Maybe they all got lost.

The angels.

Took a wrong turn and ended up at Seduction Saturday in The Boom Boom Room.

That was one thing going on in Detroit last weekend. Really. Also, Chris Rock was in town. His show was probably a big draw.

Whatever the reason, Freedom Hill County Park was comparatively empty Saturday, which was good news for some proud North Dakotans.

No one's saying Detroit can't shake its groove thang, but when it comes to being a city of angels, Motown just got mowed down by Bismarck.

The Motor City failed to break Bismarck's snow-angel record on Saturday in an attempt sponsored by a radio station there.

The mark - certified by the Guinness Book of Records - still stands at 8,962. That's how many people plopped to the ground and flapped their arms and legs on Feb. 17, 2007, at the state Capitol Grounds.

Detroit isn't saying how many angels it mustered Saturday. But the sponsor, WDTW 106.7 The Fox, acknowledged Monday that the number wasn't enough to beat a bunch of losers from North Dakota.

Well, they didn't call this state's snow angels "losers" on Monday, but a disc jockey at the station did use those words last week while trying to rally the troops. The jock, known simply as Chad, said he was just trying to motivate his listeners to take part in the family-friendly event.

But the phrase sparked a retort from Marilyn Snyder, organizer of last year's record-setting event. "How are we losers?" she asked last week.

"If we don't get a record, Iguess we would be considered the losers,"Chad replied.

And so it is. His words.

"I'm still not very happy with them about the 'loser' comment,"Snyder said Monday.

"But I'm feeling much more congenial toward them now."

Still, Snyder conceded that North Dakota probably can't hold the record forever.

After holding off Syracuse, N.Y. (population 145,000) and Detroit (910,000), she said it's really just a matter of time until another town takes the angel cake.

"We have people here who want it, that's for sure,"Snyder said. "But Isuspect we are looking at maybe next year we'll lose it. You look at the population of Detroit versus us (58,000 people in Bismarck), with enough publicity and promotion they could do it."

So, Bismarck might someday lose the record.

But that won't make people here losers.

Right, Chad?

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@bismarcktribune.com.)