Students take rare field trip to Pinty's curling event

It's not often you see the parking lot full at Memorial Gardens on a Tuesday morning. But, that's the case when you have a Pinty's Grand Slam curling event in your city.

See related: Excitement building for another high profile curling event 

Day 1 of the six-day Boost National began Tuesday morning with several big names on the ice including Jennifer Jones and Kerri Einarson who both won their matches. In attendance were 106 students from the Alliance French Immersion Public School.

Teacher Krista Vezeau says both grade five and six students are checking out the action.

"I think it's important that students get out and see things they wouldn't normally get out to see," she says. "As well it's something happening in their community and that's important."

Vezeau says there's another important reason for attending the curling. "With Covid, we haven't had many field trips so the students are very excited to be here." 

The Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling event will run through championship Sunday at the Gardens. Organizers say ticket sales for the  Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling event have been solid.

North Bay has previously hosted two recent high-profile curling events in the Women's World Curling Championships in the spring of 2018 followed by a Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling event in the fall of 2019.