Anthony Lanier II was a member of the D-line — as in drum line — on Friday.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive end joined teammates A.J. Allen, Rolan Milligan Jr. and Godfrey Onyeka as a temporary percussionist when the players accompanied the Kawacatoose junior singers and dance troupe in the gymnasium at the mâmawêyatitân centre.
The Littletents (Zayden, Meekah and Chase) performed as part of a community barbecue that doubled as the 110th-birthday celebration of the Regina Public Library’s Albert Branch.
“The Kawacatoose juniors and the Roughriders drumming together is just really nice,” mâmawêyatitân centre co-ordinator Jo Shepherd said. “Having those little guys singing their hearts out just brings up the mood in the room and it’s wonderful.”
Along with the mood, there was food.
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation purchased enough burgers, salad and snacks to accommodate nearly 1,000 people.
Legacy Catering and Services, which provides team meals for the Roughriders, prepared Friday’s lunches and donated the time of the staff members who were on hand.
The final stats, provided by Legacy co-owner Josh Robins, were as follows:
- 960 burgers and buns.
- 1,500 packages of ketchup.
- 700 packages of mustard.
- 800 slices of cheese.
- 150 pounds of macaroni salad.
Robins — who was joined behind the counter by his wife (Carissa), daughter (Elizabeth) and son (Weston) — noted that all the food products that remained after lunch were donated to the North Central Family Centre and All Nations Hope Network.
There was bound to be an excess when you tack on what Robins described as “tons of water” and “tons of bags of chips.”
Let’s not forget the cake (marking the library’s milestone) and a generous supply of watermelons (which were also used during a recent Roughriders video shoot).
Once all was said and done and devoured, everyone’s hearts and stomachs were full.
“It’s wonderful to see our neighbours and our friends from the community coming out as a whole,” Shepherd said.
“The meaning behind ‘mâmawêyatitân’ is ‘let’s be all together’ and an event like this just captures that spirit of neighbourliness and fun.
“It’s all about bringing together people from different cultures.”
That philosophy is reinforced by the layout of an expansive facility that includes the mâmawêyatitân centre, the historic library (which turns 110 on Sept. 8), and Scott Collegiate (which marks 100 years in 2024).
“The goal of the mâmawêyatitân centre has always been integration,” said Terri Wiest, branch manager for the Albert Branch and Regent Place libraries.
“The Board of Education, the Regina Public Library and the City of Regina are the three main stakeholders, and then we have so many partners within the centre who operate out of here.
“So when we have events like this, we all come together. We all work together. Everybody’s a part of it — not only the people who work and go to school in this building, but the people who live in the community and come through here and find this as their meeting place, as their safe space, as their space to meet friends.
“It’s their place to get educated and their place to find fun stuff to do, so it’s always really great. This place is a hub and there’s a real sense of community.
“It’s something special.”
The players quickly took note of that while giving of their time during a bye week.
“Everyone has been really pleasant,” Onyeka said. “Everyone has a smile on their face.
“Everyone’s making a note of being super-nice — not just to us, but to everyone else.”
Allen had a similar experience.
“This is awesome,” he said. “My mom raised me to be a huge community person, so doing anything like this is awesome.
“When you get an opportunity to bring people together who may not even be close to each other, it’s always important.
“It’s a blessing to be here. It’s a pleasure, honestly.”
Milligan Jr. made a point of volunteering his time even though his mobility is limited due to an injury.
“It’s just nice to help out,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of blessings in my life so, if I can help be a blessing to somebody else, I always try to do as much as I can.”
The four players were part of a crew of Roughriders volunteers that also consisted of Karina Peterson (Community Operations Co-ordinator), Jacqueline Hurlbert (Director of Marketing), Rebecca Perigny (Manager, Marketing and Community), Jenn Senger (Director, Ticket Operations and Sales) and four representatives of the Roughrider Foundation — Cindy Fuchs (Executive Director), Marnie Forsberg (Project Administration Co-ordinator), Jonathan Halvorson (Development Manager) and Caleb Blundell (Operations and Events Co-ordinator).
The community barbecue is a post-COVID Foundation initiative that is typically held twice a year. The next such gathering is scheduled for the holiday season.
“We try to give back to the neighbourhood in which our stadium is centred,” Peterson said, “so the good people of Rider Nation can enjoy a good, hot meal.”
Not to mention good times.
“I really appreciate North Central,” Shepherd said. “I love our neighbours here. This community is wonderful.
“There’s a lot of heart and I’m so grateful that people want to come and celebrate Albert Branch’s 110th birthday with us.”
Celebrate they did — especially during a chorus of “Happy Birthday” that featured the distinctive baritone of Lanier II.
Then it was time to make some additional music, with the assistance of green-clad guest percussionists, and even more new friends.
