Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Bud Nelson was his same old self on Sunday, chocking up a first-place finish in his horseshoe pitching class.

The rain that came down in buckets on Sunday afternoon may have washed out the planned doubles tournament, but Nelson and other members of the Forest Lake Horseshoe Club couldn’t be more happier.

A dozen new horseshoe courts will do that for those who can’t get enough of the sport.

Sunday was a day to show off the courts, but the real fun will come next April when the 2008 season swings open. By then, the Forest Lake club hopes to recruit more members, more teams and team sponsors.

It’s been a labor of love for men like Nelson, the former Scandia resident who now lives in Lindstrom, and Rick Wright, the Stacy man who leads the Forest Lake club and is also president of the Minnesota Gopher State Horseshoe Pitchers Association.

The two played key roles in the effort to see the 12-court facility built and contributed hundreds of hours of work on their own.

A LONG ROAD

It’s been a long road for the Forest Lake Horseshoe Club, but a road not unworthy of walking, the two men said.

The ups and downs of the past several years have finally turned positive with a late summer completion.

For Wright, it was a process that wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations of many area businesses. He’s optimistic for great things in 2008.

“We started too late this year,” Wright said. “We’ll have a lot of new people (playing) next year.”

The completion of the new courts culminated an 18-month process.

For many years, the Forest Lake club pitched horseshoes at the VFW. But the sale of land for the Target store forced the club off the VFW grounds. New courts were built by the club at what is today Dummy’s Bar and Grill, but a former owner of the bar needed the court site for a patio expansion, leaving the club without a home.

When the VFW extended an invitation for the club to return to the Post at 556 SW 12th St., Wright and company saw their opening.

KEY HELPERS

With the donation of land on what was once the VFW softball field, the site was found for 12 new courts.

Construction began in June and the project was completed in late summer. Sunday’s tournament was a time to showcase the facility and for the club to present plaques of appreciation to key contributors. They included:

•Olson Sewer Service and Excavation, Forest Lake, excavation work valued at $4800.

•Dresel Trucking, Forest Lake, 18 loads of sand fill valued at $1900.

•Shaw Lumber, St. Paul, materials for framing concrete, valued at $340.

•Manor Concrete, St. Francis, concrete, valued at $4400.

•Hinges Sod Co., Ham Lake, sod valued at $1700.

•John’s Pro Care, Forest Lake, landscaping blocks valued at $420.

•VFW Post 4210, site donation.

In all, the club raised just over $20,000 from donations and advertising signs to pay for the project. Sponsorship signs for 11 of the 12 courts have been sold to individuals and businesses.

The club also dipped into its treasury for dollars to pay for extra concrete and the Fridley club made a cash donation.

Growth for the club is sure to come, Wright believes. The club had 30 registered members.

When the season opens next April, Wright expects that number will increase and the courts will be busy two or three nights a week.

For information on joining, call Wright at 651-491-2404.

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