After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the annual Linwood Snofest is back on again this year.
The fun will take place February 4, starting off with a breakfast hosted by the Linwood firefighters at the Linwood Recreation Centre. The breakfast will run from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
This will be followed by events throughout the day including co-ed snopitch, solo card game tournament, Snowga (yoga in the snow) hosted by the Linwood Library, music by Erick Traplin, face painting, crafts, bingo and horse-race games.
There will be food and drink available during the day, including a bar later on, notes Margie Cressman, who sits on the Linwood Recreation Committee.
All proceeds from Snofest will go toward new playground equipment at the recreation centre.
Cressman says Snofest is held to “raise money but also I think very importantly to uphold the small-town community spirit that Linwood’s always had. It’s always been a very, very family oriented event.”
The recreation committee tries to pick events so there will be something that appeals to everyone, she added.
“We try to make sure that we have events or parts of the day that appeal to all ages, from little tiny children for things like our face painting to things that I’ll call the younger teens and maybe people in their 20s and so on, like the snopitch. And then the things like the horse races and solo tournaments … a lot of the middle aged or older people like to partake in those. So there’s something for everyone in the community.”
Cressman says the rec. committee works with groups in the community to make the day’s events happen.
Jerry Sherrer is the secretary for the Linwood and District Lions Club, which is running the solo card tournament and horse races.
“Snofest is a chance to bring everyone in town to socialize,” he said.
“We run wooden horse racing in the afternoon which seems to be a lot of fun for all.”
Cressman says the first Snofest was held in 1979 by an independent Snofest committee. Proceeds went to the “social betterment of the community” and also toward playground and park improvements.
She says the first Snofest included an outdoor bathing suit race, bed race, log sawing, nail hammering, plank walk, ski rally and a snow sculpture contest.
“Today it is run by our Linwood recreation board, on a smaller scale and more towards indoor entertainment rather than outdoor events, partially because of the less winter-like weather that we have been periodically having in February.”
The opening breakfast at the last Snofest before the pandemic in 2020 attracted about 200 people.
There may also still be room to sign up for Snopitch (slopitch in the snow-or mud as it may turn out to be this year). Call Jill at 519-504-1600.
