The process of building Mac the Moose’s new rack has begun, and it’s green lights so far.
Mac had some open belly surgery to determine the state of his structure.Bryson from Steady Metal Works and Ory from Concentric Engineering crawled into Mac’s insides and checked the structural integrity of his frame. Jacki L’Heureux-Mason, executive director of Tourism Moose Jaw, hopes to have the results by next week, along with a timeline of the work.
The rack is being sculpted by Rion White from Orion Taxidermy and will be mirroring a rack from a moose in the Yukon, the size of which brings the accurate term “megafauna” back to mind. Sask Polytech has done 3D renderings to aid the process, and an engineer from Saskatoon has volunteered to give advice on the project.
With the structure being checked currently, the next issue that needs tackling is wind resistance, as placing the antlers properly will affect both safety and noise reduction.
Mac’s makeover currently includes a larger rack and a new coat of paint to give him that “new moose” vibe, as he’ll be painted a darker, more realistic brown thanks to Cork King and Sask Eco Coatings. Strictly Fences will also be repairing the fence that surrounds Mac’s bit of land.
The cost of Mac’s upgrades was estimated to be around $50,000, but L’Heureux-Mason says the outpouring of donations — not only monetary but of labour and materials — from the community has covered an enormous portion of the project.
“It's Moose Jaw, notoriously Moose Jaw; I love it,” said L’Heureux-Mason about the support Mac has received.
Support from Moosehead Breweries has made headlines, but there has also been a huge amount of local support: Moose Jaw Co-op, Murray GM, Western Automotive Group, Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa, Little Chicago Entertainment, and Sycamore Energy, to name a few.
Mac’s GoFundMe is still open for donations and the Tourism office says they are still receiving donations from local businesses.
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