Back to provide some fun on Family Day for Elmira residents is the Winter in Bloom event.

People are encouraged to come out and paint beautiful gardens, designs and pictures in the snow. The third year the snow-painting event is being held at the Woolwich Memorial Centre, Winter in Bloom is open to the whole community. This time around, the free event will only run in the morning, wrapping up around noon.

Organized by Elmira Optimists, Elmira Kiwanis Club and Elmira and District Horticultural Society, it started out as just a fun idea for families in Elmira. A member of the Kiwanis Club suggested that painting colourful garden was in keeping with what the horticultural society is all about.

The idea is fairly simple: equip participants with spray bottles filled with red, blue and green food colouring and then let them put their creativity to work. As a bonus, it’s a reason to get outdoors on a winter’s day.

“The kids come into the front foyer, and there is a desk that we have, and they get a couple of paint spray bottles where we have food colouring mixed with water, and then they go in and make a design in the snow,” explained horticultural society Christine Webb of the process.

Of course, the day’s activities are somewhat dictated by the weather. Last year, for instance, the group had to head over to the neighbouring sports field to make use of the piles of snows, the vistas otherwise being green. Still, that didn’t stop people from enjoying themselves.

“It was a lot of fun. We noticed last year there was a lot of really little kids that were coming for whether it was for swimming or for skating or coming for the Sugar Kings game,” she said. “They went in and got some spray bottles and did a little bit and then went and did the activities.”

The event was so successful it attracted some of the other local horticultural societies to put on their own snow painting event, so look for them to attend as well, she says.

New this year, the groups will be providing more durable spray bottles and some new stencils for the kids to use, as well the event will only run until noon rather than 3 p.m. as it did prior.

Additional Family Day events at the WMC include a family zumba class (10-10:45 a.m.) and family yoga class, 1-1:45 p.m. – spots are limited so register in advance. There will be free public swimming from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and free public skating from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

As well, the Elmira Sugar Kings will be doing a team autograph session from 11-11:30 a.m., and will hold a sign-making contest for kids during their 2 p.m. game against Waterloo – bring a sign to support to the team or make one at the WMC. Kids’ tickets will be $2 with an adult.