The recent fundraising initiatives by the Emo Spray Park committee not only have been successful, they also have brought in some cash for the group’s endeavour of constructing a 3,600 sq. ft. facility.
“It’s going pretty well, but we still have money to raise,” noted committee member Bridget Beck.
Still, she stressed the raffle of a Hitachi 50-inch plasma HDTV (along with a Sony home theatre surround sound system and a DVD player) and Saturday’s “Spray ‘n Slide” party were a hit.
“It was a huge success by the number of people who showed up,” committee member Dave Ogilvie said of the “Spray n’ Slide” party and barbecue.
A 100-foot “waterslide” was set up on the hill at the Lions Park and children spent the afternoon taking turns on the slide and running through the sprinklers.
“There were some kids who went down the slide for three hours straight,” Ogilvie remarked.
“The kids had a lot of fun. It was a really good idea that went over well,” echoed Beck, adding they had a great sunny day for the event.
“I was surprised by the number of people there—there were kids, not only from Emo, but also Stratton and Barwick,” she added.
Some of the hotdogs and hamburgers sold at the party were donated by the Emo Ministerial Association and brought in some funds.
Ogilvie added the committee also accepted a couple of large donations from local residents while several people signed up to buy commemorative bricks, which will be a part of the spray park’s design.
The committee plans to install a brick wall three feet high to separate the playground from the water spray park.
The bricks cost $100 each, including up to 28 characters on two lines, which can be dedicated to family, friends, businesses, or in memoriam.
Larger corporate brick options will be available, as well, featuring logos or trademarks.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Ken Boshcoff drew the winning ticket for the plasma HDTV raffle on Saturday night at the Emo Speedway.
Noreen Hartlin of Emo was the lucky winner.
“The raffle went fairly well,” said Ogilvie, noting the fundraiser brought in about $3,000—as well as awareness to their campaign.
The committee will be planning more initiatives throughout the year.
“Everyone I’ve talked to has said they think it’s an excellent idea [to build a spray park]. It’s good for Emo and good for the district,” Ogilvie remarked.
The committee is aiming to raise $150,000 by next spring in order to build the 60’ x 60’ water spray park, which will be designed to be a safe and unique play area where water is sprayed from structures or ground sprays and then drained away before it can accumulate.
“I think we’ll be able to reach our goal. We have a lot of good people on the committee and they’ve been working hard,” Beck said.
For more information on the endeavour, visit the Emo Spray Park website at www.emospraypark.ca
It is being updated continually, and people soon will be able to track the fundraising progress as well as make donations through the site.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
