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Community Celebrates Auditorium's 75-Year Legacy - 20 Jun 26

Kitchener · June 20, 2026

For the last 75 years, the Odd has been the place where our community shows up to celebrate, cheer, and connect. It's a place where local pride comes to life and where memories are made generation after generation after generation. I've been coming to the odds since I was 5 years old. Every day after school, my dad and I would walk in the front doors and watch the Rangers practice. He would point to the plaque at the box office and say, "This is a living memorial to those people. It's a living tribute to those who have served and are serving for the cost of freedom." Was built in the early 50s, built out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland. Although we've had so many expansions and additions to the building, there are still pieces that feel very authentic to the history. There is a connection to the community and people feel home when they come here. Some people have religious experiences going into buildings. There's a a feeling that's here, a familiarity, a comfort zone. It's like going home to a home-cooked meal. The history speaks for itself, but also knowing that it's embracing the future. And I think that's part of it. It's hard to put the words together that would describe it, but when the Ranger score, the energy that comes down from the crowd. I think if I was ever having a heart attack, it would be better than a defibrillator. As our community grows and expands, there's more opportunities to have events that appeal to different sections of the cultures. >> The city has continued to invest in the facility. We've added suites. We've expanded the seating. We've replaced the seating. We've replaced the ice surface. >> It's not just for Rangers fans. It's not just for hockey fans. It's for the entire community. Here's a place we can all come together and be together. >> There's so much nostalgia here. You come to a game and you see how all the fans are. They interact with each other. They've been coming here forever. It's a real family atmosphere, but it's pretty exciting at the same time. >> This is where my son went to his very first rock concert. It's where one of my other sons got to play on the ice as a Timbit for the very first time. My wife has been coming since she was a kid with her mom and dad. We have so many firsts here and I look forward to continuing to experience firsts and seconds here as my family grows. >> We trained here and it helped us make it to the Alliance Championships. >> I used to come fairly often to the Rangers. They used to let you in early if you wanted to have a beer. They're always short on seats, but I found myself a beer. >> I just smell the popcorn, the cotton candy, all the delicious stuff. >> I've been coming for over 40 years. I met my husband here, so that's a bonus. >> I remember taking my shirt off, waving it around at birthday parties, going in the Rangers dressing room and stuff. There's so much that I remember about this building through being a kid. I wouldn't put anything above it. It's hard to describe. I would just say this is a really special place. It holds so many memories in the building and in my heart.