Shriner’s MOMendum Mother’s Day cruise to honour moms and women of Moose Jaw
The Moose Jaw Shrine Club is looking to use a tried-and-true way of celebrating in the pandemic era to honour moms all over the city this coming Mother’s Day.
The first-ever MOMendum Cruise will take place on May 9 and will feature a vehicle parade similar to the wildly popular birthday tours that took place last summer.
“It’s coming to that season where car people are looking to get out and do something with their cars, and because I’m really into cars myself, I noticed that over the years more and more ladies are getting involved in cars, too,” said Aaron Ruston, chairman of the Shriner’s Club car raffle. “Most of the car events I’ve seen over the years have been kind of geared to the guys, and one of the things that get overlooked is the ladies. So with Mother’s Day coming up, I thought what better way to honour moms, and not just moms but all the ladies in our life, by just dedicating a cruise to them.”
Anyone who took part in the birthday parades will know how this all works: gather at the Town ‘N’ Country Mall at 1 p.m., head out for a tour of the city with a massive wagon train of vehicles, return to the mall.
The plan is to hit Mulberry Estates at 1:10 p.m., West Park at 1:20 p.m., Revera at 1:40 p.m., Providence Place at 1:55 p.m. and return to Town ‘N’ Country at around 1:30 p.m.
“We’ll be touching base with retirement homes and letting them know we’ll be cruising by so they can be ready to watch,” Ruston said. “One thing everyone has in common is having a mom, and people have been isolated. I deal with a lot of retired people in my industry and unfortunately a lot of them are feeling alone. So if we could let them know, one way or another, we’re thinking about you and we care, that’s what we want to do.”
The Shriners will have one heck of a nifty vehicle leading the parade: none other than their 2000 Mellow Yellow Plymouth Prowler raffle car, with city councillor Heather Eby along for the ride.
“... With Mother’s Day coming up, I thought what better way to honour moms, and not just moms but all the ladies in our life, by just dedicating a cruise to them.”
-Aaron Ruston, chairman of the Shriner’s Club car raffle.
Tickets for the raffle will be available for purchase at $20 each, as well as tickets for their 50/50 draw. Ruston reports the raffle is about one-third sold out, but sales have picked up in recent weeks. The raffle draw will take place on Sept. 18.
The Shriners are encouraging everyone to take all the precautions necessary to stay safe, including maintaining social distancing as much as possible, wearing masks and washing hands.
For more information on the MOMendum Cruise, follow the Shriners Facebook page at facebook.com/MooseJawShrineClub.