Can Rusty Stay in Rossland?
By Contributor
Rusty the Horse has been earning his oats in downtown Rossland for the past year. As a favourite backdrop for photos, Rusty has brought many smiles to the faces of locals and visitors alike.
But Rossland isn’t Rusty’s forever home and the Rossland Council for Arts and Culture hopes to change that. Along with a group of local supporters RCAC are spearheading a fundraising initiative to purchase Rusty and let him live out his days as part of Columbia Avenue’s public sculptures.
RCAC brought Rusty to Rossland last year as part of the Regional Sculpturewalk Program coordinated by Castlegar Sculpturewalk. Through the regional program, communities and businesses can lease a sculpture for a year.
“With our history of horse racing on the main street, and the use of horses on the wagon roads and the Dewdney Trail, Rusty was a natural choice for our Sculpturewalk installation,” explains Renate Fleming from RCAC.
Well, Rusty’s year is almost and up and, effective April 30th, Rusty is scheduled to be returned to his creator, Nelson metal sculptor Cedar Mueller.
“We’ve had a lot of people and local businesses ask about keeping Rusty in Rossland,” explains Fleming. “We’ve approached Cedar Mueller and she has agreed to sell Rusty to us. RCAC is willing to contribute $5000, but we need to raise an additional $3000 by the end of April to finalize the purchase.”
To accomplish this, RCAC has launched a fundraising campaign.
“If 100 Rusty fans donate $30 each, we’ll reach the $3000 goal and then Rusty can stay,” explains Andy Stradling from RCAC, “ To sweeten the deal, RCAC will donate 2 tickets to an RCAC performance to anyone who donates $100 or more. Major donations of $500 or more will also be acknowledged on Rusty’s plaque.”
RCAC is very hopeful that they can raise enough money to keep Rusty. If you’d like to donate, your cheque can be sent to Rossland Council for Arts & Culture, Box 405, Rossland BC V0G 1Y0 or visit https://www.basincrowdsource.com/projects/rusty-wants-to-adopt-rossland-forever/to make donations on-line.
