CHESTERMERE – Although we in Alberta have been blessed with a warm winter so far, the community will come together to embrace the season during the Chestermere Winter Festival on Jan. 14.
There will be events taking place at the Chestermere Regional Recreation Center, Anniversary Park, and on the lake for most of the day. Here is your complete schedule of events:
– A pancake breakfast will kick things off at 8:30 a.m. It will run until 10:00 a.m, and will take place in the MPP Room at the Recreation Centre.
– The Fishing Derby will start bright and early, with registration opening at 9 a.m. The derby will start at 10 a.m., and will run until 2:00 p.m. It will be held right on Chestermere Lake. The awards for the derby will be held in the lounge at the Recreation Centre at 3 p.m.
– The 25 Yard Daddy Dash, for children five and under, will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the soccer field at the Recreation Centre. Registration for this event begins at 9 a.m. in the MPP room. begins at 9 a.m.
– The “Frost Free Zone” will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Recreation Centre’s main hall. There will be various activities available, as well as a caricature artist, a balloon artist, and children’s entertainer Greg T “That Crazy Magic Guy” who will perform at noon. There will also be a craft area, and an activity setup with games such as Slap Shot Hockey, a Wii station, and Penguin Flip. There will also be a meet and greet with the RCMP & Fire Department hockey team at 1:30 p.m.
– The Arctic Village at Anniversary Park (across from the Rec Centre), will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a straw maze, horse drawn sleigh rides, fire pits, snow mountain slide, kids fun foam block building area, food and beverage concessions, open skating on the lake and more.
– At 1 p.m. at Anniversary Park, festival visitors can watch the infamous Polar Bear Dip, which is now in its fourth year. Last year, Members of the local RCMP Detachment, Bruce McAllister, Councillor Patrick Bergen and members of the YELL (Youth Encouraging Lasting Leadership) all participated last year and raised around $1,000 for YELL. The local celebrities for this years dip have yet to be revealed.
– The second annual Exhibition Hockey Game, which features members of Rocky View Fire Services and the local RCMP facing off against local mens hockey team “The Wannabes.” The game starts at 3 p.m., and entry to the game is a donation the to Chestermere Food Bank. There will be chances to win all kinds of door prizes, and at the game’s intermission, there will be Human Hamster Ball Races.
– The day will finish off at Anniversary Park, where there will be the “Fire and Ice” gathering at 5:30 p.m. There will be a bonfire, a children’s lantern walk and fireworks.
– On Sunday, Jan. 15, the Second Gear Club will return for another year to host their motorcycle oval ice race, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For complete details, go to www.chestermerefestivals.ca.
