It was a centennial celebration worth waiting three extra years for.

On Saturday, April 15, the Vankleek Hill Curling Club was a packed house when curlers and guests gathered to celebrate 100-plus years of curling in the community with a dinner and evening of entertainment and memories. The event to commemorate 100 years of curling in Vankleek Hill had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The original curling rink opened in 1920 on Pendleton Street near the corner with Main Street West. On November 4, 1958, Dr. George Barton set the cornerstone of the current location at 136 Bond Street.

Club President Don MacNaughton described the building as a community centre and more than a place for curling.

“It’s a building that’s treasured by our members, our families, and the rural community around here,” MacNaughton told the audience.

The club has several Honourary Members who have been curling for 25 years or more. Six of them attended the April 15 celebration.

The Vankleek Hill Curling Club had nearly 100 members for the 2022-2023 season with busy leagues playing on the club’s two-sheet rink during the daytime and evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The club also hosted three bonspiels during the season, attracting not only club members, but curlers from across the region.

The April 15 celebration was full of memories of past people and events at the Vankleek Hill Curling Club. Former club member Jim Graham was one of the club’s in-house entertainers years ago with his blend of jokes and silly songs. Graham, who also taught at Pleasant Corners Public School, now lives in Elliot Lake in Northern Ontario, and drove 10 hours to be part of the celebration in Vankleek Hill. Graham’s repertoire of wryly delivered humour and hilarious songs had the audience laughing continuously. He recounted names of past and present club members and memories of them, often garnering expressions of remembrance from the audience for those who have passed on.

Graham is also to be inducted into the Northern Ontario Country Music Association later this year.

Before the 2023-2024 curling season, the Vankleek Hill Curling Club’s next event will be its annual golf tournament. The exact date has not yet been set, but the tournament will take place in September at La Cité Golf Course in Hawkesbury.  

Photos from the Vankleek Hill Curling Club’s 100-plus years celebration by James Morgan

The Vankleek Hill Curling Club’s 100th Anniversary Committee. From left to right: Gary Barton, Caroll Carkner, Ingrid Allen, Bruce Mode, May Price, Larry Brack, and Lois Linttell. The anniversary cake was donated by Kim and Larry Brack.
Vankleek Hill Curling Club President Don MacNaughton at the club’s 100 years-plus celebration on April 15.
The current Vankleek Hill Curling Club Executive. From left to right: Bridget Macdonald (Kitchen), Wayne Hubbard (Social), Philippe Rouleau (Curling Coordinator), Don MacNaughton (President), Sandra Cummings (Rentals), Alex Horvath (Treasurer), Julia Fortin (Secretary), Keith Murray (Bar), and Bruce MacNaughton (Property).
Former Vankleek Hill Curling Club member Jim Graham, who now lives in Elliot Lake, made the long trip to entertain at the club’s 100 years-plus anniversary celebration on April 15. Graham shared stories, jokes, and songs harkening back to his days as an entertainer at the club.
Jim Graham providing entertainment.
Jim Graham’s songs and jokes kept the crowd laughing.
Six Honourary Members of the Vankleek Hill Curling Club attended the club’s celebration of 100-plus years on April 15. From left to right are Walter Price, May Price, Murray Allen, Mac McIntyre, Mac Hall, and Bruce Mode.