ARNOLDS PARK, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) – With last week’s negative temperatures, lakes in northwest Iowa are just about ready for cars to drive on the frozen ponds.
The Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club is putting their rotary car on Smiths Bay Wednesday evening for their annual fundraiser.
Ten dollar tickets are sold to bet on what time the car falls into the lake. The person with the correct time wins one thousand dollars.
While the weather last week was too cold for most of us, the freeze factor was seen as a blessing to the rotary club.
“We’re fortunate that we had the cold snap with winter games coming up, and then us too,” club member Erin Reed said. “We always like to get the car out right before winter games, and so talking to Ben at the tow company, it was just like, “okay, are we going to be able to get it on?” and he promised me tonight.”
The car drop fundraiser is Okoboji’s way of watching the season change to warmer weather.
“A lot of people look forward to it when they see it out there,” Reed said. “It’s just exciting to get out there and have the fundraiser going, and then everybody is watching it when the ice is melting. You know it’s officially spring when the car goes in.”
The Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club raises more than seven thousand dollars every year with their car drop fundraiser.