Kimberley, B.C., curling club celebrates 100th anniversary

Curlers gathered in Kimberley, B.C., Saturdayto celebratecurling's rich history in the East Kootenay community.

The Kimberley Curling Club markedits100th anniversary with a bonspiel on Saturday.

The club has long been a community hub, locals say,andhas produced national champions.

The Ina Hansen rink which called Kimberley home won Canadian women's curling championships in 1962 and 1964.

Sam Calles's mother, Ada Calles, was a third in the Ina Hansen rink, which helped put the town on the curling map.

Both Ina Hansen and Ada Calles were inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in the mid-'70s.

"I'm kind of proud," an emotional Sam Calles told CBC News.

"She was extraordinary."

His mother helped with fundraising for the club, he said, toiling in the kitchen during banquets held by various organizations in town.

"She was committed to the curling rink as well as her playing," he said.

'Curling in Kimberley was for everyone'

Marie Stang, administrator of the Kimberley Heritage Museum,says curling in the communitydates back to the 1920s.

The community was growingafter theConsolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada (CM&S)purchased the Sullivan Mine,which produced lead, zinc and silver, and served as Kimberley's main economic driverfor decades.

WATCH | Kimberley club celebrates a century of curling:

100 years of curling in the Kootenays

6 months ago

Duration 2:04

The Kimberley Curling Club in B.C.'s East Kootenay region turned 100 years old this weekend. The club celebrated its centennial with a bonspiel a curling tournament and members reminisced about the rich history of the sport in the community. Our Corey Bullock visited the Kimberley Heritage Museum to learn more.

The town had grown to a population of 3,500 by 1926, Stang said.A display at the museum notes a CM&Sbuildingwas home to a two-sheet rink as well as a maintenance shop.

"Winter is long, there wasno television so people got out and participatedin all kinds of sports and activities, curling being one," Stang said.

Along with Hansen's championship-winning rink,a local boys teamwon a Canadianhigh school championship in 1957, Stangsaid, and a men's teamcompeted in the 1959 Brier.

"Curling in Kimberley was for everyone ... It was something that families did. It wasn't just, 'mom did it' or 'dad did it.' [It was]all age groups, lots of participation."

The club has moved locations several times over the years. In 1964 the city constructed the building that the club currently calls home.

Curling in Kimberley still going strong

Past president John McGillivraysayswhile the club has a long past, it also has a bright future.

The club has around 250 members,with McGillivray sayingmore younger people are getting involved.

"We're hoping that curling will continue to be an activesport here in Kimberley," the former president said. "And based on the amount of interest that we've seen in the last couple of years, particularly with the juniors, we're very excited about the future here."

Stang says the club's continued popularity is a testament to Kimberley's community spirit.

"It's not something that's died out, like many things have ...curling [is] still going."

An exhibit highlighting the club's history will be on display at the Kimberley Heritage Museum until April 30.