The organization announced earlier this week that the 2021 induction ceremony, originally scheduled for October, will be postponed until 2022, meaning next year’s ceremony will feature three classes of inductees — 2020, 2021, 2022 — as the Hall of Fame catches up on the missed years.
The current plan will see the 2020 and 2021 classes announced in September of this year, followed by the regular nomination process and induction announcement in June 2022 and the massive ceremony in October 2022.
“It’ll be different, but it’ll be fun and exciting,” said MJDHF president Larry Graham. “We’ll put our heads together and figure out a format that works best for inducting that many people at one time… it’s a nice problem to have.”
The decision to cancel this year is not only a product of being careful, but also convenience of planning for folks who may have to travel to Moose Jaw. The Hall of Fame usually makes the announcement in June in order to allow booking of flights, hotels and general planning to attend the event.
Then there’s the simple spectacle of the show itself — the induction ceremony has become very popular over the years, with many people wanting to be a part of it all.
“Even though vaccines are coming in and stuff, we really didn’t know how comfortable people would be in a larger crowd or when we’ll be able to do that and we really wanted to preserve that induction ceremony experience for our inductees,” Graham said. “So we decided we’d postpone it until we can do it in person and enjoy it with their family and friends… There’s been a couple times when it’s been a reunion of sorts. When Brian Towriss was inducted, the guys he played in high school with came back from all over the place, so it was quite the event.”
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2021 class. Nominations for 2020 have been reviewed are will be evaluated in the coming months alongside the 2021 selections. While the MJDHF website is currently undergoing maintenance, you can pick up forms and other information by contacting Graham at (306) 692-2211 or e-mailing info@mjdshf.com.
