After the first curling season it was decided to purchase a lot on Russell Street near the present day Strike Point Bowling Center and a rink was erected. Membership had increased and 4 skips were elected. The public were invited to use the ice for skating on weekends and certain evenings when the club was not being used for curling. Seventeen years later these facilities were abandoned and a new club was built on the present site of Peel Street consisting of 4 sheets of ice. Two more sheets were added a few years later when the membership increased to 124 members.
During the first 25 years of curling in our club the Lindsay teams were renowned for their successes in the competitive field. Lindsay teams won the Governor-General’s Cup for 3 consecutive years. They competed in an International competition, “The Winnipeg Bonspiel” for many years, bringing home many medals and trophies. Scottish teams played an exhibition here in 1902 and it is interesting to note that tickets were sold to the general public, and several hundred people were unable to get seats.
In 1913 Lindsay hosted a week-long bonspiel, one of the largest in Ontario at the time, with 100 teams entered from all over Ontario. They used 6 sheets of ice in the curling rink and 4 additional sheets in the skating rink.
In 1922 there were six sheets of ice in the rink, the same as now. However, between ices two and three and four and five, there was a walk-way from one end of the rink to the other. This walk-way was used by spectators viewing the game while it was in progress. These spectators went from one end of the ice to the other after each end as the game progressed and often gave audible comments regarding the shots being played and the strategy used by the skips.
At the south end of the rink were two rooms with glass between them and the ice. A row of chairs was along the inside of the room for spectators also. Opposite ice number 5 was a room that was separated and was called the “Chamber of Horrors”. This was the room in which the older skips congregated and made many suggestions among themselves as to how shots should have been played. In this room was a large pot-bellied coal stove and along with the heat from this and the cigar and tobacco smoke, it was really awful. Young curlers were allowed in this room rarely and only if there was a seat available. The other room which was much larger was also heated by a coal burning stove. There was a trap door in this larger room down to the basement which contained the coal bin and some space for equipment. The second floor or attic was an unfinished room also used for storage. There was no bar or snack bar in the club at this time but some drinking was done by the members who brought their own bottles.
Curling at this time was on natural ice and the season consisted of 31 games from mid-December to mid-March. Fees ranged from $6.00 to $12.00, depending on the position you played on the team. At this time, the players were exclusively male and usually played about two games a week. Up to 1934 Lindsay teams had played in the Ontario Tankard thirteen times – winning 7 times and being runners-up for 6 years.
In 1939, the Club purchased 50 pairs of curling stones. An interesting story surfaced regarding the purchase of these new set of rocks. It is believed that a shipment of curling stones ordered from Andrew Kay and Company of Glasgow, Scotland by the club were lost at sea while being transported to Montreal, Canada. The ship, S.S. Athenia, went down off the coast of Scotland when torpedoed by a German submarine in September of 1939. As a result, a second set of rocks were ordered and eventually delivered to the club in December of 1939. Up to this time, some members owned their stones, and others rented them for $2.00 a season. These stones were mismatched and weighed anywhere from 35 to 50 lbs.
In 1947, after several attempts, the ladies were admitted to the membership and had 50 lady members the first year. In the fall of 1952, a “Ladies Opening Tea was held and 300 lady curlers were present. Two years later, a fund raising committee raised $16,000.00 for the construction of a new club house facilities and an artificial ice plat. The following year the Club hosted the 1st Lindsay Invitational Mixed Bonspiel, which lasted 5 days. Mixed curling was just beginning to be popular, and the bonspiel drew entries Ontario wide.
A new building to cover the ice surface was constructed in 1954, and curling dues were raised to $30.00 a year. A men’s competitive schedule was introduced and mixed curling membership grew to 60 teams, curling Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings.
In 1967 the Lindsay Curling Club participated in the Town’s celebration of “Canada’s Centennial Year” by hosting a 3-day bonspiel for all sections involving 42 teams. Members donned centennial costumes for a giant parade and club activities.
One of the happier events of the club’s history, also in the spring of 1967, the club held a mortgage burning ceremony, leaving the club free of debt. Increase in revenue, due largely to the addition of the ladies and the ever popular mixed section, plus many fund-raising projects, were reasons cited for the club being in such an excellent financial position. Two years later renovations were again underway to modernize the club room facilities and the exterior.
In 1976, the Lindsay Curling Club celebrated its 100th Birthday. Many special events highlighted the celebrations, including a spectacular “Birthday Party”.
With the aid of a number of Wintario Grants, the club again underwent improvements in several stages. A concrete floor was installed on the ice surface; the second floor lounge and bar were enlarged to accommodate the growth in membership; and the men’s locker rooms were expanded. A wing was added along the east side of the building to provide added washrooms, a locker room and lounge for the ladies. Many local dignitaries were present for the official opening of the new addition in the spring of 1978. In 1982, a fundraising auction raised enough funds to allow the club to purchase a new ice scraper.
Through the years the club has undergone several updates to modernize the building and to improve the quality of the game. The club hosts several annual bonspiels and has been the site for many Ontario Curling Association competitions at both the local and provincial levels. One of the most significant improvements was the installation of a new ice plant in 2008 and the purchase of a set of new rocks in 2013. These improvements allowed our ice technicians to provide an excellent playing surface and with the addition of the new rocks the opportunity to have conditions similar to those witnessed at major national events and televised competitions.
In 2017, the club made the move to becoming a fully accessible facility. Up to this date, the three level facility provided accessibility only to able-bodied members and did not provide full accessibility to those who may have physical disabilities. With the aid of a grant through the Enabling Accessibility Fund, generous donations from members and the hard work of its membership through numerous fundraising endeavors the club was able to install a hydraulic lift which would all allow full access to all three levels of the curling club. As well, the club was able to retrofit the present second floor washrooms to be wheelchair accessible and lastly allow access to the ice surface for those who may have physical disabilities. After two years the Accessibility Project was completed and the club welcomed our first wheelchair curlers and became a fully accessible facility for all to enjoy.
Today, there are slightly over 400 members and associates at the club. It is a busy place any day or night of the week, and continues to be one of the main gathering places in Lindsay for friendly competition and social gatherings.