We’ve had people voting until they have developed calluses on their clicking fingers.
Once Salmon Arm was announced as one of the Top 16 finalists in the Kraft Hockeyville competition on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, people jumped on board and began voting and voting and voting. As there is no limit on the contest voting, it’s all about getting people to sit and hit “vote” again as many times as possible for the 48-hour time limit.
There were some pretty hard-core voters out there: Bev and Jarvis Wice voted 2,940 times and were still going on Monday, so I have no doubt they topped 3,000.
Others remembered Salmon Arm from places as far-flung as Costa Rica and Maui, where they spent time voting while soaking up the sun on tropical beaches.
Voting for the popular contest began Saturday night at 7 p.m. and finished up at 9 p.m. Monday, so now it’s time to play the waiting game until the announcement as to whether Salmon Arm will move on to the top four – two from the west and two from the east.
The news will be released Saturday, March 15 during the evening hockey telecast.
Should we make the top four, the Shaw Centre would be guaranteed $50,000 in arena upgrades. The top winner from both the East and the West gets $100,000 to upgrade the facility, plus the grand prize wins the chance to showcase their community by hosting an NHL pre-season game.
The silver lining here is that even if Salmon Arm doesn’t move on, the Shaw Centre will still receive $25,000 towards arena upgrades.
Now, if only there was a Soccerville contest, as well. It would be nice if this community could get an upgrade to the indoor soccer arena, which is in far worse shape than the Shaw Centre.
Another event that is well-deserving of Salmon Arm’s support is the upcoming Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society’s Spelling Bee event.
I must confess to wanting to hide under a rock when I first heard about it, as my stomach flips and knees shake at the thought of standing up in front of a crowd and spelling words out. But just so we are clear – this event is not like that.
Jen Findlay, literacy co-ordinator, assures me there will be no standing under a spotlight waiting to be buzzed off the stage, which sounds about as much fun as a root canal.
Instead, this will be a team event, where a table of spellers will put their collective heads together to puzzle out the words and other challenges. It’s about having fun and would be an excellent team building exercise for local businesses. The event is Friday, May 2, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort.
The Observer will have a team in, so come pit your word knowledge against us.
Register for the event by contacting Findlay by email at admin@shuswapliteracy.ca or call 250-833-2095.
