John Doherty Memorial Arena
Lake Lenore, SK
In 1928, a spot near Main Street in Lake Lenore, Saskatchewan was flooded with water being hauled by horses from the nearby lake. When the water froze, community members would skate and play hockey long into the night. The town came alive in the darkness of winter, as it was primarily a farming community with not much else to do. In 1961, the community came together, as it always does, and built the John Doherty Memorial Arena: A natural ice dome structure that you can find in all small towns across Canada. It became the place to be and hosted a bustle of activity with hockey teams, ice dancing, broomball, and curling becoming the source of activity for everyone in the region.
Over the years, a lot has changed, but the one constant has always been community. Today, the arena is still entirely run by volunteers, with community members stepping forward to donate their time and energy to keep it going for future generations. Activities, schedules, and families have gotten busier, so the community sometimes seeks out professional help for larger projects. Community fundraisers are plentiful, and most recently, they raised enough funds to install LED lights on the ice surface.
This year, the arena’s ice surface paint needs to be re-done, as it hasn’t been touched since the mid 1980s.