This unique sport keeps a small Minnesota town connected

GHENT, Minn. — You could say the town of Ghent is on a roll.

"You can meet anybody on the street and you more than likely know their first name and know where they came from," said Chauncey Welvaert.

No matter how small a town is, there's always one thing that helps it stand out.

When Belgian immigrants settled in Ghent, they brought along rolle bolle — a sport that's sort of a cross between curling and lawn bowling — but you don't play with a ball, you play with a bolle.

"It's made out of hard rubber. Everyone is kind of different weights and diameters," Welvaert said.

Three players typically make a team. Each bolle you and your teammates roll closer to the stake than your opponents is worth one point. The first team to eight points wins.

Just like in golf, not everything is a straight shot. The rolle bolle curves so sometimes you get more rolle than bolle.  

The couple that rolls together, stays together — and that's Marcella and Joe Matthys.

"I took first place in the world tournament in Belgium in 2019," said Marcella Matthys.

Marcella and Joe Matthys have been regulars for decades. Marcella Matthys even makes bolle bags, and Joe Matthys will sometimes bring his grandpa's wooden bolle to league night.

"He played with it in Belgium. I would say it's about 150 years old," said Joe Matthys.

League night is Thursday and 88-year-old Mary Ann Duthoy rarely misses. She's been doing this most of her life and she's got her own style.

"They always said you have to have a beer in one hand and bole in the other. To balance, you know," said Duthoy.

It can get competitive, but mostly the sport brings friends and neighbors together. And sometimes romance comes from a good roll. League night is how Welvaert met his wife.

"I wasn't the first one and I probably won't be the last," said Welvaert.

It's a bit of Belgian pride right on Burlingame Street. Because in the town of Ghent, this is how they roll.

"It's a lot of fun. We consider everybody family," said Donita Bennett

About 375 people live in Ghent and some residents have built rolle bolle alleys in their basements so they can play through the winter. The little town hosts the international rolle bolle championships every August.