The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Plaza of Honour is undergoing some changes.
First off, the name has been amended to reflect the British spelling of “honour.”
Secondly, a new cairn is being constructed to hold the names of the inductees — including those of 2017 honourees Wes Cates and Roger Brandvold. The new cairn will be erected outside the southeast gate of new Mosaic Stadium, adjacent to Elphinstone Street.
And thirdly, the event itself is changing. The Sept. 22 celebration will be held at Mosaic Stadium, will feature three tiers of ticketing options, and will involve a reception instead of a dinner.
“This year is a year of change and being in this new facility, we really wanted to shake things up as well,” Sarah Fedirko, chair of the 2017 Plaza of Honour event, said during a media conference Tuesday at Mosaic Stadium. “It’s no longer a dinner. We’re going to do a reception-style event this year so we can showcase the facility that we have now.
“We’ve got the AGT Lounge and we have Harvard’s Studio 620 and we really want to be able to utilize those and showcase them to Rider Nation. We want to give them the opportunity to come in, mix and mingle and rub shoulders with the team and the players.”
Tickets will cost $250 (for admission into the AGT Lounge), $150 (to get into Harvard’s Studio 620) and $30 (for general admission into the stadium’s bowl).
“It’s going to open it up to all those people who have really wanted to attend in the past but maybe didn’t have the opportunity to do so,” Fedirko said. “We want to get them in and really be able to feel what the Plaza of Honour is and what it’s all about.”
The evening’s events previously were held in the Credit Union EventPlex and featured a sit-down dinner. That has been replaced this season by a cocktail reception.
“We really wanted to make it a little bit more of a casual event so that people can move around a little bit more,” Fedirko said. “That’s just how events are moving in this time and age.
“People really like the ability to move around a little bit rather than stay stationary. We wanted to continue with refreshing the look and that’s what made sense for us.”
The 2017 Plaza of Honour event is the 28th edition of the celebration. To date, 122 individuals and three Grey Cup-winning teams have been inducted into the Plaza.
The event has generated more than $6 million for the organization over the years.
For information about purchasing tickets or corporate tables, contact the Roughriders’ ticket office (306-525-2181 or 1-888-474-3377) or any member of the organizing committee.
Get your 2017 Plaza of Honour tickets here
