The proposed elaborate ice skating park and ice castle by the Fifth Weyburn Scouting Group won't happen this winter unless there are enough volunteers signed up to help harvest the ice, says the project manager.

The scout troop obtained approval from city council and the Weyburn Ag Society for the project, and now is setting down the time-line with a "things-to-do" list that includes a need for volunteers, said Derrick Mooney, project manager and Scouts troop leader.

The project will require the harvesting of 17,000 blocks of ice within a seven to 10-day period from Nickle Lake and the Souris River, which will take more people than are available in the scout troop, said Mooney.

"Our Scouting parents and leaders will be able to run the project once it is constructed, but the actual construction process is beyond the capabilities of our group's volunteer base," said Mooney.

The Scouts are proposing that local service clubs, organizations and businesses pledge to give one day of volunteer help with the ice harvest and construction of the ice castle and playground.

The proposal is called Princess Aurora's Playground, and is slated to be built on the southeast corner of the Weyburn exhibition grounds, with the goal to raise funds for scouting programs.

There are two components to the playground; one is an elaborate skating park, with sections for children, youths and adults, and the other is the ice palace with walls of ice standing 10 to 14 feet high in a castle design, including ice furniture, statues, secret passageways, costumed characters and special effects.

The ice harvest would commence once the ice is around 12-14 inches thick, which in an average year occurs in November. If the group waited until later in the winter, the ice would be too thick to harvest, said Mooney, who noted he did a test harvest at Nickle Lake in February a couple years ago and found the ice was three and a half feet thick by that time of year.

Once the days are set for ice harvesting, there will be heated warm-up shacks available with hot coffee and hot chocolate available for all volunteers.

Also, if any volunteer wishes to dedicate his or her time to a certain Scout member, the time will be kept track of and a portion of the profits will help with that youth's registration fees, camping costs and personal equipment.

The key to being able to make the project happen will be the availability of volunteers, however.

"I can't emphasize that volunteers must register ahead of time. If we do not have enough volunteers registered, we will have to cancel the project," said Mooney.

Individuals or groups interested in volunteering should contact Mooney at his Weyburn home.