Contributed by Eva Cohnen-Brown
Moose Poop Palooza
6/9/2018 - 2PM
Kiwanis Club of Palmer, Alaska
St. John Lutheran Church
440 E Elmwood Ave. Palmer
Tickets: $10
What involves harvesting an authentic, organic Alaska-grown “product” that seems like waste on the outside, but in the end reaps significant rewards, even riches, to Valley residents? It’s Moose Poop Palooza! Yes indeed, this year marks the 10th Annual Moose Poop Palooza event, which makes the humble moose dropping a cause celebre.
A day in the life of a nugget: It all begins when a small army of devoted Kiwanis members scour woods and fields for one thousand moose poop nuggets. Once these priceless droppings are collected, they are handled (gingerly), and each one is marked with a number, ranging from 1 – 1,000. The nuggets are then shellacked for durability, and are tucked away for the Drop.
Preceding the Drop: Each of the numbered nuggets corresponds to the number of a Moose Poop ticket. Kiwanians sell these tickets all over the Valley and points beyond, to raise funds for a multitude of service projects, scholarships and charitable organizations, such as The Children’s Place. The grand prize is $2,000, and second and third prizes are each $100. All who purchase are winners, in essence, as each person is helping support many worthwhile causes.
The Big Day: After months of selling tickets, the big day has arrived for the Drop. This takes place at St. John Lutheran Church on the Saturday of Colony Days, right after the parade. A large, circular piece of carpeting is laid out on the pavement as a bull’s-eye, with the area cordoned off to keep it clear of people passing by. Then a fire truck with a tall ladder - and helpful firemen - come to the prepared site. Enter the poop nuggets that have been waiting patiently for this event…they’re gathered together in a large bag, and are taken up to the very end of the ladder by a fireman.
Drum roll, please: By now, a sizeable crowd has gathered to watch this feat of luck. With the poop-holding fireman perched at the end of the ladder, everyone starts a countdown of, “10, 9, 8…3, 2, 1 – Moose Poop Drop!” The nuggets tumble out in one big swoosh, landing on the carpet. The crowd holds its breath – who will be the lucky winners? A Kiwanis member and a third party person, i.e. a policeman, then start measuring how close the nuggets have landed to the center of the carpet. The one closest to the bull’s eye is the grand prize winner, and the two closest by are 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Tonya Bruechet measuring for the winning poop.
What an adventure it’s been! And such ends the short - and almost-exciting - life of a moose poop nugget, making the Valley a better place in which to live.
This year’s Moose Poop Palooza will take place on Saturday, June 9th at 2:00pm at St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, right after the Colony Days Parade. Tickets are $10 each, and only 1,000 will be sold. Participants need not be present to win.
About Kiwanis Club of Palmer, Alaska:
Kiwanis meetings are held weekly on Tuesdays at Turkey Red Restaurant in the event room at 550 S. Alaska Street, Palmer. We have a variety of interesting speakers - representing local volunteer and business groups. The first few Tuesdays of each month are lunch meetings, held from 12:00pm-1:00pm. The last two Tuesdays of each month are evening meetings, held from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Meetings are open to everyone, and you don’t have to be a member to attend.
For more information, please check out our Facebook site - Kiwanis Club of Palmer Alaska - and the Kiwanis homepage at www.kiwanis.org.
