Sunday, March 26, 2006

not with a bang but a whimper....

Big event in Winnipeg this morning: the implosion of our old arena. My brother and I decided we wanted to be a part of this moment, so we went down there this
morning, just after 6am. They were scheduled to implode it at around 7:15,
and the streets were being cordoned off at 6:30. There were already lots
of people there, and more kept pouring in. This was the end of an era, and it turned out quite a few Winnipegers wanted to honour it. Or maybe just see something blow up. We sat in the warmth of the car for a bit, but at about 6:45 we got out
and joined the crowds to claim a good viewing spot. We climbed up a mound of filthy snow and had a fantastic view.

All around us people were reminiscing over their steaming cups of Tim Hortons coffees. Stories of concerts, Jets games and even a wedding on centre ice were being passed around the chilly parking lot. Even me, who attended only my beloved Stars on Ice shows a handfull of concerts, felt sad to say goodbye to the ugly old arena. Change is often so bittersweet.

At about 7:20 they
gave the 5 minute warning siren, and people started to get excited. Then the one minunte warning....this was it..... then....
BOOM!!
It was wonderfully loud and I couldn't help but jump and let out an involuntary squeal. Then it rumbled like thunder as the building
began to slip away, a cloud of dust rising and drifting across to the
stadium nextdoor. But wait... the arena was still standing! Everyone kind of looked around, not sure what was happening. Was there going to be another round of explosions? Was this supposed to happen? Some of the building had
definitely collapsed, but a lot was still there too. After a few minutes the news eventually made it to the crowd that not all the explosives had detonated as planned, and the four major steel pillars of the arena still had their dynamite perfectly intact. It was as if the arena had just sluffed its coat off, shed its outter skin, but still stood upright,
stubbornly standing its ground. It wasn't giving up without a fight.

So, this is the way the arena ends. Who knows what will happen now. After they had determined the explosives weren't going to go off and the headstong arena skeleton wouldn't suddenly collapse, we were all allowed to leave. I guess that bittersweet change isn't quite ready to happen today.   I knew Winnipeg
had some pretty tenacious, persevering people - you have to be to put
up with our weather - but I didn't know our buildings would be just as
tough!



7 comments:

Leon said...

cool space

Jen said...

I haven\'t been here in a loooong time! Sorry I\'m such a slacker *blushes*
 
odd that the explosives didn\'t detonate fully...

Jade said...

wow!  how\'d you get that movie on there?  Cool!!

Heather said...

Wow! I have never seen something like that.

Marley said...

very cool....sounds like an awesome way to spend a morning!
 
Take care.

islandgirl said...

saw that on the news the other day....pretty wild eh? Wonder what kinda greif the guy who set the charges got from his buds over that!
 
was reading through the back issues, been awhile.....sigh....and I felt I had to leave this comment to you.....
 
the grass is always greener on the other side, till you see it takes the same shit to grow it
 
yep....
 
life is....well life here, I think I\'m finally seeing signs of spring, god I miss the beach......
 
 
have a great weekend....
 
c u round!

Will said...

I know I\'m way late in commenting on this, but I have to say that was one of the most interesting things I saw on the news when it happened. It\'s like the old building has a spirit that just wants to hang on.

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