Block party to celebrate Soo Greyhounds season opener

Sault Ste. Marie’s Downtown Association will be throwing a block party outside GFL Memorial Gardens prior to the Soo Greyhounds taking the ice for the team’s season opener at home versus the North Bay Battalion Friday.

Queen Street East will be closed for the three-hour tailgate event, which will feature beer, food and live entertainment.   

“We’re excited to have the public come out and participate in the downtown, and support the Greyhounds’ home opener,” said Salvatore Marchese, executive director for the downtown association. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to do this, and we’re looking forward to having people there.”

Friday’s season-opener block party will also include entertainment for all ages. 

“We’re going to have a little kids' area with hockey nets, giant chess and checkers,” said Marchese. “We have a face painter coming, and there will be a live band.” 

Marchese says the public has been receptive to similar Greyhounds-related parties in the past. 

“We were asked by our board if it was something we could do this year, and once we found out the season was going to go ahead and we got the okay to have an event from APH [Algoma Public Health] we decided to make this happen,” he said.

Motorists are advised that Queen Street East will be closed between Bruce Street and Dennis Street from 4-7 p.m. for the event.

Puck drop for the Greyhounds's season-opener against North Bay is 7:07 p.m.