In 2016 we came to you -- We asked for your support of the program that colors our childhood memories and still keeps our kids busy during the cold winter months in Bucktown. We asked you to open your wallets and open your hearts. We asked you to donate your hard earned money so that we could purchase new arena boards that were shockingly pricey, but desperately needed. We asked, and you answered the call.

In the span of two years, we managed to meet our fundraising goal of $40,000 to purchase new arena boards and a storage solution. For the 2018 season, we are excited to announce that we will retire the well-worn wooden boards and replace them with two new 100% portable ProWall Rink Systems made of high-grade plastic. When not in use, the new arena boards will be housed in a (new to us) trailer that will also hold all of our game day supplies. 

We are still amazed by the support of the Buchanan Floor Hockey family who came together and chipped in money to make this a possibility. We received donations from Bucks living here and all across the world. Funds were sent in from California and Colorado, England and Egypt, and dozens of other places in between. And thousands of dollars were donated a buck at a time, from residents who dropped a few bills into the bucket at the concession stand every Saturday or at the registration table during tournaments. Money even came in through a GoFundMe account, in memory of favorite coaches or former players. In addition to donated funds, we raised money through the sale of hockey sticks and pucks, logo wear, helmet stickers, water bottles, popcorn, sloppy joes, walking tacos, and countless hot dogs and bags of popcorn. We finally reached our goal this past summer at the Thrill on the Hill, selling lemonade and iced tea and offering a chance for the community to send our coaches in for a swim in the dunk tank. 

The support was overwhelming and proved, once again, that floor hockey is an inseparable part of the fabric of our beloved home town. To think that we raised a large amount of money in such small increments is proof that this sport touches lives, makes an impact, and is still going strong 49 years after its creation. 

So, thank you for answering the call. Thank you for continuing the tradition of floor hockey in Buchanan for generations to come. Thank you for proving that, although distance and decades may separate us, we are always Bucks, forever.

New boards for the new season...we did it!

Our updated website is ready for you to visit. Check it out at www.buchananfloorhockey.com and choose from the following options:

• 2018 Player Registration (November 6 - December 4)
• 2018 Team Sponsor Forms ($100 Sponsors a Team - Due December 15)
• 2018 New Arena Board Sponsors (Get your Logo on a new board! - Due December 15)
• 2018 Referee Applications

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The season is fast approaching! Register your child, sponsor a team, or sponsor a board today. We'll see you on the court!

~Buchanan Floor Hockey Board

It's a little hard to explain exactly what it means to be a Buck to those who've never experienced it for themselves. How do you describe the warm feeling that rises in your heart each time you drive down the big hill on Front Street and look across our real-life Mayberry sprawled out between two stop-lights, without sounding a little corny? How do you explain the pride that swells in your chest when you hear that the Lady Bucks Volleyball Team brought home the Regional title, even though you've lived on the other side of the country for 40 years and haven't been to a game since high school? How do you explain the maroon colored liquid that flows from your veins to the nurse who draws your blood for a routine physical? We all know what it means to be a Buck. It's engrained into our psyche and it permeates our hearts.

Once a Buck, always a Buck.

Like many of you reading this, I grew up in this town. My parents grew up in this town and my kids now wear the marroon and white proudly as well. Given this, I've compiled a mental list of anecdotal evidence spanning my 35 years of life as a Buck that proves that our hometown is the greatest place to live and raise a family.  I could share these with you, but it would just be a repeat of your own stories of Bucktown and would only serve to reinforce what we already know to be true. And although the times and characters may change over the years, I'm willing to bet that we would all agree that the one common theme that defines us and unites us is that WE support our own and we band together when help is needed. Distance and decades may separate us, but we are always Bucks, forever.

And it's in the spirit of hometown support that I come to you with a request. It's a request for our current generation of Bucks and all those who will follow. But I suppose it's best if I provide a little backstory first.

