A Calgary driver has a nice problem after helping a friend, an Okotoks service club and children in the Foothills.
What is he going to do with a $90,000 1929 President’s Edition Studebaker he won in the Okotoks Rotary Club raffle?
“I don’t think I can even drive it from Okotoks to Calgary,” Masoud Paydar said with a chuckle. “I will chat with my friend, Larry Logan in Okotoks, and we will see what we want to do.”
Paydar’s name was drawn in the Rotary raffle by Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson at the club’s meeting Jan. 8 at Crystal Ridge Golf Course.
The estimated $45,000 raised will go towards the picnic shelter at the inclusive playground at Riverside Park.
Logan is the Okotoks Rotary Club president and a long-time friend of Paydar.
“I wanted to support this because Larry is the new president of the Rotary Club and we go golfing together,” Paydar said. “I was in the airport and I got this email from Barb (Barb Logan, Larry’s wife) asking if I wanted to support it and I bought five tickets… It’s a good cause.”
When he got the call on Jan. 8 that he had won, it caught him totally by surprise.
Paydar didn’t even know what the car looked like until he went online after finding out he was the classic vehicle’s new owner.
“It’s a very cute car,” Paydar said. “But I have a two-car garage and I don’t even know if I can put it in my garage — I don’t think I can keep it outside.”
He suspects he’ll have the Studebaker delivered to southwest Calgary.
“This car is probably a little tricky, it’s 1929,” Paydar said, who does know how to drive a stick. “I might do a test drive in Okotoks, but I will hire a truck and have it brought to Calgary.”
Robertson thanked the Rotary Club for helping such a worthwhile project like the inclusive park.
“Thank you to the Rotary Club for this fantastic draw to raise these funds for the inclusive park — we want everybody in Okotoks to not get left behind,” Robertson said at the ceremony. “We have those kids who can’t play in a traditional playground. The inclusive playground has things like a rubberized surface so that wheelchairs can roll across.
“The shelter is absolutely phenomenal. It allows those families to have a picnic that they might not have had otherwise… that picnic shelter just enhances the usability, the viability, and the accessibility for those disabled kids… If you live in Okotoks, Rotary has made your life better.
“To all of Rotary thank you for all you do in our community – this is one more example of the great things you do for Okotoks.”
He added he has heard rave reviews from Okotokians and those visiting the community about the playground.
Meanwhile, if you happen to be at the links come next spring, don’t be surprised if you see a classic vehicle in the D’Arcy Ranch or Crystal Ridge golf courses parking lot.
“I go to Okotoks a lot — you have fantastic golf courses there,” Paydar said.
