Petoskey Curling Club’s Home Sweet Home

From an icy parking lot to the Emmet County Fairgrounds

By Eric Cox | Jan. 10, 2026

When Olympic curling was televised over a decade ago, some Petoskey residents were quite intrigued. Seeing an opportunity to squeeze yet another winter activity into NoMi’s already toe-numbing roster, they scrounged around and found a way to get a taste of this old Scottish pastime.

Ben Walker was one of them, and he isn’t ashamed to say that the earliest iteration of Petoskey curling involved water-filled frozen milk jugs and an icy parking lot. In the absence of real curling gear, these determined winter warriors devised their own crude replicas using frozen plastic containers. Their playing surface, or “sheet,” was an iced-over section of flat pavement.

That was in 2014. Now, nearly 12 years later, what could’ve easily been a passing fancy has blossomed into an official club with 30 members and a new, semi-permanent home.

From Milk Jugs to Concrete Salad Bowls

Walker is a founder, former board president, and current active member who’s witnessed the Petoskey Curling Club’s evolution, from lactose lobbing beginners, to full-on, experienced curlers with all the proper equipment.

Silly though it might’ve seemed, the milk jug event had nevertheless served its purpose, planting a kernel of interest. “My friends said, ‘Let’s do more,’ So we started pricing actual curling stones,” Walker explains.

That’s when reality set in: even used sets of 16 granite curling stones range anywhere from $3,000-$7,000, with new sets costing as much as $13,000.

The club wasn’t even established yet and the price tag was already prohibitive. So, just like their initial foray into the sport itself, Walker and his friends improvised in order to keep the project moving forward.

Using salad bowls as forms, they fabricated their own versions of curling stones with concrete and re-bar. Their new design was much more refined than the milk jugs, and they traded in their frozen parking lot for rented time at a local ice arena. Walker says at first, club events were relegated to the worst time slots on the arena schedule.

“Hockey dominates everything up here,” Walker says. “So they always get first choice on the schedule. But we got better times as we went along.”

These experiential upgrades added authenticity to their outings and served, ultimately, to help bridge the gap between a group of mere curling enthusiasts and the official club they’ve created, one that is now officially sanctioned by the sport’s domestic governing body, USA Curling.

Finding a Home

Just like the rest of the world, the club took a long break during the COVID pandemic. With social distancing in place and restrictions on group gatherings, Petoskey curlers laid low, waiting for the storm to pass.

When they emerged, Walker says the club began focusing on a central goal: finding a bit of dedicated local ice they wouldn’t have to share.

“We kept curling outdoors and in rented spaces for a long time,” Walker explains. “But our winters have been too sporadic and unpredictable to make a real schedule, and we have always wanted our own space.”

He and other board members began researching ways to make that happen. They envisioned a facility with two sheets of ice, along with lockers and restrooms. But this was an expensive plan, and although the club is populated with enthusiastic members, funding seemed scarce. So the club investigated other options.

They hit upon an idea that saw the club partnering with Emmet County and a handful of local businesses to establish a semi-permanent home at the Emmet County Fairgrounds. That concept includes a long hoop house with an ice floor that would serve as the club’s home sheet.

Through a series of local agreements and sponsorship deals, the club last year enjoyed its first season on its own ice. Though the hoop house and sheet are dismantled at season’s end, it’s all reinstalled in mid-December, in time for the long winter freeze and the start of curling season.

The Curling Community

What makes this sport, popularized in early 18th century Scotland, so attractive to people?

Walker says it’s a combination of accessibility and fun. “It’s a unique Olympic sport that is approachable,” he says. “Of course, they make it look super easy on TV. But once you get the basics down, most anyone can play. There are aids for people with less balance and mobility, and the social aspect is also a huge draw for most people.”

According to Walker, the Petoskey Curling Club’s culture centers on good-natured rivalries, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. “We all celebrate a great shot, no matter what team made it!”

And they’ve had good luck attracting interest. Though numbers have fallen since the first year, when about 250 people tried curling, the club maintains a core of solid supporters.

“We started outside in the wind and cold with homemade stones and have grown to having our own ice in a hoop house with real curling stones and equipment,” Walker says. “We have several members that have been with us for over a decade, and each year we get new people passionate about growing the sport and having a great time on the ice.”

Inter-club play and weekly club meetings at a local brewery help club members stay connected and assist the organization in plotting a positive course. Walker says other events, like curling viewing parties, are coming soon, but no dates have been set.

The Petoskey club occasionally competes in invitationals with neighboring clubs, and they’ve been invited to play with groups from Lewiston, Alpena, Maple City, and Traverse City. Though there is very little league play at the moment, last year’s contests took place on Mondays and Wednesdays. And anyone can learn curling at one of the club’s Learn to Curl events.

To learn more about the club and find out about upcoming events, visit petoskeycurling.com. The club is currently raising money to offset hoop house construction costs. A GoFundMe portal can be found on the club’s Facebook page.