Canadian funny man Rick Mercer will be swimming with the fish in Campbell River on Tuesday.
The Downtown BIA sent two e-mails since spring to invite him to come to town with his show, The Rick Mercer Report, to try Destiny River Adventures’ raft & snorkel with the salmon tour on the Campbell River.
The show, which airs on CBC, features political comedy as well as wacky adventures all over the country.
BIA secretary/event co-ordinator Jan Tees loyally watches the show and came up with the idea.
"I saw Rick Mercer and thought, ‘well he does goofy things like surfing, zip-lining, and dog training, and I think he'd love to snorkel with the salmon,’" said Tees.
The BIA will ask Mercer to do a short introduction in Spirit Square with Logger Mike in the background to really show off Campbell River's downtown, as that is the main reason for inviting Mercer to the city.
"Campbell River has so much potential and so much to offer, and a lot of people don't know about us," said Tees. "It will be seen all across Canada and maybe in the States and it will bring people to Campbell River."
However, Tees is unsure that Mercer will have time to film downtown, as he will be on a tight schedule. He arrives in Campbell River on Monday night and will film the snorkel tour sometime in the early afternoon on Tuesday.
She is unsure of how long he will stay in the city after filming, as well as what his plans are for his downtime while in town.
Destiny River Adventures owner Jim DeHart said his business will be closed to the public during the Mercer visit, as he needs to focus on filming. While he said he is looking forward to meeting Mercer, he is also excited about the publicity the show will bring to Campbell River.
"We're pretty pleased that he's going to come out with us because it's the kind of exposure that Campbell River can't afford to buy," said DeHart.
The Rick Mercer Report premiers its ninth season on Tues. Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. on CBC.