The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Although it smelled more like a barn dance than a curling event, the Snow Lake Curling ClubÕs Annual Glow Spiel and Elimination Draw took place Saturday, January 19 upstairs and down at the clubÕs local rink. It appeared that the plumbing vents at the curling rink had frozen causing the smell of sewage to permeate the building; however, 24 teams of two showed up, held their noses, and threw their rocks. Actually with no pebble on the ice surface for the first draw, the frozen plumbing vents werenÕt the only things that stunk the place upÉ many of the shots didnÕt even make the hogline. Those that did involved nothing but pure luck, as they would take three different turns in getting to the house. Regardless, with pebble on the sheets for the second and subsequent draws and a quiet acceptance that the odor was there to stay, some great blind as a bat, lucky as a skunk glow curling got under way. When the smell Ð pardon me Ð the smoke had cleared, each of the three events had a winner and three runner-ups. The first event was taken by Ara Stoupe and Jenna Wiwcharuk-Roy. They bested AraÕs parents, Pam and Robert StoupeÉ even though Robert threatened to lock her out of the house if they did (way to stare down a threat Ara). Davy boy and Lynn Smith were third and Amy Otto and Dana Kowalchuk took forth. In the second event, the smell of success was in the air as my dear wife and I slipped and slid and must have been holding our tongues the right way. Anyway, we ended up winners over the very capable and not quite as lucky twosome of Darren Dodds and Debbie Worwyk. Tony Butt and daughter Toni were third and Mayor Garry Zamzow and wife Sylvia placed fourth. The third event was taken by Glen and Dianna Bartley, and it should be noted that Glen was walking softly and carrying a big stick. Actually, he delivered his rocks with it and judging by their placing in the event, perhaps a few other teams should have used it! They beat out Breanne Cousins and Kim Beilman in the final, while Cam and Tammy Booth took third and the lovely Joanne Bradley and her equally charming teammate Andrea Parsons garnered forth. With the curling over, most folks made their way upstairs for the dividing of the prizes (money) and the nights culminating event, the elimination draw. As they have for the past number of years, Team Smith, made up of Lynn Smith, Kim Gogal, Pam Stoupe, and Mary Ann Otto organized and put on both the curling and the draw and they had things ready to roll as people took their seats. See 'Four...' on pg. Continued from pg. With Pam and Kim making the picks and calling them out, Lynn (Vanna) removed the winners and losers from where they were posted on the west wall and Mary Ann well, she kept score and directed traffic. There were 14 winners during the draw, one of them so surprising that Lynn Smith fell out of her chair as it was announced (or was she just sitting where she shouldnÕt have been?). The winners were: Esther Simpson ($1,000); Bob Doak, Terry and John Titanich, and Todd Gray ($200); and Ross Schellenburg, Audrey Robertson, Linda Gregor, Doug Fletcher, Bob Pohl, Maureen and Cassie Cousins, Ken Erickson, Darren Dodds and Debbie Worwyk, and Cathy Willett ($100). The final draw of the evening was for the hard luck prize and Brian Doak and Brian Hicks pulled through, winning $50. It was a big evening of laughs and entertainment, with some great organizing done by the Smith Rink. It is certainly something that everyone will be looking forward to in the winter of 2009! My take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
