‘We are back!’: Dartmouth club's reopening brings local curlers home
Dartmouth Curling Club now open after year of repairs and uncertainty
The Dartmouth Curling Club is celebrating its reopening after a year of uncertainty.
“Walking into the building felt like seeing an old friend again,” said Doug Lind, who has been curling at the Dartmouth club for around 20 years. He said he’s thankful for the committees and everyone who worked hard to make the reopening possible.
When the club was preparing to open last year, they discovered a leak in the brine system. The brine pipes run through the floor to keep the ice cold. This leak led to other maintenance issues and meant the club couldn’t open last season.
Jennifer Collier, president of the club, said a pipe fracture led to the leak, but they are not sure what caused it. Collier said there was no way of knowing if the construction work happening in the area – the daylighting of the Sawmill River has been happening nextdoor, along with other projects – or something else impacted the club’s pipes. “Lots of contributing factors, age, surroundings, could be anything,” she said.
“We’re just excited to welcome everyone back and get everyone back out there and enjoying the spot for as long as we can.”
Around 40 people of all ages came to play for the club’s opening bonspiel (tournament) on Oct. 10 and celebrate the club’s reopening. People who spoke with the Post said they felt happy, joyful, and delighted to be back. One person compared the excitement to feelings of Christmas morning.
Some members were unsure about the club’s future after last year’s closure. They said being back brought a sense of relief.
Joe Boutilier had a huge smile as people arrived and caught up prior to playing. Boutilier is the director for the junior program. He said they have 80 kids and young people registered this year, which is an increase from previous years. “It’s amazing … and stressful,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m so happy to have it open,” he said of the club.
Collier said that despite the year off, overall registration for the current season is similar to previous years. As of a week ago, they had around 520 registered compared to close to 600 registrations last year. For her, the number of people returning speaks to the sense of community felt at the club.
“The community inside this club is … something that I’ve never experienced,” said Collier. “Whenever we need volunteer support or anything, people come.”
When they closed last year, they were concerned that people would take a break and not return to the sport when the club reopened. Collier said they tried to connect members with other curling clubs in the region to stay involved in the sport. Collier and others said the other clubs were very welcoming. Even so, Collier said many Dartmouth members wanted to “come home.”
“There is a sense of belonging here,” said Collier. “People want to be here. People love this building. People love what it represents.”
Collier said the club is one of the only places to curl on the Dartmouth side of the harbour. The club’s location downtown offers a lot of value to the community, especially for the many members who live within walking distance of the club.
Ultimately, Collier said the club’s main goal is to keep people of all ages and backgrounds involved in curling.
“We want to keep that here,” she said. “We have a great sport and we want to share it with everyone.”
The Dartmouth Curling Club is located at 35 Canal Street.