This year’s winter carnival celebrates the Spring Festival, with a theme of Chinese New Year.
The annual collective up yours to winter started on Monday, January 20 with a number of events at the Community Centre.
Mask Making, the Scavenger Hunt and Wall Scrabble are all underway, building up to the weekend.
On Thursday, there is adult bingo happening in room 4 at 1 pm. For the younger set, there is Edible Castle Building in Room 3. Under 6 starts at 2 pm, while construction gets under way for the older kids at 3. In the library, those kids making masks…continue to make masks.
On Friday, set aside your bingo cards for a deck of cards, as a cribbage tournament is taking place, again at 1 pm.
At 3, the final mask making session happens, and entries for the Lego building content must be in by 5.
At 5:30, there is a Family dance until 7:30, which is followed by youth bingo for kids in grades 5-12.
Saturday is the busiest day of the carnival, kicking off with a Pancake Breakfast at 9. (It runs to 12 for those who like to sleep in.
Starting concurrently with the pancake breakfast, but running until 4 is the craft fair in rooms 4 and 5.
Over in the Fireside Lounge is family karaoke (which I assume means no gansta rap.) Elsewhere in the community centre, you will find face painters and criers announcing the winners of the contests (at 1 pm).
That evening, the big event is the Grand Gatsby Murder Mystery, which we have already discussed in these pages. It is adults only, and if you haven’t signed up, you are out of luck.
All these events pale in comparison to the excitement generated by the oft imitated, never replicated Tobox’n Race.
Temperatures are currently expected to be above zero for this favourite event, which bodes well for the audience, but not for the racers as they will struggle through the sticky snow.
Participants build a snowcraft out of cardboard and tape (talk to the Community Centre for a complete list of allowed materials), then compete for acclaim for the craft’s beauty speed, or in the rare case, both, as they hurtle down the sledding hill towards the finish line. The race is replete with spills, chills and the occasional parent having to push the poorly designed craft all the way to the bottom.
The highlight of the event is often after the main race, when the adults take a turn in their masterpieces.
Come out and participate; with events for all ages, it’s the most fun you’ll have between now and valentines. Maybe even Easter.
