The 80th annual Farmer's Bonspiel is underway this week at the Lacombe Curling Club.
This year also marks the 12th anniversary of the Farmerettes bonspiel, which kicked off Monday along with the men.
Chairperson Graeme Rice noted there are 32 men's teams and 12 women's teams competing in the event.
"We're down a little bit. It's kind of been tapering off. Some people age out and maybe there's not as many younger curlers coming up through the ranks. It gets tough for people if they feel like they have to miss work or something they might not come to it."
Teams are provided with lunch and supper all week, with the Shootout taking place on Wednesday. The finals are scheduled for Saturday.
Rice says the bonspiel is one of the primary fundraisers for the Lacombe Curling Association.
"The city is really a great partner for the Lacombe Curling Association. They obviously run the facility but they let us do our own thing and we do our best to keep curling on the minds of people in town and make curling available to youth and senior curlers as well. We just try to keep the sport of curling strong in Lacombe."
Rice notes the event attracts a mix of regular curlers and those who only curl once or twice a year.
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