LAC LA BICHE - If you’re thinking about sitting in the bleachers under the hot sun to watch the next event at the Lac La Biche Agricultural Grounds, they’ve got you covered - with a new roof.
A canopy is being constructed to cover the 720-seat main grandstand on the west side of the outdoor performance arena. According to Aurel Langevin, the president of the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society, the project started on August 12 and is expected to take about two weeks to complete.
The bleachers were originally built in 2008. Langevin said many events since then have been held under bright summer skies and sometimes rainy spring afternoons.
“So, we decided that, well, to protect our patrons, why don’t we put a roof over the grandstand,” Langevin told Lakeland This Week, adding that open stands are a typical sight in small communities. “What we’ve done is that we’ve elevated this facility by putting a roof over the top.”
To pay for the project, members of the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society received grant money from the provincial government. The grant, Langevin said, covers some portion of the project. However, the Ag Society must cover a portion as well. The total cost-shared price, he said, will come in at just over $80,000.
According to Langevin, the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society has been looking at the addition of a canopy to the grandstand for the past several years. The group has been saving their pennies over those years.
Going forward, Langevin said, the canopy will provide cover for people watching rodeo events, both from heat as well as wet weather. Furthermore, he said, it’s also going to help attract more people because they will be protected while seated in the stands.
“On a very warm day, the people will be sitting in the shade…and on a very rainy day, they’ll be sitting in dry bleachers,” he said. “If we have a rodeo, and all of a sudden it starts to rain, we won’t cancel the rodeo…we will continue with the rodeo because the patrons will be sitting in a dry area.”
September Rodeo
A construction company from the Edmonton area was selected to do the work on the grandstand cover.
The new cover will be ready for the next rodeo at the Lac La Biche Agricultural Grounds arena that is set for Sept. 20. Billy McDonald Rodeo Company Open Rodeo that will take place in conjunction with the World Archery Field Championships being held in Lac La Biche.
