Thanks to Carlene Peters and Lisa MacEachern for organizing another great event! Here’s Carlene’s report:

The Bonspiels and Social Committee is pleased to announce that the Closing Spiel held this weekend was a big success!!

The weekend started with live entertainment on Friday evening by a great group called the Undertow.  Club member Jeff Taylor performed with the group while pointing, swinging and leaning on his crutches — good job, great voice Jeff!!

The traditional competition of Red Team versus Blue Team took place with, like last year, a Skins format.  The Blue Team won the most skins with a total of $203,000.00, while the Red Team finished with $159,000.00 (unfortunately, our budget does not permit us to play with real money!).

Blue team holding rally (although they didn’t really need one!)

In addition to these large amounts, six members from each team volunteered to be blindfolded and entered a baby tasting food contest in order to win additional monies for their respective teams.  The Red Team won an extra $1,000.00 while the Blue Team walked away with another $3,000.00 to add to their already large pot!!  The final results showed the Blue Team having $46,000.00 more in the bank than the Red Team.

(Baby food tasting photo courtesy of Paul Neima)

The DAFT!

The Blue Teams skipped by Paul Field and Greg Groves each made deposits of $35,000.00 into D.A.F.T. (the DIGITAL ALL FUNCTION TELLER bank machine) – the largest Blue Team deposits.  A coin toss allowed Greg Groves, Brad Gardiner,  Hélène LaPalme and Dena Farrell to first select from the prize table, with the Field team going second. The rest of the Blue Teams then selected from the table in order from most to least won.

Greg Groves rink

Paul Field team

Vernon Chowan rink

Brenda MacMillan team

Kim Glydon team

Frank Martin rink

Paul Neima rink

Vince Fisher team

Lester Callbeck team

Following the prize presentation, all the winning Blue players posed for a group photo:

Tickets were sold on a “reverse draw” for a curling membership with the winner being Debby Sigsworth.  Also, George Younker was the winner of $85.00 on a “closest to the button” draw.  Paul Neima won a $25.00 Subway gift certificate for best costume and he also won $50.00 from the “Loonie Draw” (see other stories for pictures and other Loonie draw winners). Lots of winners at the closing spiel!!!

Club President Paula Ling was on hand, and thanked the organizers, club staff, volunteers, and teams in the event, saying that it has been a great season, and inviting everyone to our AGM, and Golf tourney.

As always, there are many thanks to be extended starting with a special one to Ray Biagé, Draw Master, who had to make numerous last minute changes to accommodate the 72 curlers in this spiel. We can’t pay him for this work, but we hear that he won almost 15 grand in “real” money on Saturday evening in the North River FD and Kingston Legion “Chase the Ace” contest!

A big thanks goes to The PEI Brewing Co. for sponsoring this event.  Thank you to the Countryview Golf Club for providing green fee gift certificates and to Dean MacEachern for his contribution of gift certificates for delicious oysters.  Thanks also to the many other generous club members who contributed gifts/certificates for the prize table.

Thanks to Prince Edward Aqua Farms for supplying such tasty mussels again this year at a reduced cost and to Edmond Richard for picking them up.  Trent DeRoche Catering also deserves a thank you for a tasty meal on Saturday evening.
Thank you to the many volunteers (too numerous to mention, but you know who you are) who helped with decorating, food contribution, food preparation in the kitchen and on the Bar-B-Q, as well as the setting up of tables/chairs and dismantling of same.

Bernie Doiron

Thanks to Frazer Smith, inventor of the D.A.F.T. machine and to Bernie Doiron, our Friday night bank teller.  Thank you to our bartenders, Kelly and Al who always greeted us with a smile as they poured our favorite drink(s)!

Bob MacWilliams

Thanks to Bob MacWilliams who travelled all the way over the bridge to curl in this event and to help with ice preparations.  Thank you to “Let’n Loose Lance”, our Ice Man for providing a great ice surface all season and to “Behave’n Bev”, Club Manager who is always there to give support to all members.

We hope that everyone enjoys their “off season” time with family and friends.  See you in the fall, or maybe sooner on June18th at the Annual Club Golf Tourney at Countryview Golf Course.  Cheers for now!
Carlene Peters
Lisa MacEachern
Bonspiels & Social Committee

(Most photos by Lisa)