Even Batman would blush at what a team of Cochrane comic book lovers is planning to do with the legendary Batmobile this weekend.
“We commissioned (my brother) to build a Batmobile outhouse,” Rebel Comics co-owner Kees Fralick said this week. “It’s got the big fins coming off the side … it’s hilarious. It’s definitely not built for speed in any way.
“We plan on getting dressed up in superhero costumes and going out there and having a lot of fun. It’ll definitely be a spectacle.”
Rebel Comics is one of nearly 30 teams registered to take part in the 2017 Great Cochrane Outhouse Races – an annual town competition where colourful commodes streak down Historic Downtown to raise money for charity.
Prizes are awarded for fastest and funniest flushers, and all funds are directed toward the Cochrane Activettes Food Bank.
This year, McDonald’s will challenge for the throne for the first time in an outhouse equipped with a drive-thru window, and Half Hitch Brewing Company will shoot for the moon as Oktoberfest themed Team Bierhaus.
Deuces are also wild for Freshii, whose The Fresh and the Furious squad is entering the waste race for the first time this year.
“We decided to join because … we wanted to get more into the community,” said assistant manager Tara Becker-Pike. “It’s also a staff builder … to do something fun together. We’re kind of going with the theme of fresh vegetables.”
Event organizer Karrie Peace, who owns The Heavenly Outhouse gift shop, said one of the most anticipated match-ups of the day will be between mayoral candidates Jeff Genung and Ivan Brooker.
Genung will plop himself inside a potty for Coffee Traders – the Historic Downtown coffee house he’s owned for 16 years – while Brooker will try to skid over the competition with Ross Watson.
“We’ve got some really good … people,” she said.
A pancake breakfast before the races begin is a new addition this year, as is a Dance Your Pants Off dance party in the street hosted by DJ Paul after the event.
Peace said she’s hoping Cochranites will wear “awesome pants” and enjoy the morning in a number of different ways.
“It’s crazy this year,” she said. “It’s going to be a hoot.”
