It was a great day for MLA Cameron Westhead and the Cochrane Curling Club.

MLA Westhead was happy to hand over a sizeable cheque to the Cochrane Curling Club President, David Cooper and Manager, Barb Gibson.

Westhead shares the government is happy to be able to support the club and their new location."It's exciting. We've got a grant cheque from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for $75,000 to help the Curling Club buy some more and new equipment for the new curling rink."

The Curling Club has a community focus as well as promotes healthy lifestyle, which in turn helped support the funding request. "One thing we take into consideration is getting people active and getting people moving. When we get people together here at a curling rink it really celebrates community spirit and gets people out and active. That is one of the things we help support through these grants."

Cooper and Gibson were both thrilled to receive the donation which will help buy new equipment. While the Curling Club prepares for the first sheets of ice in August they are excited and ready to launch the new season. Gibson shares the September Curling Academy event featuring world renowned curlers Russ Howard, Laine Peters, and Grant Odishaw is already sold out and bodes well for what Copper believes will be a very busy season. "If you look around the facility you can see straight out into the main entrance way, and for us we know that is going to be one of the big draws. Hundreds of people come through this facility every day, if you were to ask them where the old curling rink was I bet most of them wouldn't know; but now people will see the game in action and curious young minds are going to want to take up this great sport."

Gibson says Learn to Curl will start up in September with the regular season kicking off in October. 

Westhead is excited to see the draw the facility will bring to Cochrane and surrounding community. "Curling is a Canadian pastime it is something that everybody loves to watch and participate in, so this is going to be a great thing for Cochrane. It is also a way we can really put ourselves on the map in terms of curling in Alberta."

If you are looking to register, it is time to get on it. "Registration is open, just call the Curling Club or send us an email cochranecurling@telus.net and we will get you a registration form. If you are just a single curler, give us your name anyway and we'll put a team together for you."