Wallkill’s winter playground

Wallkill Lions return to the ice rink for 8th annual curling tournament

By Jared Castañeda
Posted 1/29/25

The winter season has ramped up dramatically since the latter half of January arrived, greeting Orange and Ulster residents with frigid temperatures and brutal precipitation. The cold air pricks the …

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Wallkill’s winter playground

Wallkill Lions return to the ice rink for 8th annual curling tournament

Posted

The winter season has ramped up dramatically since the latter half of January arrived, greeting Orange and Ulster residents with frigid temperatures and brutal precipitation. The cold air pricks the skin like glass shards, the snow smothers the landscape in a thick blanket, and the Wallkill River remains frozen in time until spring arrives.

While these conditions would normally paint an inhospitable environment, they formed the perfect playground for the Wallkill Lions Club’s eighth annual curling tournament last Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26 in the Popp Memorial Park’s pavilion. This weekend event, beloved by both residents and visitors alike, doubled as a fundraiser for the group’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, ice refrigerant unit, and local charities.

About a decade ago, Wallkill Lion Andrew Harcher proposed that the WLC host a curling tournament in the Hamlet of Wallkill. While residents were initially skeptical about this idea, the Lions Club made Harcher’s vision a reality and held its first tournament in 2015. After receiving positive feedback from the community, the Lions Club continued hosting and expanding the tournament every year. The group cancelled the tournament last year due to warmer weather patterns, but successfully hosted its latest one last week thanks to Mother Nature’s icy reception.

“A gentleman in our group, Andrew Harcher, came up with the idea. We put it together, it went well, and we’ve been expanding it every year,” said WLC President David LaSpada. “It’s been growing every year with more people, and we couldn’t do it without our teams and sponsors.”

Between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., the Lions Club held three divisions in the morning, afternoon, and evening respectively. Each division comprised 12 teams that competed against one another within a three-and-a-half hour session. The judges calculated the teams’ scores based on how closely they landed their curling stones with the target zones. At the end of each division, the judges tallied up the scores and handed out trophies to the first, second, and third place winners. Each division also featured a bonus trophy for the team with the best outfits.

As the players launched and maneuvered their stones onto the targets, hundreds of attendees watched the action in awe, enjoyed the Lions Club’s warm refreshments, and huddled around the blazing campfire. Despite the glacial temperatures ranging in the 20s and 30s, everyone at the tournament had a blast and were thrilled to bits that the event returned after a year without hurlin’ curlin’ fun.

“This is an amazing community collaboration. Many people need something to do in January, and the Lions Club nailed it,” said Derrik Wynkoop, president and CEO of Walden Savings Bank, and a member of the Walden Wranglers. “They figured out how to host a great event during a slow time of the year. Everyone is looking for something to do after the holidays, and the Lions Club did it.”

“It’s always a great time, we’ve competed in the tournament for 10 years,” said Dan Valleau, a member of team Chimney Sweepers team. “The Wallkill Lions Club does a great job, and we always look forward to play.”

“This is a great community event, it’s awesome to raise money for the Lions Club and do it with a community we love,” said Mackenzie Karwas, a member of the Moose Knucklers.

“We’ve been playing since 2017, and this year we won two awards,” said Alex Reid, another member of the Moose Knucklers. “It’s awesome to be a resident of this event. The Lions Club did a great job.”

The winners of Saturday’s tournament included the following teams:

For Division 1, Big Dog Brewery Squad 69 #2 won third place, Big Trucks for Biden won second, The Outsliders won first, and the Parkview Penguins won best dressed. Additionally, the Walden Savings Bank’s “Walden Wranglers” won the “Battle of the Banks” award after beating Wallkill Federal Loans and Savings’ “Lone Rangers.”

For Division 2, 19 Crimes won third place, the Moose Knucklers won second and best dressed, and the Reservoir Dogs won first.

For Division 3, the HVA Sliders won third place, the Reservoir Dogs won second, and the Wallkill River Sushi Company won first.

The winners of Sunday’s tournament have not been released at this time.

Interested in donating to the Lions Club’s refrigerated ice rink project? For more information, call 914-213-3063 or visit facebook.com/WallkillLionsClub.