From curling frozen turkeys to hunting for freezies, there will be plenty of kooky fun going on at the 37th annual Denare Beach Winter Fest, slated for Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27.
Jody Lyle, Denare Beach recreation director, says the weekend’s activities will be mostly centred around the Denareplex.
The fun will begin with a (ticketed) Friday night roast beef supper, followed by live music from CC Trubiak and Mark Kolt.
Friday night will also bring one of the festival’s truly unique activities. Turkey curling sees frozen turkeys turned into curling rocks with the help of cupboard handles and a bit of duct tape.
“Apparently it’s a hoot,” said Lyle.
Saturday will kick off early with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Denare Beach Fire Department, followed by a series of indoor and outdoor events, such as a cribbage tournament at the Denareplex, boot hockey at the rink and a freezie mountain event at the fire hall.
“We take Mr. Freezes and hide them in a mountain full of snow, and kids dig them out,” Lyle said with a laugh.
“We have such a variety of events for all ages, young to old.”
Kids ready to prove their northern chops can compete in a junior king and queen trapper competition on Saturday afternoon, where they can showcase skills in jigging, animal calling, tea boiling, trap-setting and rope-twinning.
Sled aficionados will find plenty to keep them busy on Saturday, with a snowmobile drag race in front of Rocky View BnB on Amisk Lake, and a unique poker derby where snowmobilers ride from one checkpoint to another to collect a hand of cards.
That night, Lyle is encouraging locals of all ages to come out for a dance at the Denareplex, where a full-service bar and canteen will be set up.
“It will be a wedding reception kind of idea, where kids and adults can go up and request tunes, so you might hear anything from Justin Bieber to AC/DC,” Lyle said. “We are hoping people will get up and do some dancing and have a good family fun time.”
A $3 festival button will be required to attend festival activities.
A schedule will be published in next week’s Reminder.
For more information, contact Jody Lyle at
306-362-2050 or denare
[email protected]
