Lumsden is aiming to end Saskatchewan’s drought for Kraft Hockeyville, as voting opens Friday morning.

Bid organizer Jamie Lees says support has been coming in from all over the country.

“The coolest phone call I got was from Twillingate, Newfoundland, they were the last year’s winner and they are really backing us and supporting us,” Lees said. “Whether it’s Alberta, BC, and obviously all over Saskatchewan, it’s been neat to see everybody come together.”

Voting opens at 7:00 AM Friday morning and will remain open until 3:00 Saturday afternoon.

Lees says their committee is issuing a challenge to businesses across Saskatchewan Friday.

“We’re trying to get businesses to ‘stop and give me 20;’ they can do pushups if they want to, but we’re actually really looking for 20 minutes of their time and allowing their employees to stop and vote steady for 20 minutes on Friday,” Lees said. “If they can find the time in their day to do that, we’re trying to get all of the businesses on board.”

If Lumsden were to win Kraft Hockeyville, they aim to make several repairs to the rink, adding more change rooms, and also promote their female hockey program, the Lumsden Lynx.

Lees says the excitement is certainly starting to build in the town.

“You can walk down the streets of Lumsden, and everybody is just coming alive,” Lees said. “Even though we can’t obviously gather and do things together, (you can feel) the momentum growing, and it’s super exciting.”

With this being the fifteenth year of Kraft Hockeyville, a Saskatchewan community has never won.