Joey Payeur
Come next month, Jackie McCormick and Trevor Bonot will be two of a kind, workin’ on a full house–of curling rocks, that is.
After mixing business with pleasure in Calgary this past week, which included six hours of intense curling practice and a Garth Brooks’ concert as a bonus, the Stratton siblings can look forward to a special day in their hometown this Saturday (Sept. 9).
McCormick and Bonot, joined by their national mixed curling champion teammates, Megan and Kory Carr of Thunder Bay, will be thrown an official send-off party at the Stratton recreation centre in advance of them heading to Champéry, Switzerland to represent Canada at the world mixed curling championships Oct. 6-14.
The send-off will cap the “Stratton 150” celebrations that will take place throughout the day in recognition of Canada’s 150th birthday this year.
“It’s really special to us to have the hometown support we do,” said McCormick.
“Neither Trevor and I would be in this position without the support from our club and our community over the years,” she stressed.
“We really appreciate our family and friends backing us and helping us get to the worlds.”
The day will begin with the third-annual Pi Run taking place at the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre near Stratton.
“The first two were well-attended, with about 100
people each time,” McCormick said about the 5K event, which is both non-timed and non-competitive in nature.
After that, a parade will take place starting at Our Lady of the Way School and heading north along Highway 617.
“We wanted the parade because we wanted to make the whole day a big celebration,” explained McCormick, who also sits on the organizing committee for “Stratton 150.”
Anyone wanting to participate in the parade can pre-register by contacting McCormick at jjdbonot@yahoo.com
A fastball game, scheduled for 2 p.m., will feature current and former members of the Stratton men’s squad. Then at 4 p.m., a mini tug-of-war tournament gets going.
Meanwhile, a “vendor blender” run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Millennium Hall while children’s activities hosted by Best Start Hub will occur at the Stratton rec centre from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
All of that leads up to the send-off party, which will see the curlers piped into the curling arena.
Stratton Reeve George Heyens and Northern Ontario Curling Association executive director Leslie Kerr will be on hand to speak at the ceremonies.
A penny table will be set up, with anyone wanting to donate prizes asked to contact Giselle Bonot at gbonot@lakeheadu.ca
A 50/50 draw also will be held, as well as a raffle that will see one of the team’s customized “angry moose” shirts in Canadian colours given away.
To cap off the evening, free entertainment provided by local musicians will start at 8 p.m., followed by a dance featuring the Nite Hawk Band at 9 p.m.
