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Wednesday May 2, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER B5 There' s still time to enter Roadrunner Rally By Jackie Curtis SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Beep, beep - it's the Roadrunners. They'll be sleuthing through town, in their automobiles, looking for Murder, Mystery and Mayhem. About 150 Oakville residents will convene in teams of four to eight on May 12, at 4 p.m., to compete in the 16th annual Oakville Roadrunner Rally. They'll try to outwit, outperform and lawfully out-drive their competi tors in what is, without a doubt, one of the most unusual community fundrais ing events in town, likely the province and probably the country. What makes this `Rally' so unusual? Pretty much everything about it. For starters, the first place team, beyond receiving the respect and admi ration of their peers, gets to organize the Rally for the following year. It makes the motivation to win rather offkilter some times, as organizing it is quite the task. Mind you, if the team or at least 75% of the team has organized before, they can pass on the honours and the second place team takes charge. Then there's the theme. Every year it's chosen by the organizers and every year it's different. This year it's Murder, Mystery and Mayhem. With that intriguing theme in mind, all the clues and the challenges are designed to fit the theme involving bad guys, good guys, crimes and crime-fighters. And as teams are encouraged to come in costume and decorate their vehicles for a dramatic, theme-related entrance at the start, to the uneducated bystander, this looks very odd indeed. Let's look at the methodology of the game, because that is, after all, what it is. Each team is given 10 Clue Envelopes. Each Clue Envelope corre sponds to a top-secret location on a topsecret route. On the 'G o' command, the teams open up the first envelope and rush to correctly solve a clue of some kind. It may be a puzzle, a math clue, a cryptic problem or any one of a number of mind twisters. The correct solution to the clue will tell the team the location of the first stop on the Secret Route. So anywhere from 4:05 to 4:15 p.m., depending on how long it takes a team to solve the clue, any unaware bystander will witness 25 or more vehi cles, some of which are strangely deco rated, filled with people, who also may be strangely decorated, seek the fastest exit and drive to what they believe to be the first stop. Wait, it gets stranger. When a team arrives at the stop, they are greeted by a volunteer who gives them some sort of odd challenge to complete. One of the more memorable challenges of years past was a quick-draw competition with a professional quick-draw performer. Another challenge involved feeding a team-mate Wedding Cake while both were blindfolded. (The theme that year was Romance). Once the challenge is completed, the team is given a code word to write on the next envelope and must open it on the correct side as instructed. Again, they work quickly to solve the clue correctly before the other teams. And while Oakville is a community o f considerate, genteel people, the Oakville Roadrunner Rally does bring out that competitive drive. (This event is rife with puns - sorry). If teams think that they may be behind a team who happens to be driving to the next stop, they may try to follow them. More times than imaginable, the team being followed happened to be hope lessly lost. That confident demeanor was intended to really mess up the com petition. It worked. One year, the organizing team hired an off-duty police officer to pull over cars as if to ticket them. That same year, a clue was hidden in one donut in a bag of donuts. Dozens of usually dignified adults were seen madly stuffing cream filled donuts in their mouths and frantically swallow ing. It took some truly savvy partici pant to realize that one didn't actually have to consume the donuts to find the clue. Anywhere from two to three hours after the start, wild, almost manic looking teams charge into the facility that is the last secret location and hap pens to be the place where a reception, dinner, dance, awards presentations and silent auction are held. Pooped but happy teams `high five' each other and make their way first to the washrooms (there's usually very little time for that sort of thing), then the bar. Money raised from this year's event will go to Halton Women's Place, a shelter and support service for abused women and their dependent children. The 2001 Oakville Roadrunner Rally; Murder, Mystery & Mayhem, is