Photo: Michael Potestio

Pacific Sports’ Carolynn Boomer tries her hand at curling at a house party Friday marking the 75th anniversary of the Kamloops Curling Club.

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Accolades and photographs of fond memories lined the fireplace inside the Kamloops Curling Club lounge as its members gathered to honor the club’s past and look forward to its future.

The club celebrated its 75th anniversary Friday with a house party at 700 Victoria Street – described as more than just a curling club, but a community center over the years.

The event brought together a few dignitaries for lunch on Friday, followed by some curling lessons for participants.

“It’s really incredible – 75 years is a very, very long time,” Rob Nordin, general manager of the Kamloops Curling Club, told Castanet.

He said the club will celebrate BC Curling Day on Saturday with a group photo on the ice.

The curling club formed as a corporation on Nov. 14, 1949, and held its first game on Dec. 7 of that year, Nordin said.

Nordin also mentioned the club’s search for a new home during Friday’s event. A new curling center has been identified in the city’s Kamloops building plan, and many council members were in attendance at Friday’s luncheon.

Nordin told Castanet the club was still in the early stages of looking for a new home and a committee had been formed to look into the need.

“We’re going to start doing more conceptual things soon,” Nordin said,

“We identified a need, which is really the first place to start, and now it’s up to the city council and staff to figure out all those details.”

Kamloops-Thompson Cariboo MP Frank Caputo also attended Friday’s event, presenting the club with a certificate congratulating them on their historic anniversary.

For its diamond anniversary, the club produced a commemorative video and a new logo, updated its website, dusted off photos and other memorabilia and shared stories about them on its social media channels ahead of its anniversary gala on November 23.

Opened in 1949 as a four-rink curling center, the club expanded its presence in 1966 and 1975 to become the eight-rink facility it is today.