T
here is a long list of ways to raise money. In the outdoor
world, it's often banquets, auctions or raffles. Others
host fishing tournaments, shoots or competitions like
one-box hunts. One Johnson County resident, however, came
up with an entirely different plan to raise money to support
his community. Arlen Beethe, with the support of the Elk
Creek Men's Club, had a thought: Why not introduce a 16th
century game made popular in Europe, combine friends,
family and absolute strangers to compete, and raise money
to help their neighbors?
"Every year the Elk Creek Men's Club gives scholarships
to local kids," Arlen said. "We raise money for the Johnson
County 4-H and offer help to any number of benefits. If
someone has an injury and needs some help — if something
needs funding — we try to raise it."
And that's how the Elk Creek curling event began.
"I had always enjoyed watching curling during the
Olympics," said Arlen, "so I had this idea to do it on Main
Street in Elk Creek. But that didn't work."
"Well, that's not the exact way it started," said Arlen's
son, Cole, with a chuckle. "Originally, over a couple of years
talking in the Village Tavern, our local bar, the idea was to
use cow patties for a curling event. We'd freeze them, add
weights, and somehow fashion a handle to them."
Luckily, this idea gave way to buying actual curling stones.
40 Pounds of Granite
Curling, like every other sporting event, comes with a
list of terminology just about as long as a curling "pitch,"
the sheet of ice on which the game is played. The object of
curling, similar to shuffleboard, is to slide granite stones,
also called "rocks," into a target area, or "house." The path of
Elk Creek
Curling
Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus
Cole Beethe, perennial Johnson County curling
powerhouse, releases a stone.
40 Nebraskaland • December 2022
