn and the practice field across the highway are at the top of the pecking order for funds.
"Everybody's pretty aware that our facilities at Woodlawn and across from there are the ones in real need of making sure we get this funding. It would be huge to get those fields back to normal.
"Our biggest priority is that we can still ride this momentum we've had the past few years, so the minor football kids have a place to play."
The hope would be to host the TSN broadcast from the field at Woodlawn, if it dries up by then.
Harron said the people behind the Estevan bid aren't surprised to make it this far. She added that, to be frank, the flooding this year is a cause that can "tug at the heartstrings" of the judges and voters.
It didn't hurt that well-known football people like Regina Rams coach Frank McCrystal lent their support to the cause on Estevan's online entry.
Even getting to this point gives Estevan and its burgeoning football programs significant exposure, with the city having a big spotlight on TSN the day of the vote.
"From a selfish standpoint, for sure it feels good to be recognized. We're all getting recognized now for the work we've put in and how well it's gone to this point and how well it's continuing to go," said McLellan.
A meeting was held Tuesday night to formulate a plan for getting the word out. Harron said they are looking at handing out flyers at Rider games, making T-shirts and posting signs around the city.
"I think it would be a huge community event. They help you organize a barbecue and a family fun zone to go along with the broadcast. We could get 2,000 people out easily, I believe," Harron said.
