Saint John’s Thistle-St. Andrews Curling Club is celebrating its 150th anniversary this season.

Newly appointed club President Kevin Kyle, who’s been curling since 1988, is excited about the upcoming events that are planned for this season.

“Where gonna have an event for the past presidents, we got all kinds of clothing and memorabilia on display that showcases our club’s history, and we’re gonna have a plan for a gala event at the year of the year,” said Kyle.

Kyle shared that the club is hosting an open house this Sunday, October 6. During this event, club officials will be available to answer questions from seasoned curlers looking to join and from newcomers eager to learn about the sport.

“We look forward to growing our membership and being around for another 150 years,” Kyle concluded.

On March 27, 1874, 14 members of the St. Andrews Curling Club took the initiative to start a new curling club. The original club faced challenges in accommodating its large membership, having only two sheets of outdoor ice to work with.

The Thistle Curling Club was set up on Golding Street in Saint John, complete with two outdoor ice sheets. By 1879, they constructed a covered rink, the first in the Maritimes, which offered limited protection and had little effect on the ice itself.

In 1948, the club transitioned to a new building on Dufferin Avenue, with a significant portion of the work completed by its members. The upgraded facility included five sheets of artificial ice outfitted with floodlights, as well as new locker rooms.

By 1975, a fire swept through the club, destroying the head house while leaving the ice shed’s walls intact. This event paved the way for the construction of a new club, which eventually grew to feature eight sheets of ice.

As the members of St. Andrews Curling Club decided to merge with Thistle, the new entity emerged as Thistle-St. Andrews Curling Club.