HOT CORNER: P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame holding major fundraiser

It was 50 years ago this month that the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame held its first induction ceremony.
It was part of the Lobster Carnival Celebrity Dinner, which in those days preceded and helped kick off Lobster Carnival Week in Summerside.
Over 170 individuals and sports teams have been inducted since that July 1968 event, and the credit goes to many for recognizing the need to keep the Hall of Fame going.
A driving force behind the Hall of Fame is chairman and inductee Paul H. Schurman, who continues to make sure the facility stays afloat and has a future.
The Hall of Fame needs a permanent home as it has gone from the library, to town hall and then the Eptek Centre. It is now located at Credit Union Place, where it looks great and is as good as it can considering the limited space.
As has been said here before, it would be great to have a permanent home, with lots of space, to display and recognize P.E.I.’s sporting past. P.E.I. has world-class athletes, coaches and administrators, and there is no better example than what we watched in 2018.
We all shared in the excitement of watching Olympians Heather Moyse and Mark Arendz, as well as the success Gerard (Turk) Gallant and Mike Kelly had with the Vegas Golden Knights. How about our own world-record holder in powerlifting, Tilman Gallant?
Noah Dobson looks to have a very bright future ahead of him after getting drafted by the NHL’s New York Islanders recently, and may become an inductee someday.
We need to continue to recognize and pay tribute to these people and teams, and need to do so in a permanent home. The Hall of Fame has a silent fundraiser to help with ongoing expenses, and have a goal of $100,000. They have $75,000 and a commitment from a friend of the Hall for another $12,500, if it is matched. Schurman tells me they need another $7,000 for the match and hitting their goal.
There are many out there, especially in the sporting community, that can contribute and help the Hall of Fame meet and exceed that amount, and get a tax deductible receipt for doing so. We also need our governments at all levels to recognize the importance of the Hall of Fame, and help in finding a permanent home.
For more information on the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame, Paul H. Schurman can be reached at (902)-436-3944.

Harness racing
Governor’s Plate Week harness racing kicks off at Red Shores at Summerside Raceway on Sunday as two Governor’s Plate elimination races will determine the field for its 50th anniversary running in a week’s time.
The 1968 Lobster Carnival was also the start of the Governor’s Plate, a race that has become the second-longest-running free-for-all race in our region. Charlottetown’s Gold Cup and Saucer race started in 1960.
If memory serves me right, the purse for that first running of the Governor’s Plate was $2,500, with a horse by the name of Kim Ash the first-ever winner. The Governor’s Plate has become the race to win for local horsemen as most have little chance to win the Gold Cup and Saucer.
The Plate has become steeped in prestige, and winning the 50th anniversary edition will be very special for those associated with the winning horse. After Sunday’s card, the racing picks up again on Tuesday, and continues every night culminating with Summerside’s great race on July 14.
As one-time harness racing columnist Kevin (Boomer) Gallant used to say, “Good luck at making a buck, and I’ll see you at the track.”
Have a great week!

Joe MacIntyre is a Summerside resident. His column appears every Saturday. Comments and suggestions can be sent to [email protected].