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Residents were invited to step back in time and get a peek at the future during tours of Memorial Arena in Penticton on Thursday.
The tours were part of the ongoing Penticton Arena Task Force effort to get feedback from people on the aging building.
"It's to give people the opportunity to learn firsthand about the condition of the building," said engagement consultant JoAnne Kleb. "We are still just getting ideas of what people are thinking about in regards to the future of Penticton's two arenas Memorial and McLaren."
The tours were held every hour at the arena, and offered residents the opportunity to speak with Ivan McLelland, the first hockey player to step foot in the arena in 1951 and the goaltender for the Penticton Vees when they won the world championship in 1955.
The actual tour of the building was led by Dave Matser, a former city facilities department employee, and Bregje Kozak, the city's manager of facilities.
Matser kicked each one off with a trip down memory lane.
It all started in 1946 when a committee was formed to choose a project to honour those who served in the Canadian Armed Forces in World War I and World War II.
The committee chose to build Penticton's first indoor arena at a cost of approximately $225,000, raising $70,000 through door to door canvassing with the city providing the remaining funds.
The Vees played the first game at the arena on Nov. 12, 1951, going on to be crowned world champions in Germany in 1955.
Soon after its open in 1951, junior hockey, the Penticton Minor Hockey Association and Glengarry Figure Skating Club were formed and public skating started up.
Matser also touched on renovations over the years including structural repairs to the roof arches, the ice slab being replaced and a ramp being removed in the 1990s.
In the early 2000s, display cases were added to the deck and the CBC described it as a rare jewel, "a vintage Canadian rink that oozes history."
In response to questions about the condition of the building, he said repairs required at this time include three arch bases, a new roof, upgrades to electrical, the refrigeration system and other general repairs.
More information on the ongoing outreach effort can be found here.
