The Roughriders sign that once sat atop the scoreboard at Taylor Field has a new owner after an online auction last week.
But, the sign picked up a few bumps moving to its new home.
When Taylor Field was decommissioned last year, everything from the turf to the bathroom stalls to the scoreboard was all put up for sale. Last week, the final piece of Rider pride was offered for sale – and it brought in a high bid.
The sign sold for $15,500. But when the new owner loaded it onto the back of a flatbed truck on Tuesday to take it home, it didn’t quite make it all the way there.
“A truck was hauling this giant Roughriders sign and a huge chunk of it, about half of it, blew off onto the highway,” said Matthew Neuls, who saw the sign break apart on the highway near Lumsden.
Neuls was travelling the opposite direction and circled back to where the sign broke. There, he found a treasure trove of heartbreaking souvenirs.
“(I) found a lot of pieces all along the highway,” he said.
The sign may still have a happy ending. The new owner of the sign confirmed to CTV News that the sign did break, but he is optimistic that it can be repaired. He said he’ll meet with a sign shop to see about having replacement pieces made.
“It is really sad,” Neuls said. “Seeing something like that, that has a lot of history, seeing it being blown apart.”
Based on a report by CTV Regina's Dale Hunter
