Sept. 21, 1995: Glendon mayor wants giant perogy on new toonie

Glendon, Alta.,mayor JohnnieDoonanco felt the Royal Canadian Mintcould find a more powerful image to emblazon its $2coin than a polar bear: a giant perogy, for example.

The village's claim to fame is its 27-foot-highmonument,a fork topped bythe world's largest perogy,a symbol of Glendon'slarge Ukrainian community.

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Doonanco wrote a letter to the mint (including apostcard and a pin to grease some palms) outlining why Glendon's perogy deserved to become a national symbol.

"Why choose the polar bear?" the mayor asked. "The reason for them choosing the polar bear they said, is because it's strong. But if it doesn't have any perogies to eat, it's not going to be strong very long, is it?"

The steel and fibreglass perogyhas left an indeliblemarkon the village, creating a theme roundly embraced by the communityand attracting tourists.

No doubt, if Doonanco's pitch to the Royal Canadian Mint had succeeded, it would have been a boon to Glendon.

But to date, no perogy has been stamped onto the $2 coin.