Keg curling may not be an Olympic sport, but it may become a new tradition in Lamont, Alberta.
Every year, the Lamont Curling Club puts on its Last Chance Bonspiel to raise funds to keep the facility up and running.
“(The Bonspiel) has been a fixture at our club for 37 years,” Lynn Huxley, club treasurer, told CTV News.
“This is the first year we weren’t able to put it on due to the plant going down.”
Mechanical ice plant systems are the foundation of every rink. The advanced refrigeration systems are engineered to create smooth, durable and safe ice surfaces.
With the plant not working, that means the ice was melting and wouldn’t be fixed in time for their fundraising bonspiel.
“We had 48 teams coming from all over the province and a few from out of province – a waitlist started,” said Huxley.
“Instead of just closing our doors, we made lemonade out of the lemons!”
The club’s president, Aaron Geiger, had a connection with Kegshare, a keg rental company, and the club managed to get a batch of the metal containers from Edmonton in short order and keg curling was born in Lamont.
It’s played exactly how it sounds, by sliding the big, metal beer kegs down the ice towards a target.
As far as Huxley knows, it could be the first time keg curling has been played in Alberta.
“The support from the curlers, volunteers and community was overwhelming. It wasn’t the same type of fundraising to help for next curling year as we normally get but we were very grateful. Our one night of fun proved to be a big hit!”
While the turnout was not the same as the traditional bonspiel, about 150 people came out to support the last-minute change in the event.
Some even used the watery ice as a slip n’ slide.
“We made about $2,000 profit, not including what we’ve yet to calculate from our bar and concession that was open,” said Huxley.
“We weren’t expecting prize donations when we had to cancel, but a lot of people did. Including our ice manufacturers, Tim’s Ice Manufacturing, who gave two $250 cash prizes!”
The future of the Lamont Curling Club still hangs in the balance, and they are unsure if they will be able to open their doors next year.
It’s a sad scenario many other rural curling clubs know too well due to maintenance costs and volunteer numbers.
Despite the uncertainty, the Lamont Curling Club’s keg curling event is a night the community won’t soon forget.
“It truly was the most amazing night. We were completely overwhelmed by all the support,” Huxley said.
“We don’t know what our next curling season will look like, if it happens, but we are hopeful.”
Those interested in supporting the Lamont Curling Club can reach out to the club on their Facebook page or email lamontcurling@gmail.com.
