By Marcia Love
An afternoon road trip will help restore one of Maple Creek’s most distinguished landmarks.
Members of St. Mary’s Anglican Church are holding a bike, car and truck rally on Sept. 12 to raise funds for repairs to the church’s bell tower.
“We’re hoping people will come out for a Sunday afternoon drive and enjoy the scenery and support the church,” said Lana Major, an organizer of the rally.
The event will include a 50-50 draw, with participants making stops along the route to draw numbers.
“They will pick numbers at stops in Piapot, Tompkins, Gull Lake and Maple Creek,” explained Major.    
“Once the numbers are tallied, the people with the highest and lowest totals will win... with half the profits going towards the church,” said Major.
Fundraisers such as a concert, loonie auction and an Epicure party have collected approximately $2,000 for the bell tower repairs. However, the restoration work is estimated to cost $60,000.
“It’s in really bad shape... and we’re nowhere near what it’s going to take to do the repairs,” Major said.
The church is designated as a heritage building, but no money is available from the heritage committee at this time. Possible funding from the provincial government and the Anglican Church of Canada is being looked into.
Registration for the bike, car and truck rally is $10 and will be held at the Drill Hall on Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information, contact Major at 662-3474 or 662-2893.