sponsored by Milestones Grill & Bar, which is generously supplying a superb buffet dinner. Signs Alive on Speers Road is donating their time and talents to the creation of signage for the event. Minuteman Press on Equestrian Court is donating all the printing. M ansfield, O 'Connor Insurance Brokers is sponsoring wine with dinner. And dozens of Oakville retailers have donated items for the Silent Auction. Even the Envers Chapin Gallery in Toronto and the Old Mill Inn have donate. If you want to register a four to eight person team - at the last minute - call 905-849-7670 by May 3. The cost is $60 per person and includes the Rally, dinner with wine, the awards, dancing to a live band, Pop Machine, and Silent Auction. For more info, check out the website at www.roadrunnerrally.com or email coyote @roadrunnerrally.com But be quick.. .the game is afoot. Jackie Curtis is a member o f this yea r' s Oakville Roadrunner Rally organizing committee. SHOPPING AT CANADIAN TIRE IS ^ S Jm V w O F O A K V IL L E Tke 4tk Akww£ & R iibam lu j Ike Lake A Premier Show and Sale featuring over 7 0 artists SATURDAY MAY 5T H 10 a.m. - 5 p.m . "R A FFLE " "M AYCOURT C A F E " "B A K ES A L E " APPLEBY COLLEGE m w . ha&m)earck cm (in the Arena, 540 Lakeshore Rd. W.) Admission $3.00 funds to Halton Women' Place & Breast Cancer Support Services PEGGY'S DISTINCTIVE LADIES FASHIONS W ake up with the SUN a nd SAVE! M O R N IN G MADNESS SALE SATURDAY, M A Y 5TH 8 AM-10AM 10AM-12N00N JO OFF 20% OFF entire stock entire stock Discount applies to regular priced merchandise. NO extensions on time limits. ASSORTED SPRING FASHIONS UP TO 70% OFF All Sales Final Hopedale Mall, Oakville · 465-3499 All Sales Final 400 Dundas St. E (at Trafalgar), O akville Store Tel: 9 0 5 -2 5 7 -TIR E O A K V IL L E S O C C E R U L IO R I--O SHIAISU & MASSAGE THERAPY C E N TR E LTD . SOCCER SEASON'S HERE Let us outfit your young player. Great prices with knowledgeable service. shin pads · goalie gloves · uniforms · balls · socks · referee uniforms · gifts* jerseys · shorts Your community soccer store REGISTERED M ASSAGE THERAPISTS/CERTIFIED SHIATSU THERAPISTS %· shoes · This Mother's Day give the gift o f well being 187 Cross Ave. Recreational Players Across from Oakville GO ___ Cup World Hopefuls! Contenders Gift Certificates Available A Trusted N am e in O akville 1 2 5 La k e sh o re R d . E. S u ite 3 0 4 ( N a v y & L a k e s h o r e ) 8 1 5 -8 9 3 9 Monday-W ednesday & Saturday, 10a.m.-6p.m. Thursday & Friday, 10a.m .-9p.m.; Sunday 12-5 p.m. 8 4 5 -3 1 3 7 5th A nnual CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The ATHENA Award program celebrates the potential of all women as valued members and leaders of the community and recognizes those who support them. The ATHENA Award honours individuals who strive toward the highest levels of professional accomplishment... women and men who have demonstrated excellence in their profession, have devoted time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and most especially, have generously assisted women in attaining their full potential. *0 n selected Benjamin Moore paints. No purchase required. fSkill testing question required. Odds of winning 15% - 1 in 1.2, 20% - 1 in 10, 25% - 1 in 25, 50% 1 in 100. See full details and selected products in store. Sale ends May 9th/2001. RUB & ROLL Beetle Bonus o ff your paint purchase* Laura Kupferschmidt was the 1998 recipient o f the A TH EN A AWARD. She explains that "The A TH EN A AWARD (honour) tells me I'm doing the right things with my business - to support women in business. Lauras nominator described her as "one who reinforces what the A TH EN A is all about. (She) is a great role model for wom en." L a u ra K u p fersch m id t -|5 %© 50% A chance to W IN a NEW BEETLE Join us for a Sem inar May 8th with: THE CRITERIA - Athena recipients must meet each o f the three specific criteria. They must: · Mentor women in reaching their full leadership potential. · Demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession. · Provide valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community. Nomination form will be posted on Oakville' s Community Website at: ww.oakvillebeaver.com N o m in a tio n fo rm s availab le at Jane Lockhart o f H G lY s popular D IY series, One House, Two Looks M a ry Dobson, regular presenter Citytv's CityLine Take in the seminar - get the book. Bring color and style into your home! CALL FOR DETAILS & TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT MARY CARDAM0NE ROYAL BANK Sales Representative T he ChKvniE Beaver NAnONAlLY (XM 9 ®