Egg Run sledders ‘scrambling’ for Pine Tree Camp donations

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In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been a bit on the nippy side lately. Normally, that’s not a bad thing. This is Maine, after all, and those of us who choose to live here are tough, or so we tell each other as we rationalize the fact that most things that used to be green are now either brown, gray, white or dead.

Usually, I love Maine. I love the winter. I love the cold. But now, things are different. The winter’s having an effect on me. I’m behaving oddly. In fact, I may well have lost complete control of my senses.

“What now?” you ask. “How can you tell the difference?” you ask. “Well, chummy, we always knew you were a bit off,” you point out.

Perhaps.

But this time, it’s getting serious. Just ask Bob Duchesne of WQCB radio.

He’ll vouch for me. He’ll tell you I’m nuts. And he’s never even met me.

I talked to Bob on Wednesday. He told me about his station’s annual charity promotion to benefit the Pine Tree Camp for Handicapped Children and Adults Inc. I said the whole deal sounded like a great time, and begged to be allowed to participate.

“You’re going to enjoy it thoroughly,” Duchesne said in his initial call. “Except for the eggs.”

Hmm. The eggs. I had heard rumblings about them, and thought I was a natural for the event. I love eggs. Fried. Poached. On toast. In an omelet. Yum! Sign me up, Bob. I’m your Egg Man!

Wrong. It turns out that the Egg Run (which you’ve probably heard all about by now) calls for a bunch of guinea pigs (members of the media) to stuff a couple of eggs in their pockets, hop on a snowmobile, and drive a couple of miles.

That’s what some of Bob’s cohorts told me, when they were assuring me I’d have an absolute blast.

On Wednesday, Bob (who seems like a very nice man, except for the fact that he also seems to take a bit too much pleasure out of snookering people like me into this Egg Run thing) told me the truth.

For every $50 listeners of WQCB (and readers of this paper, for that matter) donate to the Pine Tree Camp, each of us will be expected to put an egg in our drawers. Then we’ll saddle up our trusty sleds and ride for an hour and a half.

“At that point, we kind of gather around an un-egg,” Duchesne told me.

There’s a recession going on, I told myself. Times are tough. How many eggs can Mainers be expected to buy?

Enough to fill a snowmobile suit, Duchesne assures me.

“Last year, we carried 240 eggs apiece,” he said. “It’s like being pregnant … with bowling balls.”

Of course, Duchesne also assured me that there would be no way I’d have to carry 240 eggs this year.

I’d carry more.

That’s how the Egg Run works, he says: Each year, it grows. Each year, more people donate. Each year, sales are nice and steady, as generous folks from across Eastern Maine donate their hard-earned cash to a worthy cause … until the final couple days … and then …

“People will realize the total’s gonna be big, and they just pig-pile on,” Duchesne said. The result, he said, is that riders who think they’ll be carrying, say, 90 or 100 eggs, find out differently.

Generally, the number doubles over the final two days.

I questioned Duchesne at length and was able to find out that there was actually some good news (in addition to the fact that the Pine Tree Camp is a very, very, worthwhile cause).

There’s this: You don’t have to soil your own drawers, since the snowmobile suits are provided

And there’s this: Craig Colson from Channel 5 is going. So is Todd Simcox. And any time somebody dumps a dozen eggs in a TV guy’s drawers, we ink-stained wretches are liable to get a good chuckle out of it … even if our drawers are similarly filled.

In addition, Paul Dupuis of WQCB will be wearing eggs, and his co-worker, Cindy Campbell, has signed up for a souffle of her own. So has Miss Teen Maine USA, Ashley Alden.

All in all, the day should be a lot of fun. At least until the eggs show up.

“So, what’s in it for me?” you ask.

I’m glad you asked. There are several ways to get involved. You can show up at the Hungry Hollow 76’ers Snowmobile Club in Levant on Feb. 1, enjoy breakfast, and tag along (we won’t even make you wear any eggs). Apparently, about 50 sledders usually follow along, just to (sorry) egg us on.

Or you can get involved in a more personal way. You can donate. A buck. Fifty. Five hundred? The Pine Tree Camp doesn’t care, one way or another.

Just call WQCB at 991-9500 and make a pledge. Or, you can e-mail Q1065@midmaine.com.

Then you can sit back … feel good about your donation … and chuckle at the thought of all us media types driving across central Maine with 40 pounds of eggs in our drawers.

Duchesne (ever the helpful chap) says he’ll even send you pictures, if you want.

Hope you choose to help.

And if anyone’s interested in buying a second-hand omelet breakfast for $100, I may have a deal for you in a couple of weeks.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.