It seems every city or town has a claim to fame, but a Hamlet west of Edmonton has a bit something different representing it.
Every August, since 1979, Evansburg has elected a town grouch.
To win the title of town grouch candidates take donation cans and collect as much money as they can. They walk around campaigning and also leave cans in businesses around the community to collect donations. At the end of the campaign, the candidate with the most money is declared the official grouch for one year.
The winner has the right to pester, criticize and grumble for an entire year.
“If I win I get a license for a whole year to grouch. I can sit on my grouch bench over there, I can growl, I can snap at you,” grumbles Margaret Hodgkinson, one of two candidates in this years race.
“People see me they think I’m nice but, I’m not nice they’ve got to know that. I’m grouchy, ask my husband,” gripes Jennifer Yakimchuk, the other grouch candidate adding, “What I really really hate is when (he) forgets to put the beer in the fridge.”
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The town grouch gets a sign to put on their lawn with their “new” address, #10 Frowning Street. There is even an official grouch bench.
“When you sit here you are free to grumble and it gets used quite regularly,” explains John Lauer, who came up with the idea in 1974.
Lauer started the grouch competition as a way to make Evansburg’s population statistics more impressive. He describes it as a way to, “destroy any hope of peace or tranquility that people might have otherwise had around them.”
The idea is to be grouchy enough for the entire town, so no one else needs to complain.
“So they can really be a pain in the butt and they’ve got a license to get away with it,” says Lauer.
This years town grouch will be crowed this weekend at Pembina Valley Daze.
“What the heck you doing over there,” Hodgkinson yells while shaking her fist at a neighbour.
With files from Julie Matthews.
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