Historic Regina Exhibition Stadium set for demolition

Long dwarfed by the shadow of the Pasqua Hospital and Credit Union Eventplex, the Regina Exhibition Stadium now looks small in comparison.

It’s orange and peach exterior, long worn and crumbling, will be no more than a memory on Tuesday.

The iconic building is being torn down.

In its heyday, it was the venue to be for Regina families as it played host to a number of big events.

The Shriner’s Circus, the Ice Capades, Buddy Holly, Louis Armstrong all stopped by and, of course, Regina Exhibition Stadium was home to the 1974 Memorial Cup winning Regina Pats.

Player alum Kim MacDougall won’t easily forget it.

“Of course I am sad to see it go but of course it is time,” MacDougall reminisced.

“Anytime something like this comes to an end, it is certainly sad to see it go.”

It is a sentiment echoed by sports writer Darrell Davis who’s father coached in the building and he also played a role in its history.

“You got to chase your friends around, you got to have so much fun running around those benches as a kid, you sure got dirty,” Davis remembered.

But like all good stories, Regina Exhibition Stadium must come to an end. It is being torn down to make way for a multi-million dollar exhibition centre at Evraz Place, part of an ongoing facelift for the area, which includes the new Mosaic Stadium.

“There’s going to be a few people who, I think, will be crying when the old building comes down,” Davis said.