In order to give the organizers of the upcoming Manitoba Winter Games a little bit more breathing room, this year’s Winterfest celebration will take place Feb. 2–4 rather than at the end of that month.
This point was hammered home during the inaugural meeting of the Winterfest 2018 organizing committee at the Thompson Regional Community Centre (TRCC) Jan. 10.
“We also realized that a lot of volunteers for Winterfest are also part of volunteers for the Winter Games,” said Darlene Dick, a recreation co-ordinator for the city who also spearheaded this meeting. “So we didn’t want to have too much pressure with the volunteers … having to go from Winterfest right to the Winter Games.”
Despite arriving earlier, the upcoming Winterfest will feature a lot of the same events as in past years, Dick predicts.
Although a lot of these activities still have to be confirmed, some of the ideas floated during the Jan. 10 meeting included: a scavenger hunt, a snow maze, fireworks, a free family skate, an ice sculpture competition, a performance by the Diamond Disc Dogs and the traditional community bonfire to start things off on Friday night.
This meeting also featured representatives from several community organizations and businesses, including the Thompson Kin Club, Thompson Guide and Lambert’s Paint and Carpet Centre.
While Thompson Kin Club president Malanie Cutler believes that some people might be thrown off by this new advanced timetable, she reminded the Thompson Citizen that Winterfest already underwent drastic restructuring back in 2015, which worked out in the organizer’s favour.
“They realized it’s easier to have one weekend with more events and bring out more people than having it for the month, because you get more of a turnout,” said Cutler.
Even if this new schedule presents the committee with the grueling task of organizing, promoting and putting together this large event in the space of a couple weeks, Cutler said it’s still worth the effort in the end to help residents chase away the winter blues.
“The bonfire is always fun. So are the fireworks,” she said. “Even though it’s cold outside, I think that’s a big one for everybody that is taking time to enjoy [themselves] as a family.”
The Winterfest 2018 organizing committee will be meeting on a weekly basis throughout the month, with their next get-together scheduled for Jan. 17 at the Mary Fenske Boardroom at 6 p.m. Anybody is welcome to attend.
If you would like your organization to be a part of Winterfest 2018, please contact Dick at ddick@thompson.ca or 204-677-7969.
