‘Thank You’ Snowball Set for Jan. 15

HARRISON – Saturday, Jan. 15 is the date of the fifth and final Snowball Dinner-Dance to be held at the Harrison Moose Lodge. The brainchild of local community advocate Maye Tessner-Rood, the Snowballs began in 2016 as an opportunity to get out in the dead of winter and have some fun reminiscent of snowballs held on military bases long ago.

However, in 2017, Tessner-Rood capitalized on the first Snowball’s success, using it as a fundraising vehicle to secure statuary for the Veterans Freedom Park. That 2017 event featured the Rosie Riveter “We Can Do It” campaign, which was highly successful. That “can do” focus has permeated the following Snowballs, and coupled with summertime Freedom Rides, did indeed raise enough money to secure the five statues that currently grace the park, as well to order the final statue which will be dedicated on Memorial Day 2022.

True to form, Tessner-Rood has again organized a final, fifth Snowball – not as a fundraising event, but as a celebratory thank you event to mark the amazing success enabled by all those who have participated in the past. Still in a donating mode, several retailers immediately donated some items for auction, but there will be no auction. Instead, a limited number of raffle tickets are being sold [see page 7] with the drawing to be held at the Snowball. Anyone who has attended ceremonies at Veterans Freedom Park can understand the need there for a quality public address system. While final statue expenses are being buttoned up, Tessner-Rood’s intention is for additional proceeds to go toward purchase of a P.A. system.

Tessner-Rood said Snowball tickets, also limited, are still available for $20 each from Tessner-Rood (989-944-0075), Trails End, Jackpine Restaurant (989-539-6162), the Harrison Moose Lodge, and Deb Mason at the Clare County Veterans Office (989-539-3273). All tickets must be purchased in advance.

This is the last one, folks. It’s one last “We Can Do It” on the road to “We Did It!”