RUMFORD — Mark Gaudet was a child when the Rumford Mexico Horseshoe Club was formed nearly 50 years ago.

Back then, it consisted of mill workers and friends on Strafford Avenue who played for leisure. Eventually they built a clubhouse near the mill where they could gather and participate in friendly competition.

“They had a clubhouse for years until the town built the Hosmer Field complex,” Gaudet said Wednesday afternoon. “Once the town brought in the fields, the club moved over to the Hosmer Field complex, where they’ve been ever since.”

The club will start a new season at 6 p.m. Monday, May 13, at the Hosmer Field complex, where Gaudet hopes the “camaraderie and family-orientated atmosphere” the club is known for will continue.

“Horseshoes is one of the oldest leisurely activities around,” Gaudet said. “It’s just something fun to do throughout the summer months.”

Gaudet, who joined the club in 1988, said three of the original club members are in their 70s and 80s and still compete. He praised Jimmy Roy of Dixfield, one of the original members, for the way he helps members who need assistance.

“My son, Dylan, is 16 and the youngest member of the club and Jimmy will take him off to the side and help him improve his game,” Gaudet said. “I think it shows that it doesn’t matter if you’re an expert or if you’re new to the game. As long as you show a serious interest in learning the game, people are here to help each other.”

Membership has dwindled in recent years, according to Gaudet, from more than 70 members in the 1980s to “around 24” as of last year.

“We get a couple of new members every year but it’s not as big as it used to be,” he said.

Despite the dip in membership, Gaudet said the club still draws plenty of competitors from outside Rumford and Mexico.

“We have a woman from Weld who plays with us, and we’ve had players from Wilton and Jay before,” Gaudet said. “There’s others from Andover and Peru who show up, too. Everybody and anybody is welcome to play with us.”

In order to join, members pay a yearly fee of $30 to cover club functions.

“We’re a nonprofit group, and we use the money to try and take care of our members,” Gaudet explained. “We try to keep track of birthdays, send cards to members who have experienced a death in the family and generally try to keep track of one another.

“We have a wide diversity of people here, whether it’s retired players, construction workers or students,” Gaudet continued. “It’s a lot of fun.”

For more information, call Gaudet at 357-9674.

[email protected]