Two of the area’s biggest winter celebrations are right around the corner.
Both the Bust the Winter Blues Festival and the Denare Beach Winter Festival will take place on the last two weekends of February.
Bust the Winter Blues has been moved up to Feb. 16-18 from its customary March date. The main reason for the switch is to coincide with Saskatchewan’s free ice-fishing weekend.
The family fishing derby will be held during the weekend, so participants will not need to buy fishing licenses for the one-day event.
“A lot of people commented that they’d love to bring their kids and grandchildren out and show them the experience of fishing. To have to go out and buy licenses for everybody for a little two-hour tournament, they just didn’t come,” said Channa Senyk, Creighton recreation director and Bust the Winter Blues organizer.
“We were hoping this would kind of open the door to having more people coming out and enjoying that experience.”
Some new events, including snowmobile drags on Ross Lake and a bunk hockey session with the Flin Flon Bombers at the Rotary Wheel Pond, have been added to the schedule. Other old favourites, including horse and sleigh rides – cancelled last year due to a lack of snow – will return, along with a full schedule of events at the Rotary Wheel.
“I think the weatherman is promising some decent weather – the last report I saw was -14, and I didn’t mind that. Better than 40 below, right?” said Senyk.
“We’ve got lots of snow this year.”
Meanwhile, the Denare Beach Winter Festival will continue on with little change.
This year’s edition of the festival, set for Feb. 23-25, will feature several traditional and unique events – including the annual turkey curling competition. Most events, including the bingo, Musher’s Supper, fireman’s pancake breakfast, kids’ talent show and boot hockey events will take place at the Denareplex. One event, the Denare Beach snow drags, will be held at the Beaver Lake grounds.
New village rec director Mel Durette will be organizing the event for the first time, keeping the event slate more or less the same as last year’s festival. Plans for future events are coming, including some inspiration from events Durette attended in Denare Beach growing up.
“I’ve lived out here my whole entire life, I’ve volunteered but I’ve never ran it before,” said Durette. “Maybe some of the stuff I did when I was a kid, growing up.”
Durette said plans to expand the festival for next year – the festival’s 40th anniversary – will likely see expansion.
“We’re hoping to have a big one,” she said.
