As the 2019 Allan Cup nears, the excitement grows for residents and local businesses in Lacombe.

On Friday, the cup committee sponsored a fun contest to inspire businesses to be the "best dressed" in Generals and Allan cup fashion.

Steve Christie who is a committee chair of the cup, says seeing the community get excited over the tournament is part of what makes hosting so fun.

"It's a feather in our cap to get our businesses behind us, not only in sponsorship, and not only in buying tickets and attending the event but dressing up their business and firing up the entire city with their volunteer spirit."

Soapy's took home first, followed by Hairapy and then Remax that was out of 15 businesses that participated in the action.

"It's pretty awesome, just seeing what this group did here at Soapy's and other businesses, and the time that they all put in to honour what we have going on here in Lacombe, which is a national hockey tournament." 

The Round Robin style tournament begins in just over a week with the first games starting on April 8.

More information on the 2019 Allan Cup can be found on their website.