HARRISTON – The Mount Forest Curling Club (MFCC) held its annual Masters/Seniors Curling Bonspiel on March 4.
The event was held at the Harriston Curling Club due to an unexpected ice plant failure.
“It’s amazing and rare to see such an outreach from a neighbouring community, we send a hardy thank you to the Harriston Curling Club’s membership for helping us in this time of need,” Mount Forest Curling Club officials state.
The Bonspiel went off perfectly at Harriston, due to all of the support from many curling club teams’ throughout Mid-Western Ontario, including Alliston, Arthur, Listowel, Fergus, Elmira, Harriston, and Mount Forest, officials note.
The two draws, Masters and Seniors started early at the Harriston Club, allowing for 16 teams to compete through two eight-end games.
“The competition was fierce, all clubs wanting to bring home the prestigious hardware,” officals state.
Players commented, that the ice was fast and with four feet of curl making for exciting and challenging curling throughout.
Thanking the event sponsors, MFCC officials note “this championship could not take place without their caring generosity.”
Sponsors include:
– Ernie Hunter, Meat the Butcher;
– Tim Bingham, Midwest Co-op FS;
– Doug Rice, Marcc Apparel;
– Holly and Kirk Jordan, England Funeral Home.
Event coordinators, Dave Tilker and Tom Tangney worked hard to enlist 16 teams to come out to a changed venue in Harriston this year that included an excellent roast beef dinner, 50/50 and several-prize draws to thank all participants..
All teams were very gracious in donating towards the draws and 50/50 to help the Mount Forest Club get back on its feet following the mid-season shut down due to a chiller leak and aged compressor in early February of this year.
Thanks to a successful Trillium Grant application, plus member and community support, the club hopes to be up and running for the start of the 2023-24 season.
The MFCC was established in 1880 and the existing facility on Egremont Street was build in 1963 under the H. Bye Construction team. It will be receiving a new state of the art high efficient-exterior ice plant that will be the first of its kind to be installed at a curling club in Ontario, officials note.
The bonspiel will be back in Mount Forest next year on March 2.
“Thank you again to the Harriston Curling Club, our sponsors, spiel coordinators Dave Tilker and Tom Tangney, our ice tech’s … plus the volunteers for your great support,” officials state.
Masters winners – Winners in the Masters division at the Mount Forest Curling Club (MFCC) Masters/Seniors Curling Bonspiel was Steve Graham’s team from Fergus. From left: presenter Tom Tangney, vice Dale Small, skip Steve Graham, second Avon Gibbings, lead Mark Price.
