Winter is finally giving way to warmer Spring and Summer weather, and with that comes a lot more time spent outdoors. To make sure people have even more ways to have fun outdoors, the Strathmore Ag Society will soon be debuting their brand new horseshoe pits.

The pits are planned to open on June 1 once the grass around it grows in, and General Manager of the Ag Society Ryan Schmidt expects it to be fun for the whole community. With eight free-to-use courts on the way, Schmidt invites all community groups to get in on the fun, including schools.

"If they (schools) want to make use of the pits and bring the kids down, just contact the office and we'd be happy to arrange free access for school kids to come and learn and play horseshoes just like we do with the baseball diamonds." 

The pits will currently be free to use, if there is a need to rent equipment that can be done through the Ag Society there is a $10 fee and a valid driver's license is required to secure rental equipment.   Schmidt said the goal behind this was to provide another great way to spend time in Strathmore. He specifically pointed to the efforts of Wes Walker, and said the Ag Society worked with Walker to make this happen but "it was really the work of Wes Walker." As for funding, the majority of it was fortunately provided through a grant.

"We did successfully get $20 000 from the New Horizons for Seniors Program and the total cost of the pits was about $24 000, so the Ag Society kicked an additional 4 000 on top of the 20 000 from the government grant," Schmidt said. 

The pits will be open for public use on a first come first serve basis at this time on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-9:00 p.m., and if you wanted to use them outside of that time you would be able to so long as you book a time in advance. Tuesday and Thursday nights will be booked for an upcoming horseshoe club and their league practices, while Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. will be 'open pitch' for seniors. To book Schmidt says you can call the office at 403-934-5811, and they are currently working on an online registration form.

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