Friendly rivalry

Raising some money for a good cause.

From KBTX.com:

Twin Cities' Mayors Ring Bells For Salvation Army

Its a rivalry in the twin cities that's even involved the mayors, only this contest is friendly, and all about trying to see who could raise the most money for the Salvation Army.

Bryan mayor Mark Conlee rang a bell and took donations outside the Bryan Walmart for an hour Saturday.

College Station mayor Ben White did the same, in front of that city's Walmart.

Mayor Conlee was the overwhelming winner, and so Mayor White will present his Bryan counterpart with a bell trophy at an upcoming Bryan City Council meeting.

Over $5,500 dollars was raised for the Salvation Army, with Walmart providing $3,000 dollars to the cause.

Now the College Station Walmart is not a Super Walmart like the Bryan site. The Super Walmart has two entrances though, making it a fair fight. Kudos to Bryan people!

Thank you Walmart too!

Update:

The Eagle has a lot more details on the pots.

Conlee collected $4,002.89, and White brought in $1,589.28, officials said.

Wal-Mart added $1,000 each and pitched an additional $1,000 to Conlee's kettle for his victory, bringing the total raised during the event to more than $8,590.

Last year, Bryan's mayor raised more than $3,000, while College Station's mayor pro tem raised roughly $1,600.

The KBTX article makes it seem like $3000 of the $5,500 came from Walmart. It's good to know that the total was actually over $8000! Wow!