News at the Club
Fall 2023
The Allenford Community Centre and Curling Club Receives $5,000
We have just been informed by Farm Credit Canada that the community centre has been granted funding in the amount of $5,000.00.
It was awarded to help fund a new roof.
In the email the Farm Credit The Community Investment Team said, “We applaud your commitment to our community and wish you great success.”
We want to thank Farm Credit Canada for their support as we continue to raise money and seek funding for this much needed ongoing community project.
Summer 2023
This year the Club’s Board of Directors decided that it was a shame that our facility was only well used during the winter months and that we were missing an opportunity to add more value to Allenford and surrounding communities. To this end we have rebranded the building as the Allenford Community Centre and started offering activities open to the public in the summer.
Patsy Cline Tribute Concert
The area has really missed the live music concerts previously held at the Hepworth Legion. The Club decided to fill this void in September by hosting a Patsy Cline tribute concert. Everyone had a great time and the event proved to be very, very popular. We hope to host another one in 2024.
PickleBall
Pickleball is an easy to learn racquet sport that has taken North America by storm over the past few years. While similar to all racquet sports, its light paddles and balls make the sport more accessible to all age groups. Our Club has become one of the area’s pickleball centers by offering 3 indoor, all-weather courts. Sessions were offered 3 days per week and were a welcome addition to local pickleball scene.
Shuffleboard
Not the small table game played in bars, but the large-scale floor shuffleboard, played with “cues” and “pucks”. A dedicated group met once a week to play shuffleboard on 2 of our indoor courts. It had been some time since the cries of “Oh, that’s 10 off your score!” had been heard in the ACC. All participants had fun.
Pub Nights
To continue on with policy of community engagement we offered a number of Pub Nights over the summer. These included an opportunity for community members to drop by for a beverage, play a few rounds of pickleball, table tennis and other sports and listen to live music featuring Jamie Gordon and Friends.
In August we hosted a wildly successful Ribs and Fries Dinner and Silent Auction. This is always a popular event and 2023 was no exception.
Spring 2023
The Club’s experiment with opening up the Curling Club on Friday evenings to the public for social and fun sporting activities proved to be popular with a dedicated set of regulars and friends coming out every week.
The curling year ended on a high this year with no COVID related incidents and a lot of enthusiasm about how well the club had recovered from the COVID interruptions.
We had an addition to our bonspiel calendar this year. We added a Junior Curler invitational event with the Chesley Curling Club to give our youngest curlers the taste of competition. It was a lot of fun and gave all the curlers a chance to show off their skills. We hope to expand on the event in future years.
Our annual Pansy Sale was held again this year and many beautiful flowers were distributed to members and friends.
In May we held our ever-popular Beef BBQ Dinner. Again this year it was a sellout and the diners gave the Club many positive reviews about the food and the organization.
December 2022
Friday Night Rocks Social
The Club is pleased that the newly implemented Friday Night Rocks social and activity league has been well received by both existing and new Club members as well as members of the Allenford Community. It will be continuing for the remainder of the curling year.
Christmas Cake Sale
The Club’s Annual Christmas Cake Sale is now complete and has been as
successful this year as it has been in the past. The Club Executive wants
to thank those who purchased cakes and hope that they enjoy them. As well,
the Club wants to thank the 8 ladies who put in countless hours baking over
500 Christmas Cakes.
October 2022
The curling season is right around the corner. Our ice crew started to make ice mid October with the plan to start curling on Tuesday November 1. If you have not yet registered please review the registration and contact info elsewhere on the site and contact us.
Late Summer 2022
In order to increase the Club’s engagement with the community, over the summer the Club has hosted several social and fundraising events, all of which were a success.
In July and August we opened up the Club on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for a number of non-curling recreational activities on the slab. We offered pickleball, shuffleboard, pool, corn hole, washer toss, a putting green, basketball and ping pong. Those that came out enjoyed the activities and the atmosphere.
As an experiment, in each of August, September and October we hosted a Pub Night with music by Jamie Gordon and Friends. These were a hit and we have plans to continue them next summer.
The Club’s annual Ribs and Fries Feast and Silent Auction was back again in all its post-Covid glory. This has always been one of the Club’s biggest fundraisers and, again this year, the community did not let us down. The Allenford Curling Club wants to thank everyone that came out and helped make it one of the most successful ever.
