Winterfest gallops into town this weekend

Lack of snow doesn’t seem likely to cause a problem this year as the Sundance Winter Festival gears up for a day of downtown fun.

“Everything is on track, looks like we have plenty of snow,” said organizer Tony Barton last week as he delivered a final report to the Sundance City Council.

The festival kicks off on February 18 at 10 a.m. on Main Street and will center around the ski joring contest.

Competitors will be divided into five divisions: snowboard, powder puff (females aged 18+), young guns (34 years old or younger), classic (35 years old or above) and open (ages 18+). Registration for the snowboard division of the ski joring opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 9 a.m.; registration for the next division on the list will close following the short round Calcutta of the division currently on the course.

Each division will begin with a short round, for which there will be a Calcutta, followed by a long round. The Calcutta for each division will take place directly after the long round of the previous division.

Awards will be presented on the course following each division.

A snow pile will be available for kids to play on, likely between Vilas Pharmacy and the courthouse lawn, although a final decision had yet to be made on the location at the time of Barton’s report.

Numerous local businesses and food trucks will be offering refreshments ranging from coffee and chicken wings to cake pops and burgers.

The barn next to Rehab Solutions will offer several vendors as well as a place to warm up, while the Bruce Speidel Gallery will be featuring a community winter art show and Old Stoney will also be showcasing fine art. A free raffle of artwork will be drawn at 3:45 p.m. at Old Stoney.

If you would like to drink a beer as you watch the races, don’t forget to stop in at City Hall or the barn to pick up your $5 open container wristband.

Construction of the course is expected to begin on Friday, likely blocking a portion of Main Street to vehicles until the festival is over.