After two years of limited sports events, the curling club is excited to host the Pembina Oilmen’s Curling Bonspiel this year.
The 55th annual event will be held from March 24 to March 27. There will be a supper and dance on March 26. The club will also be hosting the Zorn Bonspiel March 18-20, with all proceeds going to the Make A Wish Foundation.
Cory Nelson, the president of the curling club and the Pembina Oilmens, says everyone is looking forward to being able to have the event again.
“I think it’s going to be a good turnout this year because everyone is tired of sitting at home,” says Nelson. He says organizers are hoping for a turnout of 32 teams for the event.
The bonspiel is a men’s event, but participants’ wives and families are welcome to join in for the supper and dance.
“We have a band and have rented the MacKenzie Centre. There will also be awards and gifts,” Nelson says. Anyone who sponsors the event will also be recognized.
While Covid restrictions were in force, Nelson says the curling club had to get anyone who was using the rinks to follow the restriction exemptions program (REP) the Government of Alberta set out.
However, that didn’t affect their numbers too much, says Nelson. He estimated there are about 14 mixed teams and 12 men’s teams currently active in Drayton.
What the restrictions did do was hit the curling club in the pocketbook, like many other organizations in the community. The Oilmen’s Bonspiel and the Zorn Bonspiel are their two main fundraisers for the year, and neither event has been able to happen since the pandemic began.
This year, they are finally able to go ahead and hold these events again and the club is looking forward to hosting everyone again.
Anyone who wants to sponsor the Oilmen’s Bonspiel or register to participate can visit www.pembinaoilmens.com, or they can call Nelson at 780-621-0989.
