Make no bones about it, the second annual bunnock tournament scheduled for Meadow Lake this Saturday (June 1) at Lions Park is bound to be a recipe for both excitement and fun. This is according to Lloyd Elash of the Meadow Lake Lions Club, the group hosting the tournament which, following its inception last year, has become an important fundraiser for the organization.

“We’re hoping for 32 teams – we’re at 30 right now,” Elash told Northern Pride when interviewed last week. “Along with the bunnock tournament itself, the canteen will be open for food while there will also be beer tent, 50-50 draw, a raffle and a fairly good assortment of items for a silent auction. Even people who are not competing in the bunnock tournament can come out and bid on some of these items, one of which includes a Blake Comeau Dallas Stars jersey. We’ll also have a street market with vendors on hand to sell their goods and products.” As for the tournament itself, bunnock (also knows as the game of bones or simply bones) is a throwing game thought to have Russian origins. The aim of bunnock is to throw bones at an opposing team’s rows of bones, trying to do so in the fewest throws possible. The team that knocks down all of the opposition’s bones first is declared the winner. The game is played in teams of four and must contain at least one member of the opposite sex. People of all ages are allowed to participate. Historically, the game was played by using the ankle bones of horses. These days, however, modern sets use a resin, replica bones.

Elash, meanwhile, said prior to last year’s inaugural tournament, the Lions had, for some time, been looking for a new major fundraiser to undertake. “The Lions didn’t have any activities for a few years, starting out because of the COVID-19 pandemic and then the arena burning down,” Elash said. “As a result, our major bingo fundraiser has not been available to us. Around the same time, a friend made a comment about having a bunnock tournament. I took the idea to the Lions Club and the members were interested. There are quite a few people in town who come from Macklin, SK, which is considered the bunnock capital of the world… The interest was there and we figured we would give it a try.” Elash said last year’s tournament was highly successful. “We had great support from the city and from the RM of Meadow Lake, as well as the provincial government through Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming,” he noted. “The same thing is happening this year. The support from the businesses in the community both last year and this year has been excellent. We really appreciate it.” The tournament will happen ran or shine. “Most of the events will still happen if it’s pouring rain,” Elash said. “Registration for the teams is from 8 to 9:15 a.m. with the round-robin getting underway at 9:30 a.m.”

In closing, Elash said he encourages as many people as possible to stop by throughout the day. “You never know – suddenly a team may need a substitute player, while the silent auction could have something people may want to put a bid on,” he said.