BRAINERD — The Brainerd Curling Club will host 20 of the state’s best senior men’s curling teams during the 2025 Minnesota Senior Men’s Bonspiel, set for Friday through Sunday, Jan. 10-12.
Organizers said in a news release that the event promises to showcase some very competitive curling. It is broken into three classes: Seniors (50 and older), Super Seniors (65 and older) and Masters (70 and older).
Teams will be gunning for the defending champs: Team Nelson from Brainerd. Having never curled together in a bonspiel, the four curlers came together in Bemidji for last year’s Senior Men’s Bonspiel to finish undefeated in pool play before beating Team Pustovar in the finals. Skip Paul Pustovar is a World Senior Champion, decorated medalist and one of the most prolific curlers in the United States.
Team Nelson is Bob Nelson, Michael Williams, Brent Gunsbury and Craig Johnson. Two other teams from Brainerd will compete as well. Team Jones is Tom Jones, Robert Haugly, John Smyrski and Garey Burditt. Ripcurl is Paul Murray, Dalen Hodge, Shon Roberts and Brian Stenglein.
The bonspiel is free and open to the public. Games are 4-11 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday. Semifinals and finals games start at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Located in the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds, the Brainerd Lakes Curling Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, visit brainerdcurling.org or email brainerdlakescurling@gmail.com.
-
And: A new bill in the Minnesota Legislature would allow small school districts to shrink their school board size. -
Contributed/Beltrami CountyIn a Thursday, March 12, 2026, order, Judge Jeanine Brand said the attorney general’s office showed sufficient probable cause for the case against Michelle R. Skroch to move forward. -
Contributed/US House Clerk YouTube screenshotThe legislation was previously introduced in the Senate and aims to prevent fraud in the child care assistance program. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota condemned the bill's name. -
Contributed/Minnesota Senate Media Services via YouTubeDistricts with fewer than a thousand students could ask voters to approve reducing board membership from six to five. Small districts often struggle to fill out their boards. -
Contributed/Ely Film FestivalWith the Oscars ceremony March 15, 2026, we want to hear about your moviegoing experiences this week! What are your early memories? What are your favorite snacks? -
Events this week include a senior citizens' lunch in Pengilly, a choir concert in Baxter and a maple syrup talk at Lake Bemidji State Park. -
Contributed/Lorie Shaull via FlickrThe North Shore saw snowfall totals closer to 8-12 inches. Another system this weekend could drop similar amounts on the areas that were missed March 12-13, 2026. -
Plus: Some aquatic invasive species prevention efforts to prepare for the impending open water season in Minnesota are already taking place.
-
In this episode, hosts Charlie Mitchell and Chelsey Perkins revisit dinosaur songs and discuss inadvertent scientific discoveries.Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe!Charlie recommends the book An Immense World by Ed Yong. -
Contributed/University of Minnesota ExtensionGetting an earlier start on targeted removal gives them a stronger chance to effectively manage invasive weeds over the course of an open-water season, professionals say.
