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The Bezanson Curling Rink – Bringing Together Our Community Since 1962

By Kiera Donner

In 1962, family, friends, and neighbours gathered in the hamlet of Bezanson to volunteer and build the curling rink that is still standing today.  The hard workers harvested lumber from the surrounding woods and sent it into a local sawmill to begin building the project they envisioned.  The entire community worked together to raise enough money to build the rink.  Through cash donations alone, they were able to raise $649.50!  Someone even donated a record player which was raffled off allowing for $371.00 to go towards the construction of the rink.  

Twenty-one years later the kitchen and benches for supporters and other teams were installed which was an excellent addition to the rink.  Over the years, the rink has undergone many renovations.

It has been a hotspot for this community where members of Bezanson and the surrounding rural communities have been able to come together and play a sport which all ages love.  The Curling Committee even put together an after-school program for the junior high students of Bezanson around 1967 which made the rink social and educational.  The kids were sent home with notes which read that curling would start at 3:45pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  The committee kept all twenty-five notes of the students’ names and parents’ signature providing us with historical records of the educational use of the facility.  Journals dating back to about 1981 of every bonspiel and meeting ever held were preserved making great memories of this written history. The note books include details of what was said in the meetings, people that have won trophies for bonspiels and other achievements, and includes all the costs they have spent that has brought the rink to where it is today.

The curling rink was another foundation to this great community that has been built on teamwork. The rink brought the community together and we are grateful for the hard work of the volunteers for the opportunities that the curling rink brought to our community.

  • Art Rees throws the first rock in the newly renovated rink in 1983.
  • The Bezanson Curling Rink as it stands today.
  • Curlers inside the Bezanson Curling Rink.

NEW VIDEO on Bezanson Community Group!

The Bezanson Community Group is a collection of all the different groups that work hard to bring the community of Bezanson a wide variety of facilities, services, resources, and activities. Watch this video to see how to stay up to date on community news and learn more about all the groups involved.

Meet our Connections Coordinator Haley Friesen

The Bezanson Ag Society recently received Emergency Community Support Funding delivered by the Community Foundations of Canada along with the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta to hire a Connection Coordinator.  This position is to help identify local needs and launch opportunities meeting the needs surfacing in this rural area. 

The Ag Society welcomes Haley Friesen, this Bezanson born and raised university student, to this position.  Haley is entering her third year of studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC this fall, working towards her Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry.  In the long term, Haley plans to go to medical school.

The Connection Coordinator position focuses on the community of Bezanson. The Bezanson Community Centre wants to meet the mental, physical, and social needs of community members, and Haley is the liaison for that connection.   The sowing of positive connections will reap health and vitality and sustain individuals, families, and the community.


Haley’s favorite quote:  You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. (C.S. Lewis).