CARP – The Huntley Curling Club is used to cool February evenings during the season, but this Saturday (June 15) they will be trying something a little hotter.

Saturday evening the HCC, with help from the Ridge Rock Brewing Company, will be hosting their first summer celebration – a mini-music festival featuring local musicians the club is billing as A Hot Summer Night.

The HCC, located on the Carp Fairgrounds with an entrance off Langstaff Drive, will host the event with Ridge Rock acting as the title sponsor.

“This idea was about driving a little fundraiser for the HCC,” club president Blake Sinclair told West Carleton Online from the Ridge Rock pub last week. “We’re a non-profit organization, three of our members, at least, are musicians, it seemed like the perfect fit.”

The music kicks off at 6 p.m. with Wilson/Delcourt taking to the stage. Kinburn’s Jillian Kerr, who has played Bluesfest, is on at 7 p.m. and Taming Vegas at 8 p.m. Sidewinder is the headliner coming on at 9 p.m. and features HCC member Shawn Lynch.

Sinclair feels a lot of people aren’t even sure where the HCC is located.

“We want to bring a little attention to our club, and we want to promote some of our local talent,” Sinclair said. “It’s good for the community – it’s bee a long, drawn-out winter, and spring for that matter.”

Sinclair says the club can hold around 500 people, there will be two bars set up featuring, naturally, Ridge Rock’s own brews (four different types) and of course anything else you might want to drink. A barbecue dinner will also be available as well as snacks.

“It’s our own building so it will be our own party,” Sinclair said.

It’s a big year for the HCC. The club formed in 1978 and the curling club building opened in 1981.

“So, we’re coming up on our 50th year,” Sinclair said.

The club membership is strong and showing growth in the junior ranks. Currently there are around 480 members with 100 of those in youth or Little Rocks programs.

“We’re trying to get youth involved in this great sport,” Sinclair said.

This is Sinclair’s second year as club president. He’s a seven-year board member and has been curling for eight years.

“We’ve got a great membership,” Sinclair said. “Great people built on volunteerism.”

That volunteerism helps keep costs down and the membership involved in the community.

The club hosts about five major events during the curling season and another three in the off-season including A Hot Summer Night, a wine and cheese event in October and a Try to Curl event run as an introduction to the sport.

“It’s designed to attract people to our club and the sport,” Sinclair said. “For $200 a beginner gets 10 sessions of instruction where they will learn everything about the sport. They then automatically become a member and can curl the rest of the year. They can jump right in to our U5 (less than five years of curling experience) and start playing.”

For tickets ($20) to A Hot Summer Night, click here. Sinclair expects they will be available at the door as well. For more information on the Huntley Curling Club, visit their Facebook page.