Queen Elizabeth II painting from old Winnipeg Arena will make public appearance

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This article was published 19/10/2016 (3611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Queen is making a special appearance in the lead up to this weekend’s Heritage Classic — or at least a giant painting of her.

The painting of Queen Elizabeth II, which witnessed many hockey games from up near the rafters inside the Winnipeg Arena, will make a special guest appearance outside The Pint, at 274 Garry St., starting on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

Ron J. D’Errico, president of Impact Security Group and a representative for the group that bought the painting back in August, said the five metres high, four metres wide, painting will spend about 10 hours outside the lounge for the public to see.

“It’s going to be spectacular,” D’Errico said on Wednesday.

“The Jets will be there at 1:30 in the afternoon and the Queen will be on the side of the building until late in the evening. It will be safe because it will be protected by the Impact Security Group.”

The largest known portrait of the Queen hung in the arena for two decades until it was taken down in 1999, cut into two pieces, and put into storage at times in Ontario and Manitoba. It has been mostly hidden away from the public through the years.

Riley Creighton, general manager of The Pint, said he’s looking forward to having the monarch grace the outside of his establishment.

“It’s exciting,” Creighton said.

“I remember as a kid being in the old arena and seeing it. Our ultimate goal was to get it inside here, but it’s quite large. We measured everything and we realized there’s no way it could make it inside.

“But everyone can see it outside.”

D’Errico said the painting will be put together in the morning and taken apart at night.

As for where the Queen will appear again?

“Her majesty will be making an ‘Impact’ in the community later on in 2017,” was all D’Errico would say.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca