The 48th annual Community Bonspiel kicked off Friday night at the Shawville Curling Club for the first of two weekends the event will run.
The tournament will see 42 teams from across the Pontiac and even Ontario compete to have their names scrawled on the infamous toilet seat trophy, enshrining their victory in the club’s 104-year history.
This year’s tournament is in honour of longtime club member Tom ‘Bolo’ Fraser of Quyon.
Joey Hannaberry, a member of the bonspiel’s committee, said that Fraser has supported the club for longer than he’s been alive and is very deserving of the honour.
“Bolo’s been working the ice plant beside the building for years, for pennies on the dollar,” Hannaberry said.
“Him and his family have always been involved and curling. Anything we needed from Bolo, he always did.”
Hannaberry has been on the committee for the last two years and has curled for more than 20. He said that he’s looking forward to seeing all the teams competing and hopes that they stick around for more curling throughout the season.
“For some people, this is the only time they curl each year,” he said. “Lots of local businesses will put in a team and some people might even become members after this.”
The tournament will continue this weekend, with games scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Once the winners are declared on Saturday, a live band featuring Joel Smith and Dale Arsenault will carry the curlers into an evening of celebrations.
