(submitted photo/Town of Carrot River)

By Ben Tompkins

Kearns Arena

Carrot River renaming arena to honour long-time facility manager

Jul 3, 2024 | 11:21 AM

The Carrot River Community Centre has been renamed.

The community’s arena will now be known as Kearns Arena in honour of Sid Kearns who was a longtime facility manager.

“This has been in the works for a number of years. Our arena has been named the Carrot River Community Centre, which has been a bit of a bone of contention with people because it sounds like a community hall. That would often get people confused, so we’ve always been sitting around and saying that if we could name it different, that sure would be nice,” explained community development manager, Miranda Blaber.

“In discussion around that, it was recognized that former facilities manager, Sid Kearns has had more to do with the rink than just being the facility manager. He was heavily involved in a lot of community items to do with that arena and his father had a lot to do with the arena as well when it was being built. So giving tribute to that, we felt it was appropriate to rename the facility after that family.”

Kearns was the rink’s facility manager for roughly 32 years when it was opened back around 1982, until late 2014/early 2015.

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He is still a resident of Carrot River and has spent his whole life there, including raising his family.

“Having grown up in the community, the rink was a place where you went for skating and hockey and enjoying games with your friends and such, and Sid was a staple at that space. When you walked in the door, you knew he was there,” Blaber added.

“He was taking care of the property, he was keeping kids in line as needed and he was known for making some of the best and most well-known ice in the northeast region. He was also spending time outside those long working hours working with minor hockey and serving on various boards. He was quite integral and a really involved member of the arena community.”

There are future plans to do an official unveiling and ceremony of the renaming, along with recognizing the contributions of Kearns and his family.

It will either be in late September or early October, in coordination with a Carrot River Outback Thunder hockey game.

“I think it’d be a great way to kick off the hockey season and put a new name on our rink. The Kearns family is well aware of the plans and I believe they are quite honoured regarding the name change. We’re really happy to be able to make this decision and that the community is so receptive and excited about it just as much as we are,” Blaber told northeastNOW.

“The response to the decision to rename the arena in honour of Sid Kearns has been overwhelmingly positive and well received. Anybody who knows or has experienced the rink while Sid was there, is very much aware of who he is and the commitment and dedication he’s had to our community over the years.”

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