Future Watch: Condors Host Winterfest

Edmontonians don't have to imagine outdoor hockey, snowball fights or snow-filled activities. Those who live in Alberta's capital city see that by looking outside their window.
The Bakersfield Condors are making it a reality in California.

The Oilers AHL affiliate is putting on Winterfest, a big community event made for the public. Bakersfield residents get to enjoy outdoor hockey, public skating, snowball fights, zip-lining and much more for just over two weeks. It all leads up to January 7 when the Condors will host an outdoor game against the Los Angeles Kings AHL affiliate Ontario Reign.
They'll also welcome alumni from the Oilers and Kings for a friendly alumni-celebrity game on January 6.
Winterfest started on December 23 at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium. Minor hockey teams and men's league teams also get the opportunity to use the ice for their own games.
"We wanted to do it as a community event, first," said Ryan Holt, the Condors director of media relations and broadcasting. "Then have our game kind of be the last thing to kind of cap it off."
The Condors have achieved their goal of giving Californians a unique outdoor experience.
"The first couple days, seeing the kids and seeing the looks on some people's faces - looking at the rink and figuring how exactly we did this was pretty cool," Holt continued. "This is kind of a completely different ballgame with people skating outdoors, they've never been exposed to that here."

The Condors are enjoying the first few days of Winterfest. The snowy festival is already popular. "Ticket sales are moving well," said Holt. "It'll be a nice crowd, especially for the (Condors) game."
As the game of hockey continues to grow in California, the Condors are having a hand in facilitating that in Bakersfield.
"It's huge," said Holt. "The growth of the game certainly in Bakersfield is starting. There's obviously a lot of work to do. There's a reason we call it Condorstown, we're the big fish in the pond here and we enjoy it and love giving back to the community."
Giving people that unheard-of experience is the reason for bigger crowds and increased attendance at Condors games. Holt said marketing is a significant aspect of the organization, and putting on events like Winterfest are part of that.
"We've always been community and family friendly and promotions first," he said. "We're not looking to get on the sports pages, we're looking to get in the community pages, we're looking to get into the news pages; we're not necessarily looking to take it from a sports angle."
While it's easy to get caught up in the spectacle, the main focus for the players will be the game against Ontario. The Condors are 10-10-4-1 with 25 points on the season and trail the Tucson Roadrunners by six points for first place in the Pacific Division.
Jujhar Khaira is looking forward to playing in the event and in front of Condors fans.
"From what I heard there's a lot of hype around it in the city," he said. "I think it would be a fun thing to be a part of."
The Condors fandom is surely growing, believes Khaira.
"It's definitely getting bigger," he said. "Even being out in the city, definitely a lot more people are aware of the schedule and when we're playing, more so than I noticed last year."
So, while Edmontonians are used to the fun activities of our white winter seasons, so too can residents of Bakersfield. For a few weeks, at least.
"We can always guarantee a good time off the ice," said Holt.