Springfield Winter Carnival warms up winter

Winter revelers with sleds, saucers, snowshoes, and skates dotted the snowy landscape of the Crown Point Country Club at the Springfield Winter Carnival recently.

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Springfield Winter Carnival warms up winter BY KAREN ENGDAHL The ShopperFebruary 13, 2017 Springfield Winter Carnival Hardy broom hocket teams take to the ice. Photo by Karen Engdahl SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Winter revelers with sleds, saucers, snowshoes, and skates dotted the snowy landscape of the Crown Point Country Club at the Springfield Winter Carnival recently. In its third year, the Springfield Winter Carnival was sponsored by Springfield Recreation Department, Edgar May Recreation Center and Crown Point Golf Course. The weekend-long event included free sledding and skating, two bonfires, fireworks sponsored by Kelley Chrysler, a broom hockey tournament, a snowman-building contest, sledding races, and indoor activities for kids. Waiting their turn at the top of the sledding hill, Sara and Zach Prescott of Rutland said they were visiting their grandparents in Weathersfield when they read about the carnival in the newspaper. The whole family made the trip to the Crown Point Golf Course and was taking part in the activities. “It’s really fun!” yelled five-year-old Zach, as he hopped on his sled. “The snow is really cold, but I don’t care.” Shrieks of joy, combined with just the right amount of terror, could be heard as each sled rider picked up speed on the steep, slippery hill. Below the sledding hill, teams gathered for a broom hockey tournament on the skating rink. Cold outdoor temperatures didn’t seem to dampen any spirits, and free hot chocolate served at the Red Cross station provided a warm-up for tired sledders and skaters. Inside the Crown Point clubhouse, the Crown Point Pub sold burgers, hotdogs, chili, fries and drinks all weekend. Also on hand with a tableful of treats was the National Honor Society of Springfield High School, holding a bake sale to raise money for Hunger Free Vermont. New at the carnival this year were the indoor kids’ activities. Troy Wunderle’s Big Top Adventures was there, along with face-painting with Mona Frye and paper crafts with the Springfield Art Gym. Springfield High School students hosted a variety of games including bowling, bean bag toss, snowball toss, Plinko and spin-a-prize. Kids could also help build luminaria to line the driveway and convert cardboard to snow crafts for Sunday’s cardboard sled race. The carnival festivities on Friday and Saturday ended with bonfires and, on Saturday, fireworks, perennial favorites on dark winter nights. Springfield Winter Carnival Members of the National Honor Society from Springfield High School hold bake sale at the winter carnival. Photo by Karen Engdahl. Springfield Winter Carnival Kids and adults wait at the top of the hill for their turn to sled. Photo by Karen Engdahl. Springfield Winter Carnival Oliver Lord, Greta Searless, and Autumn Lord model their face paintings. Photo by Karen Engdahl.