MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY — County resident Petria Erick has that sinking feeling.
But in this case, that’s a good thing, because she and her neighbours have organized a fundraiser for the Mountain View Food Bank. It took effect April 1.
They’ve placed three objects on the ice on a dugout in the Betchton area along Twp. Rd. 334, about 15 minutes northeast of Olds and they’ve been selling squares on a calendar for $10 a square as to when which of the objects will sink.
Half the money goes to the winner who guesses which object will sink on which day. The other half of the money goes to the food bank.
The three objects are: a mystery item made up to look like a present called the gift of spring; an oil drum that had omega-3 oils in it for chickens called a can of soup because that's what it resembles; and an art piece called Kievan Rust that looks a bit like a sundial.
“All of our items are environmentally-friendly,” Erick said during an interview.
The idea to do something like this has been kicking around among the neighbours for years. But they finally decided to do something about it during the new year’s break while out on the dugout with their kids.
“It’s taken us a while to hammer out the details of what we wanted to do and what we were going to put out on the ice,” she said.
Erick is pleased with how people have responded to it. Organizers took the calendar around to their neighbours, then to their workplaces.
“We took it to the curling club the other night and a bunch of the curling club kids got in on it and there was a bunch of farmers there, so they got in on it,” she said.
Erick said as of last week, none of the three items had sunk, but one will likely do so soon.
“The can is kind of starting to tip over now. But it freezes solid every night,” she said.
Erick said she and her friends may do this again next year, but possibly with some changes.
For example, they’re considering still selling squares for $10 each, but offering the winner gift certificates to a local business so that more of the proceeds would go to the food bank.
However, there’s a downside to that.
“It’s more work for us as organizers to go collect those donations, so we didn’t do it this year,” she said.
Erick hoping others will create similar fundraisers in future years as well.
“I think it would be fun for other people with bodies of water to pick up this as a fundraiser for the food bank, because Mountain View County is served by the food bank, right? All of Mountain View County – and lots of people have dugouts and ponds and whatever.”
Mountain View Food Bank spokesman Pat Graham could not be reached for comment by press time.
