Parkside club hopes to put an end to General Lee controversy

The Parkside Community Club is hoping to put a week of controversy behind the organization after photos of an auction car meant for a local demolition derby stirred up controversy across Saskatchewan.

Spokesperson Kerry Peterson said people and businesses in the small village have raised $20,000 in donations to the Saskatchewan chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

“That’s three to four times what we expected to raise from the sale of the car,” Peterson said. “The money is already there, it’s in their bank.”

The one provision from donors was to have the money raised in the auction go back to the community club.

The donation drive was a response to the public outcry after Premier Scott Moe shared a couple photos of the auction car, a remake of the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee — complete with a Confederate Flag on the roof — pulled all involved parties into a controversy.

“Our intention was to build a car like we have in the last two years, auction it off and donate (the money) to a charity that we feel strongly about,” Peterson said. “That was our intention, pure and simple.”

Peterson sees the donation drive as a win-win solution for both parties as the CMHA gets far more money than originally intended, while the Parkside Community Association recoups money to build another car for next year’s demolition derby.

CMHA executive director Phyllis O’Connor thanked people across the province for the support in an emailed statement.

“The CMHA (Saskatchewan Division) Inc. wishes to express our deep gratitude to the people of the community of Parkside and from around the province for the outstanding support shown to our Association in the form of private and corporate donations which have poured in during what has been a difficult week,” O’Connor’s statement read, “We sincerely thank the Parkside community for their leadership in mobilizing this support.”

Saturday’s demolition derby in Parkside begins at 3 p.m.