Rotary Richard is out on the ice again and residents will be guessing when he will disappear into Durch Lake as the spring melt begins.
"We will be selling guesses on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. at BuyLow Foods. One guess for $2.00 or 3 for $5.00. We are looking forward to seeing people making their best guess," said Margot Venema, Clearwater Wells Gray Rotary Club member and former president.
The popular contest is an annual event as residents anticipate how close their guess will come to the actual time that Richard plunges into the lake once the ice melts. Rotary Richard has been a symbol for the commencement of spring in Clearwater for many years now.
Each February Rotary Richard mysteriously appears on the lake. The club first got the idea of placing Rotary Richard on Dutch Lake in 2012 as a way to raise funds for various club activities by getting locals to bet on when he will fall through the ice.
A woodworking class from CSS created Rotary Richard on plywood. After the timing mechanism was figured out and how the clock would be triggered, Rotary Richard proudly sat on the ice and waited for spring to topple him over. When Richard's clock stops the person with the closest guess wins a prize and bragging rights until the next year's contest takes place.
You can visit the Clearwater Wells Gray Rotary Club Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091883419564
