A start at least

First the bad news: we didn’t make the cut.
The good news? At least someone took the time this year to nominate Fort Frances for the annual Kraft “Hockeyville” title.
Kudos to local resident Jonathan Glueheisen, who submitted a bid after reading an editorial questioning our community pride given the repeated lack of interest in vying for the “Hockeyville” crown, not to mention landing an NHL pre-season game and $100,000 in arena upgrades.
Given our bid was submitted just prior to the Jan. 31 deadline for entries, it was no real surprise to learn Saturday night that Fort Frances was not among the three Ontario communities named as the 15 finalists (an honour going to Bancroft, Goderich, and Stirling-Rawdon). Frankly, one individual cobbling together a last-minute bid, while commendable, would have a tough time competing against the hundreds of entries.
“It’s truly inspiring to see so many hockey-loving Canadians rally together in creative ways to improve their communities,” Jack Hewitt, vice-president of marketing services for Kraft Canada, had noted. “In the seven years that we’ve had Kraft ‘Hockeyville,’ we’ve never seen such passion and creativity as demonstrated by these 15 finalists.”
The key words there being “passion” and “creativity.”
So what’s the next step? Clearly, it involves mustering the community to submit a truly spectacular entry sure to catch the judges’ attention. Think of it as sending in an audition tape for a reality TV show like “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race.” It has to be enthusiastic, colourful, loud, and maybe even a little outrageous.
In a nutshell, it’s got to stand out.
Submitting a bid this year was a start, and fortunately Mr. Glueheisen already has said he’s willing to try again next year. Taking it to the next level, however, means getting a community effort organized well before the call for entries.