The Merritt Curling Club’s season is well underway, marking another year of action-packed fun in one of the valley’s most popular pastimes. After years of scaled down events due to pandemic restrictions, events and leagues are back in full swing this year. On November 26, curlers gathered to play in the annual Turkey Spiel, with turkeys, chickens, and eggs up for grabs for winning teams.
In addition to the prospect of poultry, regular curling matches were played, and lunch was served. Proceeds from the “closest to the button” game, which had a $2 entry fee, were designated for charity. The event’s title sponsor facilitates the donation of funds raised from the Turkey Spiel to a cause known province-wide.
“Save On Foods sponsors our Turkey Spiel and donates to us the turkeys, chickens, and the eggs,” said Bob Taylor, director with the curling club.
“We collected money from entry fees, and we also did a ‘closest to the button’ game for a toonie, with all proceeds going back to the BC Children’s Hospital.”
The Merritt Curling Club’s annual Turkey Spiel attracted dozens of Merrittonians for its return on November 26. Marius Auer/Herald
The BC Children’s Hospital is located in Vancouver, and provides care and research for those ages 0-16 from all over the province. Despite being a non-profit organization themselves, the Merritt Curling Club often gives back to the community in a number of ways.
The club also looks to engage the community in a number of ways, and invites those of all ages to try curling. Working with Merritt Secondary School and several of elementary schools in the valley, the club promotes curling and physical activity throughout all walks of life. Eight junior teams currently play out of the Merritt Curling Centre on Mamette Avenue, in addition to a plethora of other teams.
“The season is going great, we have 11 mens teams, 8 ladies teams, and we have a doubles league and a triples league,” noted Taylor.
Recently, the Curling Club hosted a dinner fundraiser at the Grand Pub, raising funds for much-needed upgrades to their facility. With the money raised from this event, in addition to grants and a recent $6000 donation from Canadian insurer Wawanesa, the club looks to lose the leaks and spruce up the siding.
“We’ve managed to get a grant from the BC Gaming Commission for the roof. It’s been a much needed thing for our club. The club is 50 years old now, and the roof is 50 years old, and we struggle with leaks in the wet season,” added Taylor.
“We just had a fundraiser because we’re going to try and spruce up the front of the building with some new siding.”
For more information on the Merritt Curling Club, including upcoming events and membership applications, visit www.merrittcurling.ca.
