Cold Lake has its very own Hall of Fame, and they’re looking for nominations.
“It’s good to recognize past and present people that are making our Cold Lake area a great place to live,” expressed Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland. “I think it’s something that all communities are doing across Canada, and this was sort of a grassroots initiative from the public.”
This will be the second time the city has recognized residents through the Hall of Fame, which was started in 2017.
“We recognized Mr. Ivan Krook Sr., who was very instrumental in recreation sports, particularly baseball in Cold Lake back in the day, and Alex Janvier, what more can you say about him? He’s an icon of Cold Lake,” Copeland said.
The categories this year include athlete, artist, community leader, builder, and teams or organizations.
A maximum of two individuals per category will be awarded the distinction of having their name added to the Hall of Fame as a thank you for all they’ve done.
Anyone interested in submitting a nomination must get their forms in by May 1.
While the Hall of Fame hasn’t found a permanent home yet, Copeland noted council already has a place in mind.
“We still have to build what we want it to look like at the Energy Centre, but it will come over time... Now with the new arena, that could (fit) nicely with a Hall of Fame.”
In order to be eligible, a nominee must be a from Cold Lake or the area, have substantial connections to the community, or be a resident of the area during the period of time the achievements took place. For teams or organizations, they must be based out of Cold Lake.
Copeland encourages everyone to submit a name of someone they think deserves to be recognized.
“Everybody has people that they know have done significant work in the community... It’s great to recognize individuals or groups that have contributed to making Cold Lake what it is,” he expressed.
He continued, “There’s some real founding people in the community that really created a lot of vision when you look at (the city). It doesn’t have to be all about sports, but making the community a great place to want to be part of, raise a family, and retire here.”
The city’s Recreation and Culture Committee will have until June 30 to narrow it down to two names for each category, and will present the list of inductees to city council by Aug. 31.
A ceremony will be held sometime in November, with a banquet in the Energy Centre’s Reid Field House to celebrate.
