Grey Cup parties light up Winnipeg ahead of Sunday’s game

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This article was published 25/11/2015 (3066 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Grey Cup Sunday approaches, the fun and revelry are picking up in Winnipeg as fans prepare for the match between the Edmonton Eskimos and Ottawa Redblacks. People, including both locals and tourists, are out and about enjoying the sights, sounds and activities around the city, including Thursday at the MacDon Fan Experience and Family Zone at the University of Winnipeg’s Axworthy Health and RecPlex.

Several people took part in the interactive football stations.

Director Ken Opaleke arrived with 28 kids from the West Broadway Youth Outreach, an inner-city program’s homework club, who immediately took off like rockets in several directions to try out as many of the numerous activities as they could set up around the 189,000-square-foot facility.

“I love football,” said Nahome Bekele, 13. “I’m so happy I’m going to the game with West Broadway. I think Edmonton is going to win. They’re a really good team.”

Opaleke said the Asper Group and Rady JCC, donated 28 tickets. Opaleke, who promotes good study habits and the important of education, said the 28 members of the homework club are all going to the game.

Ultimate CFL fans Debbie and Kevin McHady, who have been married for 31 years, are longtime B.C. Lions fans from Campbell River, B.C., on Vancouver Island.

“It’s a real tough place to do season tickets from,” laughed Kevin who said he’s been going to Lions games in Vancouver whenever he can since 1978. “We did have (seasons tickets) last year and it cost us!”

The couple makes the trek — nearly four hours one way — for every game. Sometimes they stay over, sometimes they head back. The journey includes a 1 1/2-hour drive to the ferry at Nanaimo, 1 3/4 hours on the ferry, and then an hour into Vancouver to get to the game.

“This is our fourth Grey Cup. It’s on our bucket list to go to every Grey Cup in every city that holds a Grey Cup so we’re working our way through!” Debbie said.

The couple said on Sunday that they’ll be cheering for the Edmonton Eskimos over the Ottawa Redblacks.

“I don’t think Ottawa is strong enough to take on Edmonton’s defence,” Kevin said.

They’re also big fans of Winnipegger Andrew Harris, a B.C. Lions running back who played his junior football for the Vancouver Island Raiders.

At the Power Punch Max sled, Sapper Connor Morrison from McGregor Armoury was having a mini competition with several of his fellow Canadian Forces reservists. They took turns racing full speed at the tackling dummy and then dropping their shoulder to see, on the digital display, who exerted the most force.

“I got 748 and he (his competitor) got 501. No one was really sure what that measures exactly but it was fun,” said Morrison, who was helping the other reservists run a military-style obstacle course at another station.

A poll among the reservists at the obstacle showed a split of support between Edmonton and Ottawa for Sunday’s result.

Abdul Dushimiyimana moved to Canada in 2010 from Rwanada and quickly became a CFL football fan.

“I’m new but I like watching it on TV,” he said, pausing for a few minutes after trying the Mark’s Football Obstacle Course. “Another sport I watch is soccer. In Africa, (they) called it (soccer) football, too, so I was surprised when they called this game football.”

He said he was picking “Edmonton for the defence.”

Meanwhile, at the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries FanFest at the Club Regent Event Centre, Cindy Buss said her heart is with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers even though they’re not in the 2015 Grey Cup.

That was clear.

Buss was decked out in a flowing coat made from Blue Bombers flags and a Rastafarian-type hat with blue-and-gold dreadlocks adorned with jewels on the ends.

“My coat is made out of five Bombers flags. A gal named Betty Holiday out of Hamilton, I met her at a Grey Cup, and she makes these,” said Buss, who lives in Golden Bay, about five kilometres east of Beausejour. “My hat was made by my aunt and my cousin. It was my 50th birthday last year and they gave it to me for a birthday present.”

As for Sunday’s Grey Cup game, Buss said she believe in Ottawa quarterback Henry Burris.

“I’m going to go for the underdogs, the Ottawa Redblacks because they haven’t taken home a Grey Cup in over 30 years. I know how that drought feels. Sitting on 25 (since the Bombers have won a Grey Cup) I’m getting an idea of that and Henry Burris is a great ambassador to the game,” said Buss, who was watching the players arrive on the red carpet for the Shaw CFL Player awards.

A few steps away from the red carpet, Brian Desrochers from Thunder Bay got his picture taken with the Grey Cup on display with an RCMP officer who was serving as the historic hardware’s honourary guard.

“I’m here (in Winnipeg) for a training course. It’s great timing all this is happening so I thought I’d take advantage of the opportunity to see the Grey Cup,” said Desrochers, who said he’s been a Bombers fan for about 10 years. “I never expected I’d get a chance to get a picture with the Grey Cup.”

He said he used to be an Edmonton Eskimos fan but switched allegiance to the Bombers.

“It does put me in a bit of spot (for whom to cheer for on Sunday). I’m just going to hope for a good game,” he said.

As the CFL star players walked down the red carpet Thursday, Allan Hordal from Yorkton, Sask., was set up right by the ropes with his girlfriend’s 13-year-old nephew, Matthew Prociuk. All the players knew Hordal so the two had photos taken with most players and hugs from several — including Burris and Toronto’s Chad Owens.

“It’s his (Hordal) 35th Grey Cup and this is my son’s first time experiencing this,” said Lynne Denischuk, Matthew’s mom and sister to LeeAnn Denischuk, Hordal’s girlfriend.

Lynne and Matthew live in Winnipeg but are Saskatchewan Roughriders fans thanks to Hordal and LeeAnn, who live in Yorkton.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca