With no Winnipeg river trail, annual outdoor curling bonspiel hurries on at Memorial Park

The cold weather wasn't enough to keep hardy curlers from an outdoor bonspiel in downtown Winnipeg this weekend.

Organizer Michael Thompson said the 19th annual Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel is Manitoba's longest-running fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and its regular participants are quite familiar with just how frigid the February tournament can be.

"Most people have curled in the event [before, and] if you've curled in the last two years, it's been bitterly cold," Thompson said.

There are a few teams competing in the bonspiel that are from outside Winnipeg, including Olympic hopefuls from New Zealand who are training in Manitoba, Thompson said. There's also a team travelling to compete from California.

"We're not sure how they're gonna feel getting off the plane," he said.

WATCH: Curlers hit the ice at Memorial Park for theIronman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel

Outdoor curling at Winnipeg's Memorial Park

5 years ago

Duration 0:51

Curlers hurried hard at Memorial Park on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, for the annual Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel, which raises money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The bonspiel also recognizes anoutstanding individual who was touched by heart disease each year. This year's honoree is Canadian comedian John Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994.

Two of Candy's movies Uncle Buck and Cool Runnings will be screened over the weekend as part of the bonspiel.

In total, there are 60 teams playing 56 competing in the Ironman division, and four in the family division, Thompson said. According to its website, this year's event has already raised more than $11,000 for the foundation.

Thompson said the bonspiel faced some hurdles this year, since it's usually held on The Forks river trail. That trail didn't open this winter though, because of hazardous conditions.

Instead, this year's event is being held in Memorial Park, near the Manitoba Legislative Building, on recently frozen sheets of ice.

"We put a lot of work into it," said Thompson. "It took us quite a bit of time and a lot of water to kind of even things out."

The event will also include food, bonfires and music for people who aren't curling. In addition to the bonspiel festivities at Memorial Park, there are events at the nearby Granite Curling Club, Thompson said.

The bonspiel wraps up on Sunday.