The curling days of the past may return as a community pastime next season if the local organizers have their way in Forest Grove.
Forest Grove Recreation Society president Fred Saenger and his two associates have been working hard to bring the local curling club back to life. Garth McLean and Marshall Kelleher, also from the Grove, feel confident they can make it fly and give the community another opportunity for social interaction.
As recently as a couple of years ago, the curling club was busy with activities in its small facility. Housing a bar and a lounge with all the amenities of a big club, it was the centre of weekly curling events from the end of October through March.
With a comfortable spectator area, the building houses two regular-sized sheets, which are maintained by an icemaker who takes second place to no one.
Marshall, a local mechanic, has that special touch with ice and knows exactly what it takes to make that perfect surface for curling. The ice-maker says he is looking forward to the day when he can start up the system and build ice like he did in the past years.
The club hosted bonspiels which attracted as many as 10 teams with prizes being won through sponsorship from businesses in 100 Mile House. They also had fun bonspiels attracting 14 teams with prizes going to curlers of varying skills.
Garth, a strong proponent for the new club, says they have new refrigeration equipment on hold in Abbotsford, and it’s waiting for shipment to its new home in the Grove. The $20,000 price tag for this replacement equipment plus the shipment and installation is something the community can handle, he adds.
These three men would like to see their dream of a new curling club become reality. Their recollections of the good times in the past give them the confidence that they can pull it off, and now they are looking for support from the community they wish to serve.
The idea of a league of curlers, the social involvement, and an invitation to curlers, both experienced and novices, may be just the addition that Forest Grove needs. They even will provide lessons in order to attract curlers with little, or no, experience.
If you are interested, as an old-timer or a first-timer, call Fred at 250-397-2941 or Garth at 250-397-2667.
StrongStart break
The people involved with the education of children five years and younger took a break on Feb. 3-5.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a break. They gathered in Surrey for a special three-day meeting to explore ways to make the StrongStart program even better.
Teachers from around the province looked at teaching concepts and subjects with the goal of preparing the little ones for their entry into the education system.
The children who have enrolled in the StrongStart system have been introduced to the idea of learning, and having fun doing it. The passion and care by the teachers for these little ones are a very important part of getting them started in school without it being scary.
It is making it easier for the child to make the transition from being safely at home to attending a public school with children they have not met before.
