Win a Trip to Bellegarde, Saskatchewan!

April 9, 2002 8:42 PM

Win a Trip to Bellegarde, Saskatchewan! No joke. And thousands of people will enter this contest. They're ingenious, these prairie farmers. PRIZE INCLUDES: Round-trip airfare for two to Regina from a major Canadian airport. Three nights' hotel accommodation in Regina. Limousine ride to Bellegarde. An official tour of the hamlet by the president of the Bellegarde Rural Development Council. $250 spending money. All you have to do? Predict when a rusted out old car will crash through the ice and cause a local, and very minor, environmental catastrophe.
posted by Salmonberry (21 comments total)

Which begs the question: how does one spend $250 in Bellegarde?
posted by Salmonberry at 8:43 PM on April 9, 2002

i have a better question: salmon, did you enter this contest?
posted by Kafei at 8:54 PM on April 9, 2002

You bet. That's why I'm looking for ideas on how to spend the $250.
posted by Salmonberry at 9:20 PM on April 9, 2002

No one gave props to Neil Gaiman for this idea (see American Gods)
posted by bragadocchio at 9:43 PM on April 9, 2002

That's an awesome idea. I was born in the country, but I have never seen anything other than Ontario. That would be a great opportunity to see the Canadian west.
posted by insomnyuk at 9:43 PM on April 9, 2002

My thought exactly, bragadocchio. The question is whether there's an evil/angelic little goblin who's keeping Bellegarde pretty.

And whether there's a kid in the car's trunk.
posted by Marquis at 10:37 PM on April 9, 2002

The state of Alaska has several of these... every year.

It seems like everyone over 60° N latitude does the annual "Let's see something fall through ice!" shtick.
posted by d8uv at 11:26 PM on April 9, 2002

You can spend it on what everyone else spends their money on in Saskabush: booze.

d8uv, I think this is more like 49 degrees... otherwise that's going to be one loooong limo ride
posted by sauril at 11:32 PM on April 9, 2002

I just reread that and I hope no one takes offense, just a little neighbourly ribbing
posted by sauril at 11:35 PM on April 9, 2002

I could've sworn that your FPP said 'Belgrade' that was putting a wholly different slant on the story for me
posted by ajbattrick at 12:08 AM on April 10, 2002

Will the Bellegarde competition ever match the Oxbow incident in the popular imagination, though?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:52 AM on April 10, 2002

Do we get to meet Paul Bellini or what
posted by Settle at 3:59 AM on April 10, 2002

Here's a question: is there any other word in the English language which rhymes with Regina. Why must they pronounce it that way?
posted by ParisParamus at 4:29 AM on April 10, 2002

Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina...
posted by MiguelCardoso at 4:33 AM on April 10, 2002

*side note*There's a joke about streets in Chicago...one of which is Paulina, which rhymes with, apparently, Regina.

Do they fish the cars out after the contest? I bet after a while that would make for some neato scuba-ing what with all the cars and such.
posted by macadamiaranch at 5:56 AM on April 10, 2002

Wait a second. If Paulina rhymes with Regina, and Regina rhymes with Carolina . . . and Paulina is pronounced Pauleena, then Miguel, you have said something very very dirty. Very dirty indeed.
posted by ashbury at 7:13 AM on April 10, 2002

You can spend it on what everyone else spends their money on in Saskabush: booze.

Exactly, it gets sooooo cold, a body needs some "anti-freeze".
posted by jkaczor at 7:33 AM on April 10, 2002

That article is probably the best explanation of how important the local ice rink is to the survival small prarie towns that I have ever seen.

All hail the local ice rink!
posted by iceberg273 at 7:40 AM on April 10, 2002

Pretty much everyone I meet does a double-take when I tell them where I live.

Welcome to Regina: the city that rhymes with fun.

I suggested that one to our public relations staff, but they turned it down.
posted by Monk at 9:12 AM on April 10, 2002

PP said: ... language which rhymes with Regina. Why must they pronounce it that way?

You know, every time I hear the word Venus, I think the same thing.
posted by iconomy at 9:38 AM on April 10, 2002

venus rhymes with anus!
posted by kliuless at 9:52 AM on April 10, 2002