Keep it alive

It’s a shame to hear that this year’s “Peace Pull,” the international tug-of-war between Fort Frances and International Falls, likely won’t happen.
The term “likely” is an understatement. “The ‘Peace Pull’ has been cancelled for this year,” Fort Frances Coun. June Caul said bluntly at Monday night’s council meeting. Meanwhile, Faye Whitbeck, president of the Falls Chamber of Commerce, confirmed neither that organization nor the city would be planning the “Peace Pull” this year.
She did leave the door open slightly, however, citing rumours that someone else might be looking into taking over organizing the event.
Whether that’s true, and whether it can be pulled together over the next three weeks, remains to be seen.
The “Peace Pull” has fallen victim to Mother Nature over the years—in 2012, when a severe storm suddenly blew in at the last moment, and again last year due to the high waters on the upper Rainy River. Unfortunately, it appears to have been torpedoed this year by organizational woes.
Hopefully, that is rectified because the “Peace Pull” has too much potential to be allowed to fall by the wayside.
Initially conceived as a friendly competition between the two town councils to promote International Peaceful Borders Days, the idea of a cross-border tug-of-war is so unique that Borderland should be champing at the bit to find ways to capitalize on all the benefits it promises.
It is a golden opportunity to really put our area on the map in terms of attracting visitors to what should be a multi-day festival bridging our two national holidays and centred around the tug-of-war.
What “Groundhog Day” is to Punxsutawney, Pa. and Wiarton, Ont., the “Peace Pull” can be for Fort Frances and International Falls.
Every effort must be made to keep it alive—and thrive.