Winter Carnival returns to Springfield

Springfield’s first Winter Carnival in about 25 years gets underway in a big way today, with a pancake breakfast, bingo, broom hockey, skating and sledding at the Crown Point Country Club.
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Photo by Len Emery Springfield painter and sculptor Jamie Townsend roughs out an unnamed sculpture at the entrance to Crown Point Country Club where this year’s Winter Carnival will be held. Published February 7, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Winter Carnival returns to Springfield By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer Springfield artist Jamie Townsend was busy Friday afternoon carving a mystery snow sculpture to celebrate the town’s first Winter Carnival in decades. Townsend, whose colorful and abstract paintings grace many downtown Springfield buildings, wouldn’t identify the face-like sculpture. Springfield’s first Winter Carnival in about 25 years gets underway in a big way today, with a pancake breakfast, bingo, broom hockey, skating and sledding at the Crown Point Country Club. Springfield’s parks and recreation director said he, too, was refusing to explain Townsend’s snow and ice sculpture. “I’m telling them they have to go up there to see it,” Andy Bladyka said during Friday’s final preparations for the festival. “We’ve been playing a game: ‘You have to go to find out,’” he said. The snowstorm on Groundhog Day dumped 10 to 14 inches in Springfield, setting the stage for the festival. But Bladyka said last weekend they built a plywood form to hold the snow, and Townsend is now carving out a sculpture with a chainsaw. Last weekend’s snow was pretty dry, so they sprinkled in water to make sure it held its shape. Bladyka said Townsend would finishing the sculpture this morning, when people are first coming to Crown Point for the Winter Carnival pancake breakfast. Sean Foulois, a captain with the Springfield Fire Department, was building a bonfire Friday afternoon with some helpers. The bonfire was slated to be set off around 6 p.m. Friday, the official start to the carnival. “We’re having free hot chocolate,” Bladyka said, noting that the clubhouse’s restaurant would be open during the Winter Carnival for pub-type food: chili, hot dogs and hamburgers. The recreation director said teams can register for the broom hockey tournament up until 12:30 p.m. today. So far, six to eight teams are signed up, he said. From 7 to 10 p.m. there is a family-friendly dance at the clubhouse with a disc jockey. Sunday’s events will start at 11 a.m. with snowshoe races. Cardboard sled races are scheduled for 1 p.m. The festival committee set up outside lighting, so people can sled and skate after the sun sets. For more details, check the winter carnival’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/events/388069048041479/