Last Stretch: Cranberries Go For Gold

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- As millions of viewers around the world tune in to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Closing Ceremonies on Sunday, a team of engineers will suit up for their final task, breaking down the colossal 15-ton (13,600 kilograms), 46,000 square foot (4,270 square meter) cranberry display in Richmond, B.C.'s, Brighouse Park.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100226/NE61747 )

Curious spectators interested in one last snapshot of the Olympic rings, maple leaf and flame depicting the Canadian Olympic Committee logo in cranberries, have until 11 p.m. PST on Sunday, February 28, to enjoy a bird's eye view of the installation from the Ferris wheel in Brighouse Park.

The display, which took roughly 9,000 hours of man power to complete and 13 million locally grown Ocean Spray cranberries, will enjoy a second life after the Winter Games. Crews will unload the cranberries by hand throughout the night and deliver them to local farms in Richmond for composting. Once the berries are unloaded, crews will break down the infrastructure (steel-reinforced fiberglass frames, netting, and liners) and donate the salvaged materials to local artists, senior communities and marinas.  

"We're delighted to share the beauty of the cranberry with the City of Richmond and all of the families who came to Richmond to celebrate the 2010 Olympic Winter Games," said Dan Keefer, a Richmond Ocean Spray cranberry grower. "The response has been tremendous and we're thrilled that each piece of the installation will be used to support local agriculture, artists, and communities."

Keefer is among the dozens of Ocean Spray cranberry growers from Richmond, who provided fruit for the installation and donated time to educate the public on the taste, heath benefits and versatility of the cranberry as well as the harvest process.

The display, compliments of Richmond Ocean Spray cranberry growers, was a tribute to the  2010 Olympic Winter Games and part of Richmond Revealed, a series of public art displays, exhibits and events designed to showcase Richmond's rich culture, heritage and leading industries to the world during the Winter Games. 

More information on Richmond Revealed may be found at: www.richmond.ca/richmondrevealed, www.oceanspray.com or www.oceanspray.ca.

SOURCE Ocean Spray