SUNDRE – The dozens of Polaris Slingshot riders who rallied in Sundre for the 2024 edition of the annual Slingfest raised more than $2,000 for the McDougal Chapel’s Plus 1 Emergency Food Hamper program, said an organizer.
Including the riders who hailed from as far away as Manitoba and the U.S. as well as all of the volunteers, almost 60 people were fed on Saturday, July 20 during the event’s supper, said Shawna Brackley, who alongside husband and Slingshot aficionado Mark Brackley owns and operates Wagons West RV Park.
While some donations were received from people who came out on Sunday to enjoy the opportunity to ride in a Slingshot, the bulk came in from the riders themselves, said Brackley.
And had there been more locally available accommodations, the amount raised would more than likely have been surpassed.
Organizers were “thrilled” to host riders from across North America, but there were also a number of last-minute cancellations on account of being unable to find accommodations in the area, said Brackley, adding hotels and AirBnBs in the area were full.
“That’s a challenge we hadn’t faced before,” she said.
While running out of room is perhaps not the worst problem to have following some lower turnouts in recent years, Brackley said they hope to come up with plans to ensure everyone who intends to come out next year has a place to stay for the weekend.
But for this year at least, the rally “went better than expected,” she said, adding the local business community welcomed the event and its riders with open arms.
“The (Sundre and District Museum) was really excited to have so much traffic coming through,” she added.
“It was really good for the community as a whole.”
In turn, the riders seemed to appreciate Sundre’s hospitality, and easily represented the majority of the donations received for the food hamper program, she said.
“They were all very touched by the community and wanted to help before they left,” she said, adding most of them contributed to the fundraiser on their way out of town.
“We feel very fortunate to be a part of this.”
