2012-The local arena in a small rural community can play a more vital role than one would imagine. It is often not only used as a venue to play a game of hockey or watch an ice skater glide across the ice surface, it also serves as a gathering place for the entire community. Whether the community gathers to watch their local high school’s graduation, promote their goods and services at a booth in a trade fair, take their kids to the petting zoo at the annual fair, or compete for a title they have trained years for at a regional figure skating competition, the arena provides residents with a location to share experiences and grow together. Not only does the arena give shelter from the elements and space to showcase an important community event, an arena also generally sets the desired atmosphere for the event through its all-important sound system.
In 2009, the District of Vanderhoof replaced the Vanderhoof Municipal Arena’s sound system with funding support from Northern Development’s Community Halls and Recreation Facilities funding program. The arena’s previous audio equipment had started to fail at major annual events including regional figure skating competitions that cannot be held without music.
The new sound system that is now loudly and reliably operating in the arena, includes a distributed audio system with loudspeakers installed in the arena roof structure as well as speakers in the change rooms, hallway, lobby, and upstairs viewing area. The new system also includes components such as tuners, a compact disc player, mixers, equalizers, amplifiers, portable microphones, and cables that ensure attendees to all the events held in the arena are provided with the best experience possible.
