FFWD Weekly
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News
by Maureen McNameeDen closure doesn’t dampen success of Slurpee Cup tourney
Last Friday marked the end of an era as The Den, the resident drinking hole of university students, was closed down.
Although the closure had been expected for some time, the exact date was unknown and the locked doors came as a surprise to staff and to CJSW 90.9 – the campus radio station had planned to host the wrap-up for the Slurpee Cup street hockey tournament at The Den, but had to move it to Max’s Cafe.
The Den, which was being operated by University of Calgary food services, is being taken over by the Students’ Union (SU), which has new plans for the venue as part of a makeover of the MacEwan Student Centre. The space is expected to become part of one large restaurant and bar, and will also incorporate Max’s Cafe, which is already operated by the SU.
George Thompson of food services says people were notified in advance that The Den was closing, but the date was kept secret due to security reasons. He adds that the Slurpee Cup party was always tentatively scheduled, and the radio station knew that it might not be available.
The news that the doors to the Den were locked caused only a temporary ripple in CJSW’s plans.
"Basically, The Den has been scheduled for closure for some time," says station manager Jaime Frederick.
"It was kind of unfortunate that they decided to close the day before Slurpee Cup, but Max’s was great in taking up the slack."
This was the third year for Slurpee Cup, a day-long event that pits bands, bars and media against each other to raise money for charity. This year, 24 teams participated and raised a record $1,800 – almost double last year’s amount.
Frederick says the money will be divided among three charities chosen by the first, second and third-place teams: Embassy placed first and donated $900 to the SPCA; Molly’s Reach of Edmonton placed second, and has not yet specified which charity will receive its $600 donation, and third went to Hiatus, which donated $300 to the local Children’s Hospital.
For next year, CJSW is considering moving the Slurpee Cup off campus. Frederick explains that the university’s parking services has not been very supportive – they continue to charge a fee for use of a parking lot despite the fact that it’s a fund-raiser and is held before the fall semester begins.
"It seems a little strange that a university organization putting on a charity event is being charged to use basically an unused parking lot at the end of summer."
He says moving the event to a higher traffic area, such as downtown, may also increase its exposure.
"With the growth of the event over the years, it’s almost getting a little big for up here."
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