Current and former players, billets, fans, family, and team supporters will come together to celebrate and reminisce at the Stars' 50th Anniversary Weekend. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Celebrating Franchise History

North Stars gearing up for 50th Anniversary Weekend

Jun 2, 2023 | 6:00 PM

Four league championships, a half-century of hockey, and countless memories made.

The Battlefords North Stars are celebrating it all at their 50^th Anniversary Weekend, June 23-24.

First established as an SJHL franchise back in 1973 under the ‘Battlefords Barons’ monicker, the event will be a celebration of the team’s last 50 years, with alumni from throughout the five-decades on hand for the celebration.

“We’re really excited with some of the names we’ve had sign up,” Stars’ marketing manager Kennedy Schmidt said. “We’ve got a couple of guys from the first-ever Barons team back in ’73-74, all the way up to the guys who just left that are coming back, so we’re almost guaranteed to have at least someone from every year to this point.”

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The weekend will open Fri., June 23, with a Golf Tournament at 1 p.m. at North Battleford Golf and Country Club, followed by supper and a social to follow. The golf will be a four-person scramble with a shotgun start.

Saturday during the day there will be a Kid’s Afternoon with carnival-style games, bouncy castles, and street hockey behind the Access Communications Centre (Civic Centre) rink, followed by another special supper Saturday night, with entertainment provided by comedian Kelly Taylor, and a social to follow.

President of the North Stars, Kyle Kellgren said the anniversary celebration is a chance for those who played here, stayed here, and have supported the team in any capacity, to re-connect.

“It’s an event for everybody,” Kellgren said. “It’s for our fans, the players who used to play here, the players currently playing here, and for everybody in the community. It’s a big event over those couple of days and we’re hoping everybody comes out to take part.”

“We have a really rich tradition here in the Battlefords and it’s unbelievable to look back on 50 years,” Kellgren continued. “We’ve had a lot of great players who have donned the hallways of the Civic Centre and it’s just great to try to get everybody back. It’s going to be a fantastic couple of days.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

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