Do you remember playing floor hockey in the gym when you were a kid? Of course you do--you're from Buchanan. Since 1969, the Buchanan Floor Hockey League has provided thousands of area kids with a positive and competitive athletic activity to keep them moving during the cold winter months. If you grew up here, chances are you spent every snowy Saturday at the high school gym, flinging pucks into the net and running around with your friends--pursuits fueled by the energy of a steady diet of concession stand popcorn and candy. It’s likely that you can still remember your coach, still recite all of the players on your team’s roster, and still recall a few prized match-ups from the good ol’ days. 

Things have changed a bit since the early decades of the league and our teams no longer play in the competition gym divided into two courts by a massive white movable barrier. Currently, our league teams play in the Auxiliary Gym of the high school and the moveable (and very heavy) arena must be set-up by volunteers every Friday night before the Saturday morning games.  If you've watched a game in the past decade (or helped put up the boards), you will know that there is a desperate need for new arena boards for our League. 

The existing boards, while wonderfully constructed out of plywood and 2x4 supports by volunteers many years ago, are now in rough shape. The wood is splitting and they are heavy to move and require hours of set-up and teardown by volunteers every week. The league leadership hopes to be able to raise enough funds in the coming season(s) to purchase new, lighter, plastic boards for our updated arena. 

​After an exhaustive search for durable high-grade plastic boards that are 100% portable, we've made the decision to purchase two ProWall Rink Systems from SRG ProWall Rink System out of Minnesota. Each arena will cost $14,250 for a total of $28,500 for both (this is after a multi-volume discount). Our overall fundraising goal is set at $40,000 because the quote above ($28,500) does not include shipping nor does it include a trailer for the new boards to be stored in during the week (and off-season) when they are not in use. There is currently not enough room at the High School to store the new arena boards as they take up more room than the existing wooden boards. 

We started our fundraising efforts last year by running a concession stand and asking for donations at the door. Through the amazing generosity of our local community, we have already raised $14,000 toward our $40,000 goal. That is a tremendous amount. But, as you know, we are a small community and we can only ask for so much help from those who live and work here before we reach a limit of what we can raise. When every sports group and extra-curricular is asking for a donation, funds tend to run out long before the desire to help does.

So here is where you come in. If you or your children ever played this sport, we are asking for your help. If you remember watching your little ones run around with yellow sticks in their hands and smiles on their faces, we are asking for your help. If you were inspired by a hockey coach or felt a special bond with your teammates, we are asking for your help. If you are a Buck, we NEED your help.

If every Buck just gave 10 Bucks, we'd have these boards up in a few weeks.

Every Buck = $10. That's it. A simple request from the kids back home and not more than what you would pay for two fancy cups of coffee or a ticket to the movies. Perhaps by reaching out to Bucks around the world who grew up playing the sport we all love, we can ensure that our beloved tradition of floor hockey continues on to the next generation.

Please do not just simply share this post. Take ownership of this problem and help us solve it. Pitch in $10 for this online fundraiser and THEN share this post with all of the Bucks you know on social media and tell them that you did your part to Build the Boards for Buchanan Floor Hockey.

All funds earned from this campaign will be securely deposited into the Buchanan Floor Hockey account at United Federal Credit Union in Buchanan and the Floor Hockey Board will frequently update the public on the current status of the "Build the Boards" campaign. If you choose to contribute to our “Build the Boards” fundraiser, your name will be added to the Donor’s Page of our website at buchananfloorhockey.com. But, most importantly, you will feel good for helping further the mission:  To carry on the treasured tradition of floor hockey in Buchanan for future generations.

Just click this link and you can donate your $10 in less than a minute:
https://www.gofundme.com/buildtheboards

We appreciate your support and generosity. Buchanan Forever ~ Go Bucks!

Regards,

Stacey Carlin
Public Relations Liaison, 2016-2017 Buchanan Floor Hockey League

Help spread the word and help BUILD THE BOARDS!