ST. ANSGAR - Planners wanted something new to liven up Saturday's annual Town and Country Day.

They conjured pure ingenuity: Drain the water and oil out of a 1989 Ford pickup and run the engine until it barks, coughs, sputters and quits.

The first "How long will it run?" contest will begin at 10 a.m. at the St. Ansgar Fire Station, 122 W. Fourth St.

"I hope it goes good," Fire Chief Jerry Rachut said. "It should be fun for everybody."

The contest will raise money for the fire department. Officials hope to replace an equipment van.

For a $1 donation, players can guess how long the poor pickup will chug without fluids. Entry forms are available at the St. Ansgar Enterprise Journal and from firefighters. The winner will receive half the money or share it if more than one person guesses correctly.

So far entries range from three minutes to six hours, Rachut said.

The action will reheat after the truck dies: Firefighters will demonstrate the Jaws of Life, removing the vehicle's doors and roof.

The poor beast rolled nearly 200,000 miles, said Lindsey Falk, vice president of L.R. Falk Construction in St. Ansgar. The company donated the Ford.

"Actually, it's fairly lucky that it runs. It's got a lot of hard miles on it," Falk said.

"I guess it's probably going to be more valuable for us (Saturday) than it has been for the past 10 years."