tim’s thought property

At 7:15am, this Sunday morning, March 26; the old Winnipeg Arena will be no more. It will mark the completion of the almost four months of slow demolition, with a timed implosion, which will level the steel structure in no time. And then what happens?

The Arena has been a fixture next to the Stadium all my life, and I’ve enjoyed some hockey games there. I have no sentimental attachment to it by any means, it was an old structure that lost it’s charm years ago, and was becoming more run-down in the last decade. Well, in the name of progress, we Winnipegers will destroy one old building to replace it by creating a sleek, newer version. And, said version is already paid its dues, it was that building that replaced Eaton’s, remember? All the fuss and frustration? All the sentiment to keep a husk of an old monument, to hold on to the past so recklessly that it didn’t matter that a six storey vacant building would hinder urban renewal? Yeah, there’s been no such foolishness attached to the Arena. It’s old, it’s going.
Speaking of it being a fixture, all my afternoons spent looking out the western windows of Chapters will now have less to see. On many a slow day, my co-workers and I would ponder what it would be like to run around a demolition site, or perhaps volunteer our time, by helping to break parts of the building ourselves. We even went as far to compose a list of songs about destruction, loss or death, a sort of “Demo-Mix: The songs to remember the Arena“.
Here’s some of the songs put to paper:
Times are a’changin’ - Bob Dylan
Benny and the Jets - Elton John
We’re here for a Good Time - Trooper
Don’t fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
You Can’t always get what you Want - The Rolling Stones
The Good ‘ol Hockey Game - Stompin’ Tom Connors
Sugar we’re goin’ down - Fall Out Boy
Every Part of me - Sam Roberts
It’s Coming Down - Cake
I still miss someone - Johnny Cash
Seconds - U2
Left and Leaving - the Weakerthans
….
There were a couple of these lists over the course of a week. I found the first one we worked on.
Feel free to contribute your own ideas for the song list. What other songs would you deem suitable for the destruction of an old building?
So if you guys have some desire to see the thrill of implosion, head on down to Empress st on Sunday morning. It’ll be a blast. (hmm, can’t decide if I want to intend that pun or not…)