A 101st Grey Cup Update for March, 2013

I know it has been quite some time since I wrote any thoughts about the CFL here, but this particular offseason has been busier than usual for me.  Twitter has been STEADY with players and fans’ tweets.  I’m not gonna lie… keeping up with a dozen timelines (my twitter lists) takes up an inordinate amount of time!  Then there’s actually reading the news articles and blogs. A challenging obsession, but I love it nonetheless!

Let’s just say that with all of this AND my busy paid-job for 40+ hours per week, I rarely have the luxury of just thinking, much less writing.  After a couple of day’s vacation to reset my brain, I hope that something worthy flows out onto this page and that some of you can find the information useful.  Besides,  Calgary is currently enjoying a blustery winter storm, and I'm not going out so I have no excuse but to post something. :)

Grey Cup 2013 - A Celebration in Rider Nation… or #101GC as it’s officially hashtagged… what’s new on that front?  I booked our hotel room for 4 nights on the morning of the 100^th Grey Cup Championship Game. So I guess I was fortunate, or smart... ;)  I haven’t called the hotels lately, but I do expect that those who were saying that they are fully booked, might have rooms becoming available now.  The reason is that the league folks, teams and sponsors most likely exaggerated how many rooms that they originally required, and will be confirming their reservations around now. I hope that results in some of the rooms being released to the public.  I say give it a try now because this is one party that you should try not to miss.  Being in the heart of downtown Regina seems like the preferred location to stay to be near all of the various Grey Cup festivities, but barring that, I hope that folks can get a room somewhere and join us for Nov 20 - 24^th, the “Ultimate Party on the Prairie”.

Links: 

General news about the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the 101st GC: http://www.riderville.com/

The preferred accommodation booking site of the Saskatchewan Roughriders http://www.stayinregina.com/

There is a site called “airbnb’ that lists rooms to rent by private people and bed & breakfast arrangements. Hopefully there will be more listings later on, check it out. https://www.airbnb.ca/

There will definitely be an RV option for some.  More deets to come, but the location will be right at the Evraz Place site.  Stumbling "home to bed' after some serious Grey-Cupping couldn't be simpler! 

There is a link to sign up for the 101^st Grey Cup newsletter.  Favourite the page at this link and check back for all of the GC Festival news as it gets updated or sign up for the email updates. http://101greycupfestival.ca/index

Important Contacts:

You can follow the official festival accounts on vimeo, facebook and twitter for all the latest announcements.

Vimeo:  http://vimeo.com/101greycup

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/101stGreyCupFestival

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/101GreyCupFest

Festival organizers email contact:  info@101greycupfestival.ca

Events:

There is a Google map showing three sites for events during Grey Cup (so far). 

Firstly, the Evraz Place site.  Events listed as of today are: RiderVille, CFL Team hospitality rooms, the 101^st Grey Cup Concert Series and the 101^st Grey Cup Pre-Game Lunch.

The two other sites shown on the main map (below) are the 101^st Grey Cup Player Awards (southernmost green dot) and the 101^st Grey Cup Gala Dinner (northernmost green dot).

I have yet to secure my actual Grey Cup tickets but that is because of my flakey family member who I share season tickets with in Regina now says that he wants the tickets after promising them to me a year ago… 

O N L Y   IF the Riders are in it.  Of course they are going to be in the game, *big grin*, so I guess I have work to do.  Sheesh!  I hope to acquire tickets sooner rather than later... there is a visceral fear that they will be sold out before June... whether that's real or imagined, who knows?  A shame though, because I love those upper section seats… the panoramic view of the Riders’ bench, the players coming out of the helmet and the entire field is awesome!  Like I hear people say all of the time… you can’t pick your family members. Lol.

Here is the ticket price map for the 101^st Grey Cup in Regina on November 24^th, 2013. 

Non-Sask Season Ticket Holders pay an additional $30 - 50 per ticket... so Cuz, you are gonna owe me a few drinks at RiderVille for this inconvenience! 

Anyone in Regina and area who is thinking of volunteering with the Grey Cup Festival needs to follow them on Facebook for updates in the coming months.

“The 101st Grey Cup Festival is anticipating a need for more than 3,000 Volunteers!  There will be an all-call for Volunteers in the Spring of 2013…please visit our website and/or follow us on facebook for more specific information in the coming months!”

With all of the player moves and trades through the free agency period it bodes for an exciting time this spring. Training camp is not that far off... only 12 weeks! 

I'm really looking forward to the 2013 CFL season and if you're reading this, then I know that you are too!

Cheers.