If you look purely at the numbers, Lumby’s bid for Kraft Hockeyville supremacy is daunting.
Within the village’s boundary, there are 1,731 people to count on for votes, and that includes every tiny baby. In comparison, other top 10 competitors include Brockville, Ont. with a population of 21,870, Okotoks, Alta. at 24,511 and Oromocto, N.B. with 8,932 residents.
But statistics are just statistics, and the folks with Kraft and Sportsnet have never met the folks from Lumby.
“Get family and friends to vote. We aren’t the smallest but we are nowhere near the biggest and we will need every vote,” wrote Rick Stolberg on the Vote for Lumby to be Kraft Hockeyville 2016 Facebook page.
And going beyond Lumby is the key.
Stephanie Davyduke and Angie Clowry are constantly working every angle to get the word out before the big vote this Sunday and Monday to pare the top 10 down to two finalists.
“The more we share on social media, texting, e-mails and phone calls, the more we are promoting to our friends and family. Being direct with asking for support is key smile emoticon,” said Clowry.
“Please send an e-mail out at your work asking friends and family to vote for Lumby.”
Stolberg is a little more direct.
“You know you must have those 500 Facecrack friends for a reason.”
Within a short distance of Lumby is Mabel Lake, Whitevale, Trinity Valley, Cherryville and Lavington, and kids from all of those areas are on hockey teams at Pat Duke Memorial Arena. They are all well aware of the facility’s condition and the difference the $100,000 prize could make.
But draw the circle even wider and the entire North Okanagan is vote-rich.
“We’re all one big community and if Lumby gets $100,000, it benefits everyone,” said Akbal Mund, Vernon’s mayor, at a recent event.
“Kids from Vernon and Armstrong play hockey here.”
And the precedent for a region-wide endorsement was set back in 2011.
At that time, Armstrong won the B.C. leg of the Kraft Celebration Tour. As a result, it netted a $25,000 upgrade to Hassen Arena and a TSN broadcast.
Obviously Armstrong-Spallumcheen residents led the way, but the Hassen bid was successful because residents and businesses, no matter where they were in the North Okanagan, went online and voted.
Voting for Kraft Hockeyville opens Sunday at 6 a.m. at khv2016.ca/and closes Monday at 9 p.m. From there, two finalists will be selected.
There are 84,587 of us in the North Okanagan and while all of our communities are distinct, we have so much that binds us together, including a proud tradition of recreation, hockey and public facilities.
Do your part for the region and take to the computer and vote for Lumby as often as you can. And if you don’t have a computer, smart phone or iPhone, find someone willing to lend you their’s.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to rally around our kids and the community.
We are all from Lumby.