Yellowknife (Apr 01/05) - An independent organization with a mandate to promote the positive aspects of the Mackenzie Gas Project is set to release its mascot tomorrow in a special ceremony in Inuvik.

Move over Sammy the Husky, there's a new mascot coming to town. - NNSL file photo

Gassy Gary, the brainchild of the Federation of Arctic Resources Community Endorsement society (FARCE), is "a delightful character, full of surprises and information about the positive aspects of the pipeline project," said a society press release.

"It is our hope that Gassy Gary will prove a useful tool in getting our message out."

In its efforts to keep the look of the mascot a surprise, no images of Gassy Gary were available to the media.

"Like a blast of a warm spring wind blowing through the delta, that's the way we want Gassy Gary to be revealed to the public," the press release goes on to say.

The unveiling of the mascot Friday will also mark the society's one-year anniversary.

Concerned about negative media attention regarding the environmental impacts of the pipeline, the society came about as a way of "giving those who support the project a voice, a way to battle the hot air of those pesky environmentalists."

"And this is where Gary comes in," said Frank Lespeekin, spokesperson for FARCE.

"We're banking on a public relations coup."

Whether or not Gassy Gary's explosion onto the scene will be a success is anybody's guess.

In the meantime, check your calendars to see if you are free tomorrow (Friday, April 1) to attend the ceremony.