It’s ain’t easy being green unless, of course, you’re a 15 foot tall, 18-foot long beaver on St. Patrick’s Day.
The Town of Beaverlodge will be taking part in Tourism Ireland’s 10th annual “Global Greening” initiative, which sees green lights washed over some of the biggest tourist hotspots around the world.
“[They] contacted us and asked us if we would be willing, and it sounded like a lot of fun so we jumped on the bandwagon,” says Beaverlodge Mayor Gary Rycroft.
Other sites on the 500 long list of attractions for the 10th anniversary include Madison Square Garden in New York, the Sydney Opera House, and the National Museum in London.
Rycroft says the beaver statue has seen its fair share of fame over the years, but this could bring it to a whole new level.
“It is pretty much the centre of Beaverlodge pride, and a lot of people stop; even the Stanley Cup has had its picture taken there. It’s been in a lot of commercials, talked about on TV shows, so any little bit of attention that is drawn to our small town is great.”
Rycroft adds, in a way, the green lights will also represent a lot of residents in the township, as a number of them have a family history stemming from the emerald isle.
“To tell you the truth, it’s something we never even thought of, and there are a lot of people in the community that come from Irish descent, so I think we will be carrying this on for a while.”
The lights will be lit for the night of March 17th.