The largest curling event to be held yet in the Energy City is a little over five months away, and organizers have been hard at work in the trenches to prepare for the 2018 Home Hardware Canada Cup in December.

At this point, they're in the committee forming and volunteer recruiting stage, according to Host Committee Vice-Chair Helen Fornwald.

"The next step is for each Director to put in place their own volunteer committees. Once we get them in place, Curl Canada will be coming down next month and meeting with us, just to confirm some more details. Then, it's hopeful that in September we're gearing up for our sponsorship packages, confirming volunteers and media releases will be going out."

The Directors and their committees will each be responsible for a specific area of planning for the event.

"We're going to have eight of the best women's teams across the country as well as seven of the men's, so we're really excited to have them right here in our own community so we can see them up close and personal," added Fornwald.

The drive for volunteers will gain in intensity as the date approaches.