One More Scotty Dog

The 30-foot Smokey Mountain waterfall at the North Carolina Aquarium was never meant to serve as a wishing well. But there’s just something about water – any water – that makes us want to toss coins in. The aquarium has been closed this year since early spring. To save money on electricity, they shut off the power to the waterfall. The stilled water revealed fifteen years of accumulated coins in all denominations. Aquarium staff collected twenty 5-gallon buckets full of change, which they cleaned, dried and cashed in for more than two thousand dollars. The money will go toward general care at the aquarium. Because even when there aren’t any guests, the tanks still need cleaning. And all those fish still have to eat. A couple thousand won’t solve the aquarium’s financial issues, but it will certainly help. And getting all those soggy pennies back into circulation won’t hurt the coin shortage, either.