DORSET - For over 20 years, the Dorset Snowball Winter Carnival has been bringing people together with family-friendly activities.
Since its inception in 1991, the carnival has been run by the volunteer committee for the Dorset Recreation Centre as a means to raise funds for the facility. However, what started as a local event has garnered the attention of families throughout Ontario, volunteers said.
The event, on Feb. 15 and 16, has a variety of activities from a pancake breakfast, skating, snowball games, a chainsaw-carving demo, mini-snowmobile rides, broomball, a hockey shootout, snowshoe races, a stone-carving workshop and more. Families are also invited to help build a snow sculpture at the ball diamond on Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon.
New to the event this year is the Snowball Prince and Princess Pageant for boys and girls aged four to 13. There are three age categories. Contestants in the age four-to-five category need to enter a snow-themed picture; those in the age six-to-eight category need to enter a snow-themed poem; and children aged nine to 13 need to enter a winter sport-themed essay. All work must be original and unpublished. Registration is open until Feb. 13. Winners will participate in the prize ceremony at the family skating party on Feb. 15 and the Snowball Parade on Feb. 16.
To register your child for the pageant, phone 705-766-9968 or 705-766-2536 or email drc@algonquinhighlands.ca.
In the event of poor ice conditions for the outdoor family skate on Feb. 15 from 6 to 9 p.m., there will instead be a family dance party at the recreation centre during the same time.
For more information, including a detailed schedule, visit dorsetsnowball.com.