Cold Lake’s turn at hosting the Alberta 55 plus Winter Games is being called a roaring success. The competition saw hundreds of athletes and guests make their way to the Lakeland for three days of sport and celebration over the weekend. Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland says he’s been hearing nothing but good reviews.
“It turned out fantastic. We had great volunteers. The hotels, the restaurants. Everyone did just a great job showing our guests Cold Lake / Bonnyville hospitality.”
The games are being considered a shot-in-the-arm for Cold Lake after announcements last year that other tourist-driven events were being either postponed or cancelled outright for 2019. Copeland says the games made for some busy hotels and restaurants in the city.
“This is huge. We had hotels virtually full. I talked to some people managing hotels and they were totally impressed [by the number of people].”
Copeland says he hopes the athletes will remember the area when they make their vacation plans in the future.
“I know a lot of people were saying they wanted to come up here and camp and fish. A lot of people said it was their first time ever in Cold Lake.”