Ken Kellar
If you’ve ever had an idea on how to honour local sports legends, now’s the time to have your voice heard.
The Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame is currently looking for new volunteers who are willing to step up and help guide the organization as the current committee approaches the end of their tenure.
“We’re looking for some volunteers to serve on the committee,” said Terry Ogden, who has served on the Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame committee for most of the past decade.
“We’ve held three banquets, inducted 11 athletes, 14 builders and seven teams. It’s time to get new people on board with new ideas to get the ball rolling.”
The Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame evolved out of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, which itself contains many locals.
Ogden noted part of the drive to begin the Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame was in being able to recognize important contributors to sports in the region who might not get into the larger hall.
“We think it’s been a good deal,” he said. “We’ve honoured people we don’t want to be forgotten. We have a boxer, a baseball team. A lot of people thought it was just a hockey thing, but it’s a sports hall of fame, so we feel good about the variety we got in.”
The Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame maintains a display with its inductees at the Memorial Sports Centre, and 2019 saw the induction of Scott Fawcett, David Mitchell, Ken Christiansen, Bob and Mary-Beth Tkachuk, Bruce McLeod, Barney Maher, the 1953-1954 Fort Frances Jaycees and the 1996 Police National Curling Championship team, comprised of Clint Barton, Steve Maki, Don Robertson and Scott Gobeil.
Ogden said he encourages anyone who is interested in the preservation of sports history in Fort Frances to reach out and volunteer with the Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame.
For more, call Ogden at 274-5195 or Dave Egan at 274-6321.
