(Arnolds Park)– Crews braved today’s (Wednesday’s) blizzard conditions to get the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary car on the ice, just in time for Winter Games Weekend. Club member Erin Reed tells KUOO news the car drop contest has become a longstanding tradition and is a major fundraiser for the group…
“And what we do is we sell tickets for ten dollars a piece and the ticket counts for a minute for the day and it counts for two times, AM and PM, so you have two chances out of 720 minutes that are available and you can get those tickets online at iowagreatlakesrotary.org. Like I said they’re ten dollars a piece and the funds go to a great cause. Our focus is often on the children in the Iowa Great Lakes Area and specifically dealing with mental health issues in the area schools and providing programs for that.”
A clock in the car is designed to stop when it becomes submerged…
“It’s fun to have it out there and people watch it as the ice starts to melt and it gets us thinking about spring coming and open water and turn from ice fishing to boating.”
Reed says they’re grateful to those behind the scene who help make the car drop contest possible each year…
“We really appreciate Ben at Boji Towing. They do this as a volunteer opportunity for us, and also to the Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department and Dive Team that takes the car out for us when it falls through the ice. It’s a good training exercise for them and we certainly appreciate their help with the contest. It’s great visibility for us and for everybody that’s involved.”
The car was placed on the ice around 12:30 pm Wednesday. The car is just a frame so as not to cause any pollution concerns with the lake.
Photo courtesy Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club
