Lack of snow makes for a modified Winter Carnival in Morris
Unseasonably mild weather across Southern Manitoba forced the Town of Morris organizing committee to find other activities to replace the traditional ones at their Winter Carnival last Saturday.
“The outdoor toboggan hill is too soft and there are spots of pavement showing through the surface on the outdoor rink,” said facilities manager Arien Peterson.
And so, snow cones replaced snow hills and indoor public skating replaced outdoor shinny and broomball for the day.
“I set up a snow cone machine in the hall with the cotton candy,” said Peterson. “Mother Nature wasn’t letting us keep the snow for our hill so I figured we make our own and we can eat it too.
“We moved the firepit to the front of the Multiplex,” he added, “away from all the snow melt and closer to other activities going on inside the multiplex.”
Firefighters from the Morris Fire Department stoked the fires in the bonfire boxes, and Chief Trevor Thiessen, in his turnout gear, barbecued hotdogs for the public.
As carnival-goers stepped into the Morris Multiplex entrance hall, a wall of prizes greeted them. Local businesses and community leaders donated to create a Winter Carnival silent auction prize package. An auction for an autographed Bobby Hull hockey stick and other sport memorabilia was also part of the event.
The Morris Curling Club opened their ice to the public. Visitors with clean shoes could throw a few rocks or play all the ends for a full game.
The halls of the multiplex whined with the sound of blower motors keeping the bouncy castles inflated. The stage was open and music played for kids and adults to dance and show off their moves.
The Winter Carnival activities were complemented by the Pembina Valley Twisters’ annual CancerCare Manitoba fundraiser, which also saw participation from the Morris Mavericks and Red River Wild teams (see story on Pg. 19).
Throughout carnival venues and activities, organizers placed bright silver donation cans to collect funds for CancerCare.
Sun Valley Co-op was also on hand all day to supply hot chocolate and cookies.
“I love coming to Morris to support their events,” noted Co-op spokesperson Vickie Friesen. “There is always a great turnout. The community seems to just come together.”
Late afternoon, when the Winter Carnival was winding down and the Morris Mavericks high school hockey game was concluding, the dunk tank arrived.
Mavericks coach Seth Cory and Morris Bigway owner Pat Schmitke agreed to be dropped into the frigid water to raise money for CancerCare.
The event was at risk of being cancelled when the tank arrived late with a hole in the side after it fell off the truck during transport, but a bit of duct tape saved the day.
Instead of throwing balls to hit a target, an auction was held to sell the opportunity to pull the handle that plunges the swimmer into the tank. Schmitke posted a bounty that had to be raised or he was staying out of water. In less than three minutes that bounty was passed and he agreed to meet his fate.
The Winter Carnival activities ended in the afternoon, but the CancerCare fundraiser continued into the evening.
As organizers were closing up shop around eleven, Peterson commented, “It went really well. We smashed our the fundraising goal.
“It was a great turnout despite all the obstacles. We are looking forward to the challenge again next year.”
Photos by Sean Conway/Voice
