Forest Ridge Academy shores up a winner

As a solution to a new food policy that prevents schools from selling chocolate bars to raise money, this spring the fundraising committee came up with the idea of a mini-log run.

Five hundred mini-logs made from cut dowels were prepared; 430 were sold at $5 each. The collection was to be dumped into the Barrington River by the old woolen mill on June 9 and the first one to go beneath the railroad bridge would win $500.

There was a carnival atmosphere on the sunny, warm afternoon of the event. Kids bounced in the bouncy tents, a canteen operated a brisk business and visitors took part in several games.

At 4 p.m. the moment had arrived. Principal Wayne Mullins and an assistant walked out onto the narrow bridge and upended the crate full of dowels. Spectators lined the Barrington Hwy 3 bridge and watched with keen interest as the numbered logs flowed beneath, circled lazily in the bay then slowly floated into a cove.

And there they bobbed en masse, until gradually the logs washed back to their birthplace – terra firma.

“It didn’t go exactly as we had planned,” laughed Mullins two days later. He described how the week before he had dropped three logs in a test run. One made it to the railroad bridge.

“I thought if one out of three could make it, surely one out of 500 would,” he said.

On Saturday organizers combed the shoreline to discover the log that had made it closest to the finish line in the actual race.

Courtney Rennehan was declared the winner and was scheduled to receive his cheque Tuesday morning at the school.

‘It went over very well. Everyone was really excited,” said Mullins.

“It was an excellent, low cal, low fat way to raise funds.”