Nobleford Curling Club celebrates new ice plant

Sunny South News Photo by Kristine Jean. NOBLEFORD ICE PLANT: The Nobleford Curling Club is celebrating the start of the 2025-2026 curling season with its new ice plant that was installed in the fall of 2024, and is now paid in full thanks to support from the town and local business community. The ice plant project was funded through a matching Community Facility Enhancement Fund grant which the club received last year and the final matching sponsorship donation received this summer from South Country Co-op in the amount of $25,000. The Nobleford Curling Club held a cheque presentation with representatives from the Town of Nobleford, South Country Co-op and the curling club on Nov. 3.

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

The Nobleford Curling Club is celebrating the start of the 2025-2026 curling season with a new $260,000 ice plant that is now paid in full, thanks to support from the Town of Nobleford and the local business community. 

 “The excitement’s been great around it (and) a great feel around the community,” said Ken Hebenik, president of the Nobleford Curling Club. 

After being closed for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic, the club discovered their ice plant had broken down in 2023, and needing a replacement, they applied for a Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant and were approved several months later. They were able to purchase and install a new ice plant in September 2024.  

“We shut down in 2020 for COVID-19 and we were down three years with that and then we went to fire up and our plant broke,” said Hebenik. “So we had a year of getting everything lined up and getting a new plant ordered …and we were going again last season. (It was) our first season up and running again with the new ice plant.” 

The CFEP grant from the government totalled $130,000 with the remaining $130,000 raised through matching donations and sponsorship contributions from the local business community. The Nobleford Curling Club recently received the final amount of the matching grant portion, in the way of a $25,000 sponsorship donation from South County Co-op. 

They held a cheque presentation Nov. 3, with members of the town, curling club and South Country Co-op in attendance.  

“It feels great. There’s an opportunity to give back locally, keep money in our community and keep a place like the curling rink with a lot of history, going,” said Steve Vander Meer, Agro-business manager at the South Country Co-op in Barons. 

Hebenik said several businesses in the Nobleford area and across southern Alberta, contributed to and sponsored the new ice plant. 

“It’s been great to see all the businesses get behind it and the town was backing us from the (start) when we were (applying for) the CFEP grant,” he said. “It’s been so nice to see curlers out here again after so many years off.” 

Town of Nobleford Mayor Joan Boeder was on hand for the cheque presentation Nov. 3, and said the town was thrilled to contribute to and support the curling club’s new ice plant. 

“The town was very excited to support this grant (application). We want to see the curling club continue and we want to see something for town residents to do,” said Boeder. “For that reason, we were very excited to support this grant so we could have an option in town for people that do want to curl and who want to learn to curl.”

Since the installation of the new ice plant last fall, the community has come out to put it to good use, including curling club members, community members and schools. Hebenik noted a new youth curling program for students in Grades 6-12 learning to curl. 

“The school has been coming and using the facility. Last year they brought Grades 6-12 out and they used it every week,” he said, noting several leauges that have begun this season. “Every Monday we have a learn to curl with the kids and after that a drop-in curling (time), and every Wednesday night we have an open league. We’re up to nine teams this year – that’s the highest we’ve ever been,” said Hebenik. 

The Nobleford Curling Club’s season runs from October to March every year, and will include several bonspiels over the coming months, including men’s, ladies, mixed and a junior bonspiel.