John Doherty Memorial Arena
Lake Lenore, SK
In 1928, a spot near main street Lake Lenore was flooded with water hauled from the lake by horse drawn sleigh. Teams of community members would skate and play hockey long into the night. The community would come alive in the darkness of winter, as it was primarily a farming community with not much else to do. In 1961, after the war, 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 a bustle of activity with hockey teams, ice dancing, broomball and curling becoming the source of activity for everyone in the surrounding area.
Over the years, a lot has changed, but the one constant has always been community. Today, the arena is still run 100% by volunteer efforts 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 they seek out professional help for large projects from time to time. 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.