Local news delivered daily to your email inbox. Subscribe for FREE to the rdnewsNOW newsletter.
L-R: Cassidy Colling, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, along with Kal Tire Red Deer's Tyler Bodie, Clint Pereira and Aaron Carnahan. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)
Healthy active lifestyles

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame opens new fitness park

Aug 12, 2023 | 2:45 PM

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame hosted the grand opening of their new fitness park on Friday.

Officials with the Hall of Fame (#102 – 4200 Hwy 2) say the fitness park is a great opportunity to advocate for the museum and draw more people inside the building to visit.

They add that not only is the building in a great location for drivers to stop and stretch their legs but the park also advocates one of their core business values: to help encourage young Albertans to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

“One of the reasons why our museum is so interactive is because we want to encourage people to get up and move,” said Executive Director Tracey Kinsella. “This fitness park is another way in which we can do that.

Federal funding, awarded through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), enabled the purchase of accessible fitness equipment. The CCRF supports projects that revitalize downtown cores, outdoor spaces, and green infrastructure and is administered in Alberta by Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan).

“Our government is collaborating with communities and organizations to ensure public spaces are accessible for everyone,” said Dan Vandal, federal Minister for PrairiesCan. “This fitness park offers a space where people of all ages and abilities can gather to enjoy physical activity and complements the exciting hands-on experiences available at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.”

Another partner on the project was Kal Tire.

Clint Pereira, store manager, explains that through the company’s RePlay grant program, available across Canada, recycled tires were used to create the padding for the fitness park.

“Since inception, over two million pounds of recycled tires have been used for these types of projects, and all the companies we partner with are Canadian, so the money stays within Canada,” he said. “It was Kal’s honour to partner with the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and help give back to our community.”

Kal Tire’s contribution was worth $10,000.

The Hall of Fame also thanked Farmers Credit Canada and Playquest for helping with the project.