Horseshoe enthusiasts tried their luck at the annual Innisfail Open, an ongoing tradition in the town since before the local horseshoe courts were built in 1987.
This year, more than 27 contestants competed at the two-day competition, which took place August 24 and 25 at the Innisfail Horseshoe Courts.
The competition had five first-place winners, one for each of the four classes, and one for the novice group.
Lyle Olmstead came in first in Mixed Class A, Charlie Whatley took first in Mixed Class B, Larry Chrest finished first in Mixed Class C, Don Cookson came in first in Mixed Class D and Esther Hoerle took first place in the Novice class.
This year was special as compared to other years, as there was a junior competitor at the event, Emily Stevenson, who is just nine years old.
According to Myrna Kissick, a longtime legendary local horseshoe player and president of the Innisfail Horseshoe Club, this is a rare occurrence.
She said that there is no entry for juniors, however those who still wish to participate can play against the novice category of horseshoe players.
Kissick explained that there are three other juniors that play in the league, but were unable to attend the competition. She added that if they had, there would have been a junior class added to the event.
She went on to say that this year, like other years, was broken down into four classes, which are ranked from expert to beginner, in addition to the novice class, for players who are brand new to the game.
She added that in addition to the 27 competitors on the first day of competition and the 12 competitors the following day, the stands were filled with excited audience members getting in on the action.
“It's usually a full event,” Kissick said. “And this year the bleachers were full.”
Kissick added that in comparison to other years, this year went very well, with more players competing than average.
