Largest Brier Patch will be hopping with 10 days of fun
Fans can always be sure of one thing at the Brier — it will be a good time.
From taking in the curling to exploring the host city to visiting the Brier Patch, it’s 10 days of fun and entertainment.
“Always a great thing, the Brier Patch, and it’s in a great new facility — the ITC International Trade Centre,” says Rob Dewhirst, event manager for the 2018 Brier in Regina. “We have nine days of entertainment in the Patch (concluding March 11).”
A staple at every national curling event, in Regina the Patch will be the largest to date. It’s familyfriendly during the day, and once the evening draw begins it becomes the place to party.
“The nice thing about that is it really demonstrates the social nature of our sport,” Dewhirst says. “You see lots of families enjoying not only the action on the ice but some socializing after the game. It’s a really nice and unique aspect ofthesport.”
The Patch offers buffet meals at noon and dinner, and food vendors throughout the day. The nightly live entertainment features primarily Saskatchewan bands.
There will also be the opportunity to meet teams at autograph sessions and up-close-and-personal sessions, when thirds and skips will field questions from fans in a town-hall format.
“It is a knowledgeable crowd. That always happens in Saskatchewan,” Dewhirst says. “The athletes are always commenting on that — how well our audiences know the sport.”
Cool Shots, a shuffleboard type of game, will be at the Patch.
There will also be Saskatchewan curling history on display with the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame trailer in the AgEx building.
“It’s profiling the sport of curling in the province,” Dewhirst says. “A lot of their inductees are from our sport, and it’s always great to reminisce.”
There will also be demonstrations from junior curlers, and on March 10 curlers and volunteers will pass out buckets during a third-end break to raise money for the Curling Canada Foundation and the Sandra Schmirler Foun- dation, to support For the Love of Curling and Spirit of Sandra junior scholarship programs.
Fans can travel between venues and all hotels that are part of the Regina Hotel Association through the hotel bus route.
More information on bus routes and the curling and entertainment schedule is at curling.ca/2018brier.
You see lots of families enjoying not only the action on the ice but some socializing after the game.