The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
I decided to experience the Car Rally that takes place just before Hallowe'en every year. I heard it was a fun event and I wanted to find out for myself. So what do I think? It is fun. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a scavenger hunt in which teams of four have to find things after solving 20 riddles. This raises money for minor hockey and offsets traveling costs for specific teams going to tournaments. This year the beneficiary is the Midget AA and Atom AA teams. I've been told it's become a tradition here and one person said it's the best social that is held. That obviously is subject to opinion. As fun as it is, the rally provides a great challenge for your brain, especially if you've had too many drinks already. (I became a team's driver and got the chance to humour myself watching a few drunks try to solve riddles.) I'm not even sure if Sherlock Holmes would have gotten some of these clues. The creators of the Car Rally which started 17 years ago, are Jill and Pat Spiller. Pat comes up with the riddles, which Jill said is no easy task. "How long does it take for you to come up with them," I asked her. She said about a year. If a light bulb turns on in Pat's head, he writes it down. They actually came up with two more new ones during this rally. At this year's event, 75 groups of four had two hours to solve 20 riddles. I initially thought that was a long time, but it goes by quick. As fun as this event is, it's about supporting local hockey players, and the big supporters aside from the people who pay $15 to play are the organizations that contribute prizes. Lori Simon is grateful to the 30 to 40 businesses who donated to the cause. The Car Rally raised $4,500-plus from liquor sales. Once the rally is done, the social starts and people eat, drink, dance, and a few other things that can't go to print. The winning team this year was Lorna Rice, Vicky Wallaker, Sheri Tait, and Cindy Wheeler. Give them one last applause! In second was Todd Boyd, Rene Beauchamp, Joel Olivier, and Holly Smith. Third place went to Jane Robillard, Bev McCrimmon, Roxy Reynolds, and Darla Flynn. The fourth place team was Jim Fleuty, Lorna Quinn, Crystal Danko, and Carrie Nivon.3/11/06
