Apparently, size matters when it comes to moose. ‘Our moose is bigger than your moose’ is something Mayor Tolmie hopes to ring out from the rooftop of City Hall sometime in the not too distant future. The fight to regain the title for World’s tallest moose is full-on for bragging rights, as Moose Jaw and Norway are battling it out.
It seems to be a matter of pride for this community. Even though our moose isn’t as glamourous as Storelgen, it has welcomed people to Moose Jaw since it was erected in 1984, holding its post proudly until it was dethroned as the world’s largest in 2015. As of late, he still stands stately but with a somewhat sadder countenance. He could use a new rack; when you look at him, his rack is far too small for a moose that big, anyway.
I think its rather funny that some people believe that the moose itself is a draw for tourists to visit Moose Jaw. Up to now, it hasn’t been but that may have all changed with all the international fame that Mac has received over the last few weeks. He is a celebrity now and not just any old moose! His fame has garnered attention from even Steven Colbert who mockingly called Mac the Moose a "paper maché dog from a closed amusement park." Now everyone knows about Moose Jaw!
Even the Vice-Mayor of Stor-Elvdal, where Storelgen lives, is ready to hop on a plane to come over to see what they are up against and try and talk Moose Jaw into reconciling so that each moose can share in the glory of being the biggest…
Don’t make a “moose-take!” Compromise, I say.
A Letter to the Editor in this week’s edition says that it would be a great launch-pad for twinning these two cities, Moose Jaw and Stor-Elvdal, and instead of working towards world dominance, there would be no bloodshed and world peace would prevail. A slight exaggeration to be sure, but taken as a tongue-in-cheek comment for emphasis, rightly said.
We are a friendly people here in Moose Jaw and I think that we can use this situation to our advantage for the benefit of our community, without the loss of bloodshed or our notorious pride!
