CL Winterfest fills weekend with snowy fun
By Shara JJ Cooper
The Christina Lake Winterfest has been a pillar at the Lake for so long that organizer Brenda Auge can’t put a date on when it first started, but she does know that community members look forward to it each year and this year was no different.
“A lot of people have told me stories from Winterfest from when they were young,” she said.
This year, organizers mixed things up a little bit by spreading the events out over the full weekend. They also reached out and pooled their resources. Auge, a member of the Christina Lake Community Association, said that the credit doesn’t go to just one group.
Most of the local community groups played a role in pulling off the weekend and they had a lot of help from sponsors in both Christina Lake and Grand Forks.
“Basically, all we had to do was ask and they responded,” said Auge.
The weekend started on Thursday night with an open mic night at the Christina Lake Welcome Centre. Sno-Pitch and hockey started the following day at the Christina Lake Hall. Friday ended with a family movie night at the hall, complete with two back-to-back feature films, popcorn and pizza.
Saturday and Sunday planned events around the different buildings. Saturday was spent at the hall. It was kicked off by a pancake breakfast that had at least 150 to 200 people lining up for breakfast. The day was full of sno-pitch, contests, kids activities and hockey tournaments.
On Sunday, the activities moved over to the Welcome Centre. The day started with a polar bear dip in the lake followed by hot chocolate. Visitors moved behind the Welcome Centre and took part in ski and snowshoe races followed by human dog sled races.
According to Auge, the weekend evolves a little more each year.
“A lot will carry through to next year,” she said. “We take what works and we refine it.”
