(FIle Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Melfort Curling

Melfort Curling Club shutting down for remainder of season

Jan 23, 2021 | 8:00 AM

The Melfort Curling Club is shutting things down for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health restrictions, there have not been curlers on the ice since early December. General manager Gerald MacGillivray said after a recent meeting with CurlSask, it was time to call it.

“They informed us there that to their knowledge, nothing is going to happen until at least the end of March,” he said. “And they suggested that all rinks shut things down.”

MacGillivray added that while there were some Under-18 curlers using the ice for a short period of time prior to the New Year, continuing to have the plant run and maintaining the facility became very expensive. He said it was a difficult decision.

“The cost is about $6,000 to have the plant running a month,” MacGillivray said. “But you’ve got no money coming in, so you can’t sustain it.”

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With the Melfort Curling Club owning their own facility, that does affect how the club is able to run things. MacGillivray said not having curling through the pandemic has been a hit.

A number of members had already paid their memberships for the year before the shutdown and the club will be contacting members with more information as to membership fees. MacGillivray said they will have an option for a credit towards next season’s fees.

The club continues to fundraise through the shutdown. They are currently in the middle of their Wine Survivor fundraiser and have another raffle on the go as well. A drive-thru turkey dinner was also held in December, and another similar supper-type fundraiser is in the works for February.