The Arena: Hockey, Curling and more in the North.
When my dad and I stepped into Uranium City’s Arena, we instantly knew there had to be a story behind the dilapidated epicenter of the community.
Built in the 1950s, it served residents for years before being condemned and abandoned. One local described its last day in a way only fate could allow.
A heavy snowstorm hit the town, piling an immense weight of snow on the curling rink roof. What do you do when you can’t beat the cold? Go curling. And that’s exactly what they did the next day. Unbeknownst to them, the roof was silently giving way. When beers were finally called for, everyone left the rink. As the last player exited, the roof collapsed inward. Miraculously, no one was hurt—but the beer still flowed.
Fast forward to August 2020: the building finally succumbed, struck by lightning and burning to the ground. Like many before it, a concrete foundation now marks its final resting place.