Crews were scrambling to finish giving Regina’s Confederation Park a facelift in time for Friday’s Mosaic Stadium grand opening.
The water fountain at the centre of the park has been fully restored and the transformer farm along the park perimeter has been shielded by First Nations art and historical displays.
"(The) most important things for us was to recognize the cultural heritage of this space, and to really create a space for community gatherings," said Janine Daradich, who led the restoration project.
Les Coutts has visited Confederation Park many times over the years. He stopped by Thursday to see how the restoration has turned out.
“It looks good. They've done a good job,” Coutts said. “And the stadium, you can't say enough about it. It's just a phenomenal place."
Confederation Park was developed in 1927 to commemorate Canada's 60th birthday. For decades, it has served as an oasis for fairgoers.
But the park slowly fell into disrepair over the years. The concert pavilion at the far end was demolished about 25 years ago, and the water fountain became inoperable. When the new stadium was being built next door, the city decided to spend $2.1 million to bring the park up to standard.
The first public event at the newly restored park will coincide with the 150th anniversary of confederation. The Saskatchewan Roughriders will host a Canada Day pregame party from 4 p.m. until game time, and visitors don’t need a ticket to come to the party.
