The grand opening of Arcola's Twisted Wrench on Sept. 26 allowed owner Robert Johnston to contribute to his community, with the support of the community.
"We had a barbeque for our grand opening, and people came out," says Johnston. "Not only did they support us, but we couldn't have done it without the generosity of our local businesses. The Chaparral supplied the meat, Chapman's grocery store supplied us with homemade buns, and Warner Industries brought in the big barbeque and the did all of the cooking, as well as supplying the pop. And we had some great raffle prizes donated, too."
These combined efforts resulted in a $1,000 contribution to the Arcola Volunteer Fire Department. The money will help the fire department purchase provincial band radios which are used in assisting helicopter landings.
Johnston says that he chose to support the fire department, partly because of the growing population and increased oilfield activity in the area.
"We all know the oil patch is booming," he says. "And unfortunately, there are accidents galore. It's absolutely critical that emergency services are well-equipped, so that people can get to the hospital as quickly as possible. When I heard the fire department wanted to buy these radios, my mind was made up."
Twisted Wrench has been open since July 1 and Johnston says, "It's going really good. We do mostly heavy-duty mechanics and some automotive. We do a lot of oilfield and a lot of farm equipment, and we're open seven days a week, especially during harvest."
"As for automotive, we do things like tires, brakes and we've got a complete parts room stocked by Warner Industries."
"I really appreciate the support and business we've received so far. Our grand opening went so well that I plan to make this an annual event to support the Arcola Volunteer Fire Department."
Twisted Wrench is located at #7 Industrial Avenue in Arcola (at the former Lees Sales and Service location), and is open every day from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. During business hours, they can be contacted at (306)-455-2292 and after hours at (306)-320-1826.
