The 61st Labour Day Classic between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers was unfortunately missing one notable fan. Wayne Kuntz, who’s been hosting tailgating parties at his home on Garnet Street since 2004, was not available. According to a Facebook post, Kuntz was in the ICU. A staple in bringing people together during the intense rivalry, “Wayne’s World Tailgate Party,” brought Rider and Blue Bomber fans to gather for drinks before the annual Labour Day Classic. However, back in April, Kuntz lost his home in a fire. Posted on the other side of the stadium near Lewvan Drive, was “The Friendly Manitoba Tour”, a group of Blue Bomber fans that make the yearly trip to Regina. They shared fond memories of meeting Kuntz. Winnipeg resident Chadd Kehler has been running the tour for 17 years, and calls Kuntz a “trailblazer.” “He wears that half jersey, with the green and blue,” said Kehler, who remembers meeting Kuntz in his backyard. “He welcomed us with open arms, and he couldn’t be more of a nice guy. We always think about Wayne. With the bad health that he’s going through right now, we donated to his GoFundMe account, we’re always sending things to Wayne and trying to uplift him, and he’ll always be with us.” It’s a bitter and historic rivalry between the Roughriders and Blue Bombers, and a sea of green and blue was very notable in every corner around Mosaic Stadium on Sunday. The Friendly Manitoba Tour started as something small 17 years ago, but Kehler has managed to amass three full buses for this year, packed with Blue Bomber fans. “I tell them that I call it ‘The Friendly Manitoba Tour’ for a reason, because we’re friendly and we help people,” he said. “Good banter, I welcome it, like [to] push buttons. But the bad banter, just ignore it, walk away. But there’s more positive stories coming here than there is negative. Regina treats my crew like a king every weekend with the hotels, with the buses, and with the people from Regina.” Kehler says he comes back to Regina six weekends every year and calls it a second home.
