Sylvan Lake’s annual Winterfest is back this weekend from Feb. 16 through Feb. 18.
The festival, held over the Family Day long weekend, kicks off Feb. 16 at 9 a.m. with the Lions Pancake Breakfast at the Lions Hall.
Breakfast is $7 per adult, $5 for kids aged six to 12 and free for those under five-years-old.
“[After breakfast] the library does their annual Frozen Party, there’s the Winterfest Farmers Market and then, of course, we have Family Fun at the Lake from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., and the Polar Bear Dip is at 1 p.m. and we finish off the day with fireworks at 7 p.m.,” said Kaelon Glowatski, special event coordinator with the Town of Sylvan Lake.
The Sylvan Lake Municipal Library’s Frozen Party will be playing the movie at 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. There will be crafts and snacks available throughout the day and families are welcome to drop by at any point to enjoy the festivities.
The Community Centre will be home to the Winterfest Farmers Market from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 16.
Family Fun at the Lake, located on the east side of the pier, will have tons of fun outdoor activities including sleigh rides, a petting zoo, a photo booth, tug rope, a colouring contest, a hockey and soccer shootout, as well as bonfires and s’mores.
Dippers will be taking the plunge at the Polar Bear Dip on the west side of the pier at 1 p.m.
“The Polar Bear Dip is something I think is kind of unique to our town and it’s an awesome thing to see,” said Glowatski of the Saturday afternoon event, adding each dipper has to raise a minimum of $100 for a local charity of their choice.
The day ends with fireworks from the pier at 7 p.m.
READ MORE: SLIDESHOW: Fun and games had at Winterfest
“Of course the fun doesn’t stop there, there’s stuff to do on Sunday as well,” said Glowatski. “We have the 2019 Alberta Oval Ice Racing Championship Series coming here.”
The series is doing its nationals on Feb. 17 and will have racers coming from all over Canada as well as places such as the United States.
Racing starts at 10:30 a.m. and goes until 4:30 p.m. on the lake. Admission is $5 a person or a maximum of $15 per truck load.
On Family Day, Feb. 18, there will be a Tim Hortons Free Public Skate at the NexSource Centre from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
On top of the events there is also free ice fishing all weekend where everyone is welcome to fish without a licence.
“We’re just kind of hoping to create an event that brings out the community, that you can do with the family, and just an activity that gets them outside and experiencing what our great lake has to offer,” said Glowatski, adding everyone should dress warm because it is a “great, fun day on the lake.”
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