The Norwood Curling Club hosted its end of the season Maplefest Bonspiel on March 20 and 21. Touted as a celebration of spring this 43-year-old annual bonspiel is a time for fun, camaraderie and good curling. It is an event where the taste of victory is sweet, literally, as maple syrup is one of the more sought after prizes.

Teams competed in two separate draws over the course of the two days. This bonspiel is a mixed spiel, meaning each team is composed of two men and two women. Winners were determined on a points-earned basis over the course of the weekend with the coveted Sap Bucket Trophy being awarded to the team with the highest overall points. Prizes were also awarded to the top four teams plus all teams were eligible for a trip to a well-appointed gift table making everybody a winner.

With the most points overall and taking home the Sap Bucket trophy this year was the team of Ric Barnard, Kelly Barnard, Bradley Barnard and Victoria Foley. Earning second place honours was the team of Jason Ferguson, Janice Wood, Jenny Brix and Shawn Brix. Third place honours went to the combined team of Marc Habgood, Katie Payne, Jolene Payne, Lucy Payne and Todd Payne. The final placing belonged to the team of Dan Lemon, Cyndee Denney, Russell Hartwig and Allison Ness.

In honour of its name there were four special prizes for maple syrup, the lucky winners were Helen McAuley, Diane Pagett, Don Delorey and Ed Corcoran

The Norwood Curling Club would like to extend a special thank you to Dan Pitchie. Dan has served the club as bar manager for more than 10 years, Thank you Dan for all the work you do and for your dedication to the club. 

Many thanks to Jason Ferguson and Janice Wood for organizing the Maple Fest Bonspiel again for this year. Thank you to Andy Crowell for gathering and organizing the prize tables and silent auction. All players enjoyed a pancake breakfast and a delicious dinner, both expertly prepared and served by the Westwood United Church. Thank you to Jackie Walsh for organizing the desserts which were donated by club members. An extra special thank you must go to Lindsay and Lori Burtt of Linlor Farm for donating all the maple syrup for the bonspiel.

Thank you goes to the ice maker Larry Sullivan and his helpers for the great ice for the weekend. Thank you to all the individuals and businesses that donated prizes and finally thanks to all the volunteers, participants, members and executive who helped make the event such a success.

The 3rd Annual Norwood Hospice Bonspiel was held on March 7 at the Norwood Sports Complex. This event is organized by Larry and Lori Sullivan and raised $2,500 for to support Hospice Norwood and the host of programs offered at the local facility.

A rather tasty roast beef lunch was prepared by Heather Reynolds and Helen McAuley along with kitchen helpers Roy and Lark Soehner.

Winning teams included in first place Paul Cole, Neil Stockdale, Barri and Allan Shepherd. In second it was Jason Ferguson, Denis Bergeron, Janice Wood and Nicole Bennett. Rounding out the top three was the team of Andy Crowell, Byron Tames, Brian Hook and Audrey McLaughlin.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who participated in the bonspiel as well as all the volunteers and sponsors. Without your help, we could not succeed. Sponsors contributed through cash donations and/or prizes for the raffle. Unfortunately I do not have the space in this column to list everyone, however the club says thank you to all of you.

Curling Stone Reconditioning Sponsorship

Time is running out to support Norwood Curling Club’s “ADOPT-A-ROCK” fundraiser by sponsoring rocks in the club’s curling stone reconditioning project. You can “adopt a rock” and have a stone handle engraved with your name, your family’s name, business name, a name in memory or honour of someone, a personal quote or a memorial message. The curling stones were reconditioned last summer to be ready for this curling season.

Engraving of sponsored stones will take place this summer. Sponsorship is $250 for your message on half of the stone surface or $500 for your message on both halves. Contact Steven Stockdale to adopt a rock by calling 705-760-0707 or emailing stockdalesteven91@gmail.com. If you are not interested in adopting a rock but would still like to support the fundraiser, please contact Steven as well.

The Norwood Curling Club will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, April 15 in the club at 7 p.m. The AGM is an opportunity for members to receive up-to-date info about the current financial condition of the club, hear about upcoming capital expenditures, assist with establishing next season’s membership rates and provide input for the development of a badly needed membership drive to increase membership at the club.

Following the business portion, members are encouraged to stay and enjoy some wine, cheese and conversation with your fellow club members. The executive urges all members to come out and participate. 

Agricultural Wall of Fame Nominations

The Peterborough Country Agricultural Wall of Fame Committee is seeking nominations for 2026. Farm and rural leaders in Peterborough County who have made significant contributions to the agriculture and agri-food industry at the local, regional, provincial or national levels can be nominated by organizations or interested individuals. The deadline for submissions is May 1.

The 2026 Induction Ceremony will take place on Aug. 23 at Lang Pioneer Village Museum. Nomination forms are available on the website at ptboagwall.com or by contacting committee chair Carolyn Doris at 705-295-2755 or Joan Larmer, committee secretary 705-932-5242. Previous nominations may be resubmitted with additional information.

© Peterborough Examiner