Barrhead residents impress Kraft representative during Celebration Tour

Barrhead residents came out in droves to support the town during the Kraft Celebration Tour and TSN’s live SportsCentre broadcast on Monday, August 18.

Kelly Fleming, Kraft Celebration Tour Brand Manager, was very happy with the entire experience.

“It was unbelievable. The crowd, the volunteers, everyone from the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) right through to the Mayor himself were fantastic. It was a great turnout. There was easily 1,000 people here and we had 200 hundred more people come over from the hockey camp. This was probably the best turnout we had on the Tour so far this year,” said Fleming.

Fleming went on to say that she was very impressed with the organizing committee’s focus on Kraft and their products.

“Straight through from the nomination period to now, it has really been very Kraft-focused, which makes me very excited but also very proud because we were able to bring something back to the community. We were able to bring some excitement, some swag and a lot of fun to Barrhead,” added Fleming.

Fleming explained that Barrhead has done a great job with this entire project right from the very beginning.

“Throughout the nomination process, Barrhead has been at the top. They have been unbelievable. The passion and community spirit we saw leading up to that $100,000 vote and all the way up to today was fantastic so it was really thrilling to be here today,” she said. “Even when the busses rolled in and we saw all of the signs in people’s windows welcoming Kraft and TSN, we had that feeling of pride and excitement. It was great to actually meet the people, talk one-on-one with everyone and to celebrate their achievement.”

Fleming, along with Kraft and TSN staff, spent just under 18 hours in Barrhead but enjoyed their experience nonetheless.

“It is certainly a whirlwind but you re-energize every stop you go to. Talking to the crowd and having one-on-one conversations with people, gauging their excitement is so easy.

“Being able to maximize the time in every location is what we try to do. We try to make the setup as easy as possible, interact with the volunteers and the folks here to make as much of an impact as we can. It poses its challenges but there is a lot of planning and build-up that goes into this event,” she said.

Fleming went on to discuss Barrhead’s nomination and why they were chosen as a top ten finalist.

“The nomination process was a little challenging. We had five questions on our nomination form this year but what I think we wanted to do was try to capture the community’s stories and hear what the communities needed and required. Patty and her nomination really outlined what the Curling Club needed to a ‘T’ and we knew the $25,000 would help it in a second so we were really happy to be able to impact that facility,” said Fleming. “For us, healthy active living starts with having a place to play so facilities like the Barrhead Curling Club do achieve our goal of having communities leave a lasting legacy and promote active living and healthy lifestyles.”

Fleming said that Kraft had over one million votes across Canada in less than 48 hours for this year’s Kraft Celebration Tour, which just blew away her expectations.

Fleming discussed the importance of Kraft’s partnership with TSN over the last six years.

“The whole team at TSN is so wonderful to work with. They are just as passionate about these programs as we are. When we are coming out to these communities, they are always leading the way. They are excited to jump in and meet all of the people so it really is a wonderful team effort across the board,” she said. “As for Darren and Kate, working with them is so fantastic, I kid you not. They are two of the most fun people I have ever worked with. They are all about Kraft and all about the people so it is so nice to have that in common.”

Fleming shared her final thoughts about the event and the hard work the local organizing committee did to make this event a success.

“Patty and the entire organizing committee were really unbelievable. The passion they showed from day one, through the nomination process up until today has been fantastic. Everything from the complimentary cowboy hat I am wearing all the way to meeting us bright and early when we arrived in town at 1:30 a.m. The thought that went into this entire celebration has been unbelievable. It has been amazing to be in Alberta, especially Barrhead,” said Fleming.