Tuesday, July 28, 1998

Mini-golf course coming to Bloomville

You soon will have the opportunity to play the newest course in Seneca County, the Bloomville Country Club. You'll want to try it out.

The course is made special by the work of dedicated individuals who made the project a reality.

Rich Kirgis, an active member of the Bloomville Park Board, got the idea for the project while sitting in his automobile one evening. He felt the Bloomville ''Funfest'' should have a putt-putt course. Other members of the board liked the idea. They, along with the local businesses and charity organizations, began construction of the miniature golf course.

Kirgis began designing it last fall. He, along with Park Board members Bonnie Lease, Darin Brown and Larry Pope, got the course is ready for action. The group put in some long hours at the village garage with carpentry, painting, laying carpet and glueing. The layout consists of nine holes, but the designers of this course already are thinking of expansion.

''If everything goes well this year, there is a strong possiblity we will expand it to 18 holes next year,'' Brown said.

The course will be set up on the tennis courts for its christening. The special ceremony will take place prior to the course being ready for those attending the ''Funfest.''

There will be a plaque at each hole acknowledging a donor. These groups donated over $1,100 for construction materials.

''We still have a few holes remaining, so we're still looking for some sponsors,'' Brown said.

Included on your journey around the course will be sandtraps, with actual sand in them, and a host of obstacles to overcome to post a low score.

The final hole should prove especially tough as it will include a large elevated ramp to hit to where the ball then would enter a zig-zag ramp obstacle to send the ball towards the hole.

You'll also find some beauty to the layout as one hole features the red-and-gray covered ''Honey Creek'' bridge that you must go through, with sandtraps waiting on the other side of the bridge.

There is the possibility of a Dragon hole. It would be a tribute to the great Bloomville Dragon basketball teams of the past. The ones I remember well had head coach Joe Gottfried and guys like Thallman, Price, Fatzinger, Tusing and others in the 60s. Adding a lighthouse to one of the holes is also on the drawing board.

There are also plans to use the course to begin youth competitions and tournaments in the fall for teens in Bloomville.

In addition, Lease said, it is hoped that organizations can get some benefit from the putt-putt course the likes of the Bloomville Lions Club.

''Funfest'' is an annual two-day event complete with rides, games, demonstrations and music. It is held to raise funds for Beeghly Park.

The new course was built with proceeds from the festivals of the past. The proceeds from this year's mini-golf will be placed in next year's ''Funfest.''

It's projects like this that make a community a family affair.

If you get the chance, stop in and play at the Bloomville Country Club during the ''Funfest.''

It will be fun, but more importantly, it will be a way to say thanks for the dedication of some valuable citizens.

The action will be Aug. 7 and 8 at the Third Annual Bloomville ''Funfest.''