 The city of Bemidji learned last week that it will host Hockey Day Minnesota next year. Now that the planning for the big event is officially underway, our Josh Peterson shows us the site and shares some of the early details. A year from now, Bemidji will have the chance to show the rest of the region what living in the true north is all about. This snow covered field will transform into the site for next year's Hockey Day Minnesota. Last night the Bemidji City Council heard from organizers on what needs to be done to pull off a successful event. You have to show not only the financial wherewithal, but also a strong youth organization, a strong community spirit for the event, and essentially the people that can come together and pull it off. In less than a year from now, this site right here on Lake Bemidji's South Shore will host thousands of hockey enthusiasts who will take in outdoor hockey and a weekend's worth of entertainment. Currently the two plots of land are up for sale, and Hockey Day organizers are looking to the city for an agreement on not to develop the land until after Bemidji's Hockey Day. If we do get an offer in the next six months or the next six weeks that we just basically put in the purchase agreement, no construction will be able to start until then. The site will require some grading and utility work, but its location is expected to provide a great vantage point to showcase the lake and Bemidji's many amenities during the 14 hour long Hockey Day broadcast. We're going to work as best we can to top even what St. Claude did and what they did was phenomenal, so the bar has been set high and I think our community can definitely move the bar. With game scheduled to be held both inside and outside the Samford Event Center, Bemidji's Hockey Day committee now says the real work begins to get Bemidji ready for the regional stage. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. The official date for Bemidji's Hockey Day will be announced in June. That's when the NHL will finalize next year's schedule and it's all dependent on when the wild are home, so that's how they work it around, but it should be a big event for Bemidji. I know Grand Rapids has hosted it before and now Bemidji gets it and should be depending on whether it should be a fun weekend. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.