MELFORT 鈥� Due to the pandemic, the Melfort Fire Department is unable to hold the whole Wing Ding event, but will hold a raffle during the now 70-year-old fundraiser.
The Wing Ding is traditionally an all-day family Bingo event, which serves as the largest annual fundraiser for the local department.
This year would have been Shaun Stewart鈥檚 first Wing Ding, since taking the role of fire chief in the community. Traditionally, the chief is responsible for drawing the Bingo numbers.
鈥淲e were disappointed that we couldn鈥檛 hold it, but we waited as long as we possibly could before we decided, 鈥楴o, we can鈥檛 do it,鈥欌�� Stewart said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not in the best interest of us, and being seen in the public as doing everything we can to prevent the spread from happening.鈥�
Stewart said it wasn鈥檛 until Remembrance Day that the department made that call that they couldn鈥檛 plausibly safely hold the event.
鈥淲e decided to have the raffle to have the tradition keep going and not stop,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e had lots of people asking about it, what we were doing, because it鈥檚 something they look forward to taking part in. So this is the best way we would be able to continue on with it.鈥�
Tickets will be drawn on Dec. 19 through Facebook Live, with the prizes being a basket of 鈥渢raditional Wing Ding goodies鈥� such as turkeys, hams, oranges, chocolates and more.
Each ticket is five dollars and can be purchased through e-transfer to [email protected]. Twenty baskets will be drawn, each valued at $100.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really not worried about that this year 鈥� how much comes in over how much doesn鈥檛 come in, to tell you the truth. Everybody has had a rough year, and it鈥檚 just something that people were phoning and asking about, so this is what we put together for it.鈥�
Stewart said the department is hoping next year things return to pre-pandemic conditions, and the Wing Ding can resume.
