The City of Red Deer is holding an event to celebrate the enhancements made to the River Bend Golf and Recreation Area.

The event, which is this Friday, Feb. 23, will be held from 12-3 p.m. and will give Red Deerians the opportunity to try out cross-country skiing.

Ski rentals will be free, along with complimentary food and beverages. Attendees will also be able to watch biathlon athletes in action.

Guests will be able to walk down the trails and watch athletes training for the North American Cup, the Western Canadian Championships and the Calfornex Biathlon Cup. Racing for the biathlon will take place Saturday and Sunday and is open to the public

An official ceremony will take place at 12:15 p.m., accompanied by local entertainment. The event will focus on improvements made the park, including select trails that were widened to accommodate skate skiing and winter biker, along with improvement of other multi-use trails.

A stadium area was also constructed, along with a media and timing cabin.

All improvements were made in order to meet the technical requirements of the 2019 Canada Winter Games.

More information can be found at reddeer.ca/riverbend.

-Vaughan