ATHABASCA - Amid the isolation and the worry that has gripped the world, one Athabasca-area man is taking it upon himself to spread a little cheer to his neighbours.
For the last week or so, Eric Kerr, has been trudging through the ice and snow and slush and mud in the Westwind Park area, just south of Athabasca, stopping every few metres along the way to mark his travels with a monument of sorts.
If you’ve been in the area lately, you would have noticed dozens, if not hundreds, of tiny snow creations along the side of the road, or on fence posts and just about anywhere. Sometimes they take the form of traditional snowmen, others are similar to the stone inukshuks one sees in Canada’s Arctic.
“I love snow,” said Kerr as he placed another frozen creation atop a fencepost March 26.
“It’s pretty quiet out here. I’m just walking around by myself. It seems like adults forget how to play these days, but I’m 36 and bored, so I thought ‘Why not go jump in the snow and release some energy?’”
Kerr is a heavy-duty mechanic by trade, but has been out of work since before the coronavirus crisis struck.
He’s been at the mobile park for about three years now, doesn’t have a cellphone and doesn’t watch a lot of TV or play video games
He said he tries to walk 10 kilometres per day and it shows with the soles of his work boots coming apart from the rest of the boot.
Aside from building the monuments, you might also see Kerr making snow angels on the side of the road or just taking a flying leap into a snow-filled ditch.
Some might call it unbridled enthusiasm and sometimes people will stop and ask how he’s doing or if they can help. He just tells them he’s “touched” and asks them to go jump in a snow bank and have some fun.
“My brother says I need a check-up from the neck up.”
For Kerr, it’s all in good fun, and overall, the reaction of his neighbours has been encouraging.
“People just watch me and say, ‘Is he ever peculiar,’” he said. “People laugh and that right there is my victory dance – it’s them laughing.”
The plan, if the snow doesn’t melt too fast, is to expand the project, so to speak, and build a giant snowman, up to eight feet tall or more. All that’s holding him back is the right type of snow.
As for when the snow melts, Kerr isn’t exactly sure how he will spend his time, but if it’s up to him, he will be outside, trying to put a smile on his neighbours’ faces, and he hopes they will do the same.
“Go out and have fun. Don’t sit in your house and be stagnant,” he said.
Chris Zwick,TownandCountryToday.com
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