INNISFAIL – After more than 30 years Innisfail horseshoe players will be pitching their final season and holding their last tournament in its current long-standing location.
The annual Innisfail Horseshoe Tournament takes place at the horseshoe courts on May 25 and 26.
“It’s been there since 1987 and we’ve had a tournament every year since,” said Myrna Kissick, president of the Innisfail Horseshoe Club. “Because this is our last tournament there it’s a special tournament.”
Kissick said the tournament will be named the Mayor and Council Open and will welcome Innisfail mayor Jim Romane as he throws the first ceremonial horseshoe to open the two-day event.
They are hoping for another good turnout this year.
“People can come and enter (the tournament) that morning (May 25), as long as they’re entered before 9 a.m. and have their Alberta Horseshoe Pitchers Association (AHPA) membership up to date.”
The tournament runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to early afternoon on Sunday, depending on the number of participants, noted Kissick.
The event will include a live auction on Saturday (May 25) at noon and will again host a buffet supper that evening at the legion.
Kissick said Innisfail horseshoe players have mixed feelings about playing their last tournament in its current location.
“We’re not happy about the move, but we figured it would be better for the townspeople,” explained Kissick.
“There were other different places we could have (had) for our new location,” she added. “The town was quite receptive to where (we wanted to move) and we picked this location. They said it was OK.”
The new horseshoe courts will be 140 feet by 70 feet and will decrease in number from 12 to 10. They will be located behind the Innisfail Aquatic Centre and tennis courts, adjacent to the nearby park.
Kissick said they will begin work on the new horseshoe courts immediately following the 2019 tournament. They are expected to move to their new location by the end of summer or early fall.
“They’re going to work on the east end of our (current) courts. We’ll have six courts left until mid-August for our weekly league on Wednesdays,” said Kissick. “If they have them ready this fall we’ll have to go down and try them out.
“We’ll have a grand opening for our new horseshoe courts in 2020 and when we have our spring tournament in 2020, we’ll have a ribbon cutting ceremony,” Kissick concluded.
For more information or to register for the annual horseshoe tournament, call Myrna Kissick at 403-227-6507.
