ESTEVAN — There will be plenty of great curling in Estevan during the Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s curling provincials and the SaskTel Tankard men’s provincials, and there will be plenty of great entertainment off the ice throughout the competitions.
The Turnbull Redi-Mix Patch will be open throughout the Scotties from Jan. 25-29, and the Tankard from Feb. 1-5. It is located at the Wylie-Mitchell building.
There will be a number of attractions for the event, said Michael Keating, who is the chairman of the Scotties-Tankard entertainment committee.
On the Thursday nights of each event (Jan. 26 and Feb. 2), local DJ Dave Elliott will bring his musical Bingo competition, known as Singo, which has proven to be popular when it has been held at the Black Grasshopper restaurant. It will be held at 8, 9 and 10 p.m. both nights.
Cabarets will be held on the Friday and Saturday nights of the Scotties and the Tankard, too, with DJ Andrew Kinakin coming from Saskatoon to Estevan. Keating said he knows Kinakin quite well, and noted Kinakin has had his own business, Kinakin Entertainment, for years, and referred to Kinakin as one of the top DJs in Saskatchewan.
“He is going to be putting on an amazing show, with lasers, fog machines, his disco ball, a huge sound system and huge TVs,” said Keating.
Proceeds from the cabarets will be directed to the curling club.
Also during the Fridays, Bandits Distilling out of Weyburn will at the Patch with free taste testing of their products.
And at Thursday at noon each week, there will be a luncheon for the curlers. If anyone in the public wants to attend the luncheons, admission is $20 per plate. It gives the fans a chance to hear some speakers from CurlSask and meet the curlers.
People can also enjoy music each night, and the curling will air on television on two large smart TVs. And during the day, there will be a cornhole game, large-block Jenga, beer pong and playing cards for people to enjoy. The cornhole board and the Jenga game are going to be available in a raffle. Kyle Whitehead, who operates the concession at the Power Dodge Curling Centre, will be serving food each day from 11 a.m. to close.
Admission is free, except for the Thursday lunch and the cabarets. An event pass or a ticket for that day’s curling will get someone in for free to the Patch. It costs $10 to get into the cabaret without a pass.
Minors will be allowed to come to the patch throughout the tournaments as well, except for on Friday and Saturday nights after 7 p.m.
Keating hopes to see large crowds at the Patch throughout both events. Previously they have had approximately 500 people attend the cabarets.
“We’ll look to get over the 500 mark, but that was a goal we had last time,” said Keating.
