Curler Guy Hemmings will be touring Rainy River District on Nov. 6-9 with his “Rockin’ The House” tour, which is designed to promote the sport of curling—especially among younger kids—across Canada.
Over the course of his four-day visit, Hemmings will be making stops in Atikokan, Fort Frances, Emo, and Stratton before winding up the mini-tour in Rainy River.
The tour begins Nov. 6 at the Atikokan Curling Club with an open house from 2-4 p.m. aimed primarily at young curlers.
Hemmings then will be the keynote speaker at an open house and social there beginning at 7 p.m.
The night concludes with a pair of exhibition games. Fourteen names will be randomly drawn to form four rinks that will compete against Hemmings.
The following morning, Hemmings will visit all three Atikokan schools for special assemblies before travelling to Fort Frances, where he will meet with junior curlers at the Fort Frances Curling Club at 4 p.m.
A celebrity curling game featuring Hemmings is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. that evening.
Anyone interested in competing in the event can purchase a ticket for $5 at the bar. The field will be randomly drawn from all those who’ve entered.
Proceeds from the ticket sales will go towards the FFCC’s building improvement fund.
A prime rib banquet—featuring Hemmings as the keynote speaker—is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets to the dinner are $35 each, which can be purchased at the curling club, Sight & Sound, and Northwoods Gallery & Gifts.
An open house mix and mingle—beginning at 9 p.m.—will close out the evening.
The following morning (Nov. 8), Hemmings will visit Robert Moore, J.W. Walker, and St. Francis schools between 9 a.m. and noon before moving on to Emo.
Hemmings then will visit Donald Young school from 1-2 p.m. before giving pointers to young curlers at the Emo Curling Club from 2-3 p.m.
That evening (Nov. 8), Hemmings will be at the curling club in Stratton, where cocktails and a potluck dinner are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. A mini-spiel will follow around 7 p.m.
For more information concerning the meal and event, contact the Stratton Curling Club.
A breakfast is scheduled the following morning (Nov. 9) from 8-9 a.m. at the Stratton curling club. Hemmings then will speak to youngsters at Our Lady of the Way and Sturgeon Creek schools from 9 a.m.-noon.
The “Rockin’ The House” tour then concludes in Rainy River.
Hemmings will visit the kids at Riverview School at 1 p.m. before moving on to the Rainy River Curling club. A dinner, mix-and-mingle, as well as a celebrity curling game are all scheduled that evening starting at 5:30 p.m.
For more information concerning the Rainy River event, contact the curling club there.
Hemmings burst on to the national curling scene at the 1998 Brier in Winnipeg. A relative unknown prior to the tournament, Hemmings and his Quebec rink surprised everyone by advancing to the Brier final.
Although he did not win, Hemmings made many new fans with his unkempt hair, ample beard, and easy smile.
A year later in Edmonton, Hemmings was back at the Brier representing Quebec. And once again, he and his Quebec teammates were the stars of the tournament in the eyes of the fans.
The representatives from La Belle Province again advanced to the final before losing—much to the chagrin of all in attendance.
Hemmings’ popularity would continue to grow over the next two seasons.
Fans began coming out in large numbers to see the charismatic Quebec native compete.
The culminating moment of his rise to stardom came in early 2001 at the Brier in Ottawa, where Hemmings was a key factor in attracting the largest crowd to ever attend the event in Eastern Canada.
Following that, Hemmings took some time away from the sport at his new home in France.
It was during Hemmings’ time away from the sport that the Canadian Curling Association grasped the extent of the Quebec curler’s popularity and asked if he’d consider being the marquee name associated with a series of promotional appearances aimed at building the popularity of the sport with young people.
It was a challenge Hemming was eager to undertake.
“Since curling really got into my blood, I have always wanted to do more than just compete,” he said.
In the five years Hemmings has done the tour, he has appeared at 49 major stops across Canada in addition to more than 180 one-day appearances in curling communities from coast-to-coast.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
