Verona in Turmoil

Wil McKenny | Apr 01, 2010

Residents of Verona have joined their festival committee in the search for Cameron, their missing mascot. Only this morning they discovered he had ripped open the side of his double-reinforced pen and escaped into the wild. “We expect he’s headed north, maybe to Tichborne or Sharbot Lake,” said one of the Verona Lions; “He’s a big one, and can cover a lot of territory in a hurry.”

A Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson said Cameron came out of hibernation earlier than usual this spring, probably because of the warm weather, and he’s going to be hungry. Although most bog lemmings are predominately vegetarian, no one seems to know how Cameron achieved his somewhat larger than average size. The common bog lemming attains a length of 10 cm (about 4 inches), but Cameron measures up just under 6 feet (2 meters). “Best to keep your pets inside, just in case,” advises the OPP.

The MNR is refusing to verify any reported sightings without accompanying samples of fur or scat.

All plans for Verona’s summer festival are on hold until Cameron is found. “Cattails are all well and good,” said one festival representative, who asked not to be named, “but they just can’t work a crowd the way Cameron used to.”