The Arcola Optimist group held a banquet on March 20 where they welcomed not only members of the club, but also representatives of groups who had helped make the 20th Annual Snowmobile Rally such a great success.
Here the 50 people in attendance enjoyed a meal prepared by Aileen Corrigan and Linda Chapman. Many raved about how good the meal was while proclaiming the pie to be some of the best they have ever had.
This year the snowmobile rally was a great success as it brought in 529 riders out for the day. There was an abundance of sponsorship that the Optimists were very grateful for. Currently proceeds are still funneling into the club from the day of the snowmobile rally, but it is expected to reach over $60,000 once final tallies are able to be done.
"Everything came together for the rally and we had the nicest day in about a six week period there," Glen Lawson explained.
During the snowmobile rally the Fire Department held the breakfast keeping the proceeds as their fundraiser, while the figure skating club put on the food concession that was sponsored by Spartan Trucking. The grad class in Arcola also sold popcorn as a fundraiser.
The two 4H clubs in Arcola bussed tables and cleaned the hall. They each received$529 for their efforts from the day.
The Optimists were able to present Mavis James with a cheque for $870 during the banquet for the Food Bank. This amount was decided upon through having previously marked the 50/50 draw held at the rally for the Food Bank.
Additionally the Optimists handed out cheques to the Prairie Place Complex, the curling club, Moose Mountain Wildlife, and the Arcola Day Care.
Kevin Schlenker received the cheque for $2,620 for Prairie Place, which was based on them selling 131 of the 2,500 lottery tickets sold at the rally.
Terry-Lee Lees accepted a cheque on behalf of the curling club for $4,840 as they sold 242 tickets.
Clay Chapman was presented a cheque for Moose Mountain Wildlife for $2,180 after selling 109 tickets.
Finally the Arcola Day Care was given $5,900 for selling 295 tickets. Stacey Brownridge was very happy to accept the cheque on behalf of the day care.
The Optimists are planning on finalizing their upgrades to the theatre with funds raised at the rally as well as last year's Blake Berglund concert. This will be supplemented by a concert to be held on both Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13. Codie Prevost, a talented Saskatchewan country musician, will be playing. With sponsorship for both nights the full amount of funds raised will go towards the Optimists and their goal to upgrade and refurbish the MacMurray Theatre.
Already they have a new digital system and a new sound system installed; but, they hope to continue renovations by re-doing the lobby, possibly changing how people enter and exit the building. They also hope to change windows, doors, and will be looking to install a ramp for greater accessibility.
The Optimists are also planning on completely redoing the seating. They will be pulling out the old and installing new seats. In addition to this they will be devising a way to heat the building more efficiently including a new thermostat.
A grand opening is being planned for the fall, as all of these renovations will be taking place over the summer.
The Optimists are extremely thankful to the community for all of the support they have received over the years and hope this support will continue into the future.