Updated Covid Policy for All Ages
Summer 2022
Provincial law no longer requires proof of vaccination for members of any age and, as such, our vaccination tracking has been suspended.
At this point we expect to see a complete return to normal curling for winter 2022/23.
If anything changes on this we will update this space.
Great news, Little Rock’s Curling will be starting up again on Saturday February 19th
February 17, 2022.
As always the time will be from 10:00 to 11:00.
Given the availability of Covid vaccines for kids over 5, the Club will require all participants over the age of 5 to be vaccinated as we do the adults.
Because of the delay in starting up again in the new year, the Club is providing this programme free of charge for the remainder of the season.
If your children want to a bring friend to the club to try curling, they are more than welcome to do so as long as vaccination requirements are met.
We hope to see everyone again on February 19.
Allenford Curling Club to Suspend Curling Until the New Year
December 20, 2021.
With the Covid rules changing daily and Omicron spreading like wildfire, the Board has decided that the prudent thing to do is to suspend curling for the remainder of 2021.
The Board is meeting this week and will be discussing contingency plans for January and beyond. We will keep you updated as to plans.
I have had a number of questions about our order of rapid tests from the United Way. I got an e-mail from them today saying that the demand for the tests overwhelmed their supply (ie they received 20% of what they requested) and that they have prioritized front facing and organizations dealing with vulnerable populations first.
None of this is what we all wanted to hear but it is better that we stay safe.
The Allenford Curling Club Board wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Rodger Dougall
Allenford Curling Club
The Allenford Curling Club invites Members wishing to learn more about Curling to a FREE Skills Improvement Clinic
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12th FROM 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Instructor: Chris Ransom
Junior Coordinator, Allenford Curling Club
NCCP Competition Coach Certified.
SESSION 1: 1 Hour
Topics:
- Basic skills review
- A refresher of the skills taught at the Beginners Clinic in November
- The Sliding and Stick Delivery
Hitting the broom – Line of Delivery - Grips and Turns – Confused about inturns and outturns?
Let’s talk about “clockwise” and “counter clockwise” - Importance of follow through
Snack / Coffee Break…15 minutes
SESSION 2: Till 3:00pm
Topics:
- Basic Sweeping – The how and why
- Basic strategies
Ice is available till 3:00pm for Members to practice skills and ask questions.
Chris will be available, I-Pad in hand to provide feedback through visual delivery analysis, sweeping analysis, hack setup, or to answer your questions.
Our Annual Christmas Cake Sale is now concluded and it has been another record breaking year with well over 500 cakes sold!!
We wish to thank the Club members, friends and others who purchased cakes this year.
This sale has evolved into one of the Club’s major fundraisers.
The Board of Directors of the Allenford Curling Club also want to express our appreciation to the ladies who volunteered their time and baking expertise to make this event the repeated success that it has become;
Sharon Foreman
Lesley Wood
Mary Dougall
Julie Ransom
Donalda Fisher
Lois McCulloch
Susan Fair
Carol Lee
$26,400 Ontario Trillium Foundation Community Building Fund Grant helps the Allenford Curling Club safely reopen after a 20 month Covid shutdown
Allenford, Ontario – November 10, 2021:
Recently, the Board and members of the Allenford Curling Club learned that they had received a year-long, $26,400 Community Building Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The funds will be used to help the Club purchase equipment and modify its procedures to allow for the safe reopening of the Club as Covid restrictions lessen. In addition, it will help cover some fixed expenses until the Club can rebuild its membership to the pre-pandemic level.
“As a curling club in a small community the Board of Directors was concerned that Allenford Curling Club would not be in a financial position to reopen this year but with the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s support we are able to make the reopening happen.” – Rodger Dougall, Secretary, Allenford Curling Club.
Funds from the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant will allow us to purchase the necessary equipment to sanitize the club easily and allow our ice crew to more safely install and maintain our ice surface. As well, it will help us cover start-up costs that would have been very difficult to fund otherwise.
“Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, residents of the Allenford, Sable Beach and surrounding communities will have a safe space to exercise and socialize over the winter.”