After a few years' absence, the World Curling Tour is coming back to the area next fall.

Organizer Bill Mackay has helped resurrect the BDO Curling Classic, which is set to run Thanksgiving weekend at the Oakville Curling Club.

It will be a 32-team, triple-knockout event, with more than $60,000 in prize money up for grabs.

The event is also sanctioned by the World Curling Tour, which will help strengthen the field.

Back in 2004, the inaugural BDO Classic was held at Hamilton's Glendale Golf and Country Club and attracted virtually all of the country's top teams, including Kevin Martin, Jeff Stoughton, Kerry Burtnyk, Wayne Middaugh and the Howard brothers, Glenn and Russ.

But then the event headed west and never made its way back.

"The BDO people wanted to kind of resurrect what we had before," Mackay said.

"Our hope is that we'll attract the top 16 to 20 teams on the tour," he added.

Mackay said that Middaugh is already entered, former Brier champ Mark Dacey is putting together a new rink and has expressed interest, Glenn Howard is getting a personal invitation and there have been some early discussions with Martin.

There have also been some inquiries from European rinks, he added.

"We'd like to get a bit of an international flavour to it."

Mackay said he's not overly concerned that the event is scheduled early in the curling season.

"I think a lot of clubs are up and running by Thanksgiving," he said. "I think it would be a good way to get things rolling for the season."

In addition to helping organize the BDO Classic, Mackay hopes his fall will get even busier.

He'll be skipping a Glendale rink next month at the Ontario mixed championships in Gananoque. If successful, Mackay's rink will advance to the Canadian mixed championships in November, which will be held in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

It will mark the first national sports championship ever held in the territory of Nunavut.

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BITERS: The Ontario Blind Curling Championship will be held Saturday at Glendale G&CC ... The rink of Simon Ouellet, Lindsay Puddicombe, Paul Villeneuve and Mary Louise Gregoire won the recent St. Patrick's Bonspiel at Glendale. Finishing second was the rink of Bob Stengel, Karen Spencer, Don Bennie and Gail Bennie ... The five-member Dundas Valley rink of Brian MacLennan, Leo Laviolette, Ray Book, Keith Fenton and Mike Howard were finalists in the senior event of the recent 53rd annual men's City of Ottawa International Bonspiel ... An oversight on my part. I neglected to mention that Rick Thurston's rink from Dundas Granite won the Ontario intermediate men's championship, which was held recently in Penetang. Joining Thurston were vice Scott Llewellyn, second Kevin Caughlin and lead Ray Lappalainen. The rink finished in top spot with a round-robin record of 6-1.

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This is the final curling column of the season. Enjoy the summer, assuming it ever arrives.