Community Gathers To Organize Horseshoe Tournament, Keeping The Tradition Alive

Joanne Rodgers and Marianne Wood,
Bruce Peninsula Press

For years, the Ferndale, Lion’s Head & District Lions Club’s Homecoming Weekend Horseshoe Tournament has been a highlight of the Civic Holiday weekend. Held each year on the Sunday of the long weekend, the tournament is a longstanding community tradition and one of the Lions Club’s largest fundraisers of the year.

This year, however, the Lions Club Tournament was forced to take an unexpected break.

With an unfavourable weather forecast calling for 80 per cent chance of rain throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, Lions Club organizers made the difficult decision to cancel the tournament.

It was not a decision they took lightly. Set-up was scheduled for Sunday morning, meaning volunteers would have been required to prepare the tournament grounds and facilities in what was expected to be pouring rain. Organizers also had to consider the food preparations, including picking up supplies and thawing frozen sausages and peameal bacon, without knowing whether poor weather would significantly affect turnout.

“This is the first time we have ever had to cancel,” said Lions chairman Mike Kearney.

The decision was particularly difficult given the tournament’s longstanding place in the community and the number of participants and spectators who look forward to it each year. But with the forecast calling for prolonged rain, organizers ultimately felt cancelling was the responsible choice.

Despite the disappointment, the Lions Club is already looking ahead to next year – it will be back and better than ever.

But the community was not ready to cede to fickle weather.

Keen community volunteers came together to ensure that the Horseshoe Tournament took place as scheduled. 

Many local volunteers including Travis Kraag, Shannon Daries, Colleen Martindale, Charlotte Chinn, their families and friends pitched in to keep the tradition alive. Brenda Ashcroft describes it as “coming together organically.”

The tournament kicked off at 12:30 p.m. on August 2, 2026 with 27 teams participating in the event. Co-organizer Charlotte Chinn said “it was a seamless flow, 4 divisions, 27 teams. A little damp but lots of fun.”

Two members of the Lions Club, Wes Bailey and Laura Loughlin, along with their barbecue helpers Heather and Tracey manned two grills to feed the hungry crowd that had gathered.

Co-organizer Travis Kraag said “everyone stepped up to make the event happen and to keep the tradition going.”