This weekend there are two signs that spring is just around the corner: temperatures that are expected to spike just below double digits and the launch of the annual Alta Lake Ice-Break Raffle.
Every winter organizers of the raffle place a 45-gallon drum on the south end of Alta Lake and, as spring starts to approach, locals are invited to guess when the barrel will plummet through the melting ice. The person with the closest guess will win prizes, including dinner for two at the Rim Rock Cafe, spa passes to the Scandinave Spa and three pounds of Whistler Roasting Company coffee.
"Most coveted of all, however, is to have one's name engraved on the beautiful Ice-Break trophy alongside such local legends as Florence Petersen, J'Anne Greenwood, Tom Brophy, Tyler Massey, two-time winner 'Dogger' Don Eagleton and, last year's winner, Andrea Mueller," organizers say in a release.
The Alta Lake Community Club first launched the raffle back in 1962 and ran it until the 1980s when it took a hiatus. The Alta Lake School (now the Whistler Waldorf School) took it over in 2002 and, finally, The Point Artist-Run Centre adopted it in 2013.
Tickets for the raffle are available now at Nesters Market and online at thepointartists.com. The cost is $5 for two guesses before March 21 or $5 for one guess after that. Proceeds will go towards supporting The Point's summer theatre and arts programs.
