OLDS — There was lots of laughter and applause when two guys who’d curled for all 40 years of the Olds Farmers Bonspiel -- Larry Flessatti and Dennis Roemmele – took to the mic to share their memories during the 2020 Farmers and Farmerettes banquet.
That event was held Feb. 14 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 105 in Olds.
Flessatti, the A event winner, got the crowd laughing right away when he said, “it was great to win this today. Dennis won the first one, I get the 40th one.”
He recalled one time when a curler thought they were playing at 5 p.m. when really they were supposed to take to the ice at 3 p.m.
“They live 20 minutes out of town. The whole team was there, ready to curl, in 15 minutes,” he said.
Flessatti also jokingly recalled the frustration committee members had with a fellow committee member who always seemed to be 10 or 15 minutes late – even when he was committee chair.
Roemmele recalled a time when a business rep on his team decided to “soften up the opposition,” the Widmer team from Torrington.
“When game time came, he showed up – my man – threw his rocks and leaned against the wall,” Roemmele said, sparking loud laughter. “I don’t want to mention the Widmer team’s condition, but we won the game.”
“I would like to make a suggestion to the committee: not to ask for business people from the bank,” he added. “It is very hard to bonspiel to the fullest with your banker sitting there.”
That too drew loud laughter and applause.
But seriously, Roemmele said what keeps him playing in the Olds Farmers Bonspiel every year is the fun everyone has and the participation of local business people.
“I see faces here I’ve seen 38 or 39 times and so on, and have missed one or two years just for health reasons or whatever,” he said.
“Those people are still the people that make this event. The camaraderie that goes on each year with these teams is what makes it for me.”
Roemmele said one of the most heartwarming episodes occurred when he, his daughter and son-in-law were all playing at the same time on separate sheets of ice. Roemmele's son Darin was also among the family members who played on the ice at the same time he did.
At Flessatti’s suggestion, the crowd gave a standing ovation for all the bonspiel sponsors.
