Midland Curling Club

History:

Curling came to the Midland area in the minds of Midlanders who had previously enjoyed the winter, they suffered an acute case of cabin fever and began to long for the excitement of the well-swept stone, the well-built house, and the well-stacked broom. Our of these frustrations and hungers evolved the Midland Granite Club dedicated to the ancient and honorable sport of curling.

To go anywhere requires that a first step be taken. With this principal in mind and in the spirit of free enterprise, meetings were held to develop a core of members and raise enough money to install an outdoor sheet of curling ice adjacent to the City Skating Rink. This was accomplished in 1962.

Strong men threw giant stones over snow and fly ash in time with the frightful music from the nearby skating rink while the temperature plunged to 20 degrees below zero and the wind gusted to 40 knots. Faced with rising causalities from frostbite, curler's elbow, and pneumonia, the directors of the Granite Club met to consider how to snatch victory from disaster. Land scouts located land at the end of Gerald Court; a solemn money-raising ceremony was held among the directors; another solemn money-raising ceremony was held at the bank; and a two-sheet curling rink was built with natural ice. This was in 1965.

Nature, which had provided wind, rain, snow, and frostbite at the outdoor rink now provided the Club with freezing and thawing. This coupled with certain subterranean features in the dirt floor created very interesting ice. When the rink became a shallow pond in March of 1966, the number of meetings of the directors increased, stock sales soared, and the bank responded. With much tender loving care, artificial ice was installed in the curling rink.

This history was published in 1972, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the club. Since that time, the club name has changed to the Midland Curling Club, to be more meaningful to potential members. The club also became part of the Midland Community Center in 1987. Currently, the club operates as one of five divisions of the Greater Midland Community Centers, Inc. (formed in 2006).

A new chapter in the club's history began on April 30, 2008 with the ground breaking ceremony for a new building located on the Midland Community Center's campus. The club officially moved into the new facility at 2009 Jefferson Avenue, Midland, in October of 2008.