Innisfail resident Craig Bedard is riding his Harley this winter, but it's not the 1999 Road King he bought last summer.Bedard is one of 20 contestants in the Live With A Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson contest, which launched on Feb. 18. There are seven women and 13 men in the running for a prize package that includes a trip for two to Australia, a 10-day rental of two Harleys from Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson in Brisbane and $5,000 in spending money. The contest is sponsored by Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson, as well as radio stations Z99 and KG Country.ìI heard about the contest on the radio and stopped in at Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson and put my name in the draw,î said Bedard, who used to work at the motorcycle dealership. ìMy buddy phoned me last Saturday and asked me if I was listening to the radio. He told me that they just drew my name and I could expect to get a phone call.ìI thought he was pulling my leg.îContestants must take a seven-foot long cardboard cut-out of a Harley Davidson V-rod with them, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until 11:59 p.m. on March 7, when the competition ends. Points are compiled and awarded for the various places the bikes are taken, as well as for the people they meet.Proof must be provided of everywhere the contestant and the cut-out have been. Pictures or video clips must be submitted of every place they take the bike.The bike has become the constant companion of Bedard, who so far has ìwashedî the bike at the local car wash and gone ice-fishing with it at the Dickson trout pond.ìI also took it down to the tire shop and had it look like the guy was checking the air and putting air in the tires,î he said.At the local Dairy Queen, he added, he went behind the counter with the bike and made his own ice cream cone.ìI'm getting phenomenal support from the businesses in town,î Bedard said. ìWe've taken over 100 pictures so far.îTaking the bike to a restaurant, the gym or a movie theatre collects 10 points. Participants get 20 points for taking the bike grocery shopping, to bingo or to a Sunday church service. If the bike appears in someone's official wedding photo, 50 points are awarded. And if the bike is featured in a YouTube video, contest organizers will tally up points for the number of hits.Bedard ñ who has lived in Innisfail for 20 years and works as a forklift operator at Purina ñ takes his cut-out to work with him and stores it in a co-worker's office.ìOne of the challenges is trying to find time to get out to get the pictures,î he said. ìI've been really busy at work, putting in a lot of overtime.îAn additional obstacle, he said, is finding someone who can come along with him to take photos.If he wins, he plans to take his wife on a belated honeymoon. The couple married two years ago.Bedard ñ who is originally from Newfoundland ñ was a military brat, but has never been outside of Canada.ìIt'd be nice to do some travelling,î he said.The contest is going ìextremely well,î said Gladys Weiland, marketing manager at Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson in Red Deer. ìEveryone is having a lot of fun,î she said. ìWe've had some amazing submissions. One guy had a picture taken of himself on the cut-out, blowing into the breathalyzer unit of a cop car.îOther interesting entries include a woman taking the Harley on a plane with her, to Disneyland.ìThe more bizarre and wacky the entries, the better,î said Weiland.Don Larsen from Olds is another participant in the contest, and he said he always thought Australia would be a neat place to visit.ìIf I could go there for free, that would make it even more enjoyable,î he said.Although the Harley cut-out is the only bike he can legally ride, Larsen said he has always wanted to get his motorcycle licence. ìI hope to someday get a bike,î he added.To date, he has posed with the cut-out throughout Central Alberta, on grocery-shopping trips, at the mall and at some community events.ìMy biggest challenge is time,î Larsen noted. ìI work nine hours a day, I'm a member of Olds Search and Rescue and I have a busy family life. It's been very tiring to add this adventure to my schedule.îHe said that the people he's met along the way have been the highlight of the contest. ìMany of my family and friends have really helped me out by giving great ideas and support.îNext on his list is to get a few YouTube videos on the web.ìIf I don't win, that's OK too,î Larsen said. ìI would love to go on the trip, but it's been a fun ride.î
