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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Rum hut on auction block
Thirsty Bomber fans enjoyed meeting place
Jeffrey Bannon holds photographs of Bombers greats, including Jack Jacobs (27), among items for sale. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Bombers marketing director Jeffrey Bannon gives the counter at the rum hut a wipe on Wednesday.
Canad Inns Stadium's infamous Appleton Rum Hut, a gathering place where many Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans tipped back a few drinks and met fellow fans, will be auctioned off in front of the Bomber Store today.
After being used as a ticket booth during the 1999 Pan Am Games, the rum hut moved to Canad Inns Stadium in 2001, next to the equally infamous Section S. Alcoholic beverages were sold from the hut, often to fans considered to be of a more rowdy temperament.
"I remember the rum hut being a meeting place," said longtime Section S season-ticket holder Scott Dixon. "It always was full of people you knew. They made a drink called the sour apple. It became my Bomber drink. It was also the place where I shared the famous Milt Stegall touchdown with my best friend Sheldon."
Amy Marks, who was a season-ticket holder in Section S for nine seasons, said although she isn't a rum drinker, it was the people around the rum hut who made the area so much fun.
"I really just enjoyed watching all of the people interact with each other," Marks said. "The atmosphere was pretty intense. It was really like a Canad Inns bar at field level."
Marks said she will miss not only the rum hut, but the years she spent sitting in Section S, although she admits it is time for a change.
"I will definitely miss the Section S times that I had. Beer snake, Hogan, that ride the pony guy, chants of 'beat the traffic' and 'cellphones suck.' Section S was such a fun place to sit in when you're ready to party. I really doubt that it will be able to be recaptured at Investors Group Field, but to tell you the truth, I'm ready to move on. I'm ready to pay closer attention to the game and be able to take my four-year-old to the game without getting booze spilled on him."
Along with auctioning off the rum hut, the Bombers are holding a stadium asset sale. The sale is open to season-ticket holders starting today and to the general public on Sunday.
Marks said it is important for her to get her hands on some of the pieces of the old stadium.
"I've already bought my two seats from Section S. They'll proudly join my two seats from the Winnipeg Arena. I'm contemplating some field turf as well."
Interested bidders can register outside the Bomber Store starting at 4 p.m. today. They will need a credit card or certified cheque to register and receive an auction bid sign. The Appleton Rum Hut will be delivered to the winning bidder by Kloos Hauling on Friday. The Bombers are reminding interested bidders to dress for the weather as the auction will take place outside.
All proceeds from the sale of the rum hut will go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 29, 2012 A2
History
Updated on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 10:14 AM CST: replaces photo
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