An annual fundraising event met with disaster after its patrons left for the night on Saturday. The annual Davisburg Turkey Supper took place Oct. 1 at the Davisburg Community Hall. Before leaving event around 11 p.m.
An annual fundraising event met with disaster after its patrons left for the night on Saturday.
The annual Davisburg Turkey Supper took place Oct. 1 at the Davisburg Community Hall. Before leaving event around 11 p.m., organizers cleaned up the site, moved hay bales used for décor and a borrowed golf cart inside the large outdoor party tents to keep them safe and dry for the night.
They were met with a grisly scene when the clean-up crew returned Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. The golf cart had been reduced to ashes, tents were burned and cut, and a generator and several power cords had been stolen. A hay bale had been moved onto the golf cart and lit on fire, destroying the vehicle and melting and burning the tent roofs and sidewalls.
“It was disappointing to wake up to that mess on Sunday morning when we had such a positive event and such a nice community builder,” said Diana Froc, one of the Turkey Supper organizers. “It's discouraging, but that's the way life goes.”
She said initial estimates put the cost of the damage between $20,000 to $25,000. It is unknown whether the costs will be covered by the Davisburg Community Association's insurance.
“We're still waiting to see how that's going to play out,” said Froc. “But, if we can't get insurance on it everything we raised at the event will have to go to cover our losses.”
All the damaged or stolen items were either borrowed, rented or donated, she said. The golf cart belonged to neighbour Herb Armitage, who had helped shuttle patrons at the event. The event tent rentals were donated by Warner Shelter Systems, she said.
“It's these great contributions that help us raise money for the community, so we don't have to invest in those things,” said Froc. “Now we may have to cover more than that cost. That's pretty discouraging.”
The power cords have identifying marks on them, and the generator has a serial number that can be traced, she said. She's hoping it will help police identify the vandals.
At this time, there have been no leads in the arson case, but Froc said RCMP found some evidence at the scene. There were a few personal belongings left behind that may provide clues, she said.
Froc said she hopes RCMP are able to catch the offenders, though she said it's just one more senseless act in the region.
“It seems like there's so much crime right now, so much vandalism and theft,” she said. “It's just rampant in our area. Every day you're hearing something.”
Okotoks RCMP are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call 403-938-4202 or to report anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or go to www.tipsubmit.com.
