Piece Out Puzzle Party
The Paullina Legion was the place to be Saturday February 25 to join a new kind of fun. The “Piece Out Puzzle Party” was planned, organized and executed by Jill Rausch, Michelle Aberson, Kelly Ebel and Rita Kruger. These are the same dedicated individuals who bring you the annual Festival of Trees.
The “Piece Out Puzzle Party” was joined by 80 mid-winter thrill seekers. Ten teams of eight each got a puzzle, “Iowa Spirit”. The 1000-piece puzzle, distributed by “Something’s Amiss” is a unique challenge. Each puzzle is like, but slightly different from the box picture. According to Rausch, each puzzle had 36 “puzzle twists,” differences between the picture on the box and the actual puzzle.
Three hours were allotted from start to finish for the puzzle. A few short-term challenges were also set along the way, like first to finish border. Getting those small wins could win things like a 30 second look at what the puzzle will actually look like.
At 2 hours and 25 minutes the pink team completed their puzzle. The members of the pink team were: Liz Reichle, Danielle Kruse, Amanda Rausch, Stephanie Beck, Chrysta Vander Ploeg, Kari Kent, Shalene Van Beek and Kayla Paulsen. In honor or their win, the Pink Team was awarded $80 in Paullina chamber bucks.
At 3 hours time was called, although a few teams stayed to finish, but not all. The puzzles were auctioned following the competition that “was a great little fundraiser,” said Jill Rausch. The event raised close to $1500 for the fireworks over Mill Creek Lake in late June. The cost for the fireworks display is typically in excess of $5000.