Most of you will know what the plywood cut out on the ice of Dutch Lake is for: Rotary Richard has been a symbol for the commencement of spring in Clearwater for over a decade now.
However, this year has had an interesting twist.
Usually, Richard just tips forward and the weights below drop and stop the clock. But this year, on April 11, Richard did a nose plant into the lake. The clock was still ticking at this point so we had to wait a couple of days until April 13 when Richard was totally submerged.
Our local search and rescue squad donned their survival suits and paddled and swam out to rescue Richard and bring him back to solid ground.
The official time was April 13, at 04:24:40. The lucky winner of the $500 prize in local gift certificates was Charlotte Cederholm of Vavenby. Charlotte was the closest to the time of 11 guesses on April 13.
Thank you to all who made guesses on the time Richard would go through the ice. The monies raised will go towards the Rotary Youth Exchange program.
Submitted by Abbey Bates, president of the Clearwater Rotary
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
