Greenfield’s annual Winter Carnival is scheduled for Saturday, with a lineup of events going on snow or shine.
The opportunity for getting together and meeting neighbors is the real appeal of the event for organizer Dorene Adams. She recommends starting the day off with breakfast at the Fire Station.
“Visit with old friends over a cup of coffee while they get their cars washed,” she said, referencing the Fire Department’s by-donation car war and then peruse exhibits at the historical society or stop into the library, where crafts start on the hour throughout the day. “If we have snow, you can make a snowman on the library lawn.”
The cardboard sled race is the big event of the afternoon, she said.
“Each year the kids amaze me with their sled creations and they have so much fun going down a hill or a snow pile, hoping the sled stays together and they make it to the bottom without falling out. Screaming all the way, I might add,” she said. “It’s just as much fun watching the parents helping to keep the kids in the sled before it takes off and watching them balance and not fall down the hill themselves.”
Shoppers can check out the book sale at the library and the clothes closet at the Greenfield Congregational Covenant Church, she said, and the Hungry Goats Eatery is offering some Winter Carnival lunch specials.
“You’ll also have time to do your weekly run to the recycling center in town,” she said. “After all, Saturday is the big social day at the Recycling Center.”
A chili cook-off ends the day’s events at the Meetinghouse.
“They usually have a great turnout,” Adams said, and there’s typically some healthy competition as the previous year’s winner attempts to defend their title. For spice-phobes, Adams said there are usually a number of mild entries, and the event is yet another great place in the day’s events to visit with friends, regardless of taste.
Snowfall ultimately dictates the carnival’s activities, Adams said. In the past, there have been snowshoe hikes, lakeside activities and a bonfire at sunset lake, snowmobile rides, cross country skiing, and a snowshoe obstacle course, she said, and she’s looking into holding future carnivals later in February or early March to increase the likelihood of having sufficient snow.
The $8 all-you-can-eat breakfast runs from 8-11 a.m. at the Fire Department, the Historical Society building is open from 9 a.m. to noon, library activities run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the clothes closet is open from 10 a.m. to noon, and the sled race kicks off at 2 p.m. with registration 15 minutes prior. Doors open to the public for the chili contest at 6 p.m., and admission price is one item for the food pantry.