Officials with Fort William Historical Park are grateful to Old Man Winter for the recent snowfall and mild temperatures as staff readies the park for their New Year’s Eve Family Frolic.
“He woke up in time to give us a nice blanket of snow,” said spokesman Marty Mascarin.
“As we understand it, temperatures are going to be nice and mild tomorrow. We have the best of conditions we could possibly ask for.”
The event has been running for more than a decade and usually draws upwards of 3,000 people.
There are activities for people for all ages, making it truly a family event, said Mascarin.
People are encouraged to bring their skates and sleds for the rink and sliding hill; snowshoes will be supplied to anyone wanting to try snowshoeing. Folks can try some heritage games like shinny or snowsnake as well.
There will also be dog-sled rides for an additional fee. Mascarin said they encourage anyone interested in the dog-sledding to arrive early because there is a limited capacity.
Those wanting to take a break from outdoor activities can try out some Wii games or indoor crafts, including the Fort’s popular crazy hat contest.
Mascarin said there make sure to have a mix of contemporary and heritage activities.
“We are multi-purposing the facility as best we can to make it more accessible to residents and visitors to Northwestern Ontario. That’s why we have a verity of things to appeal to people’s different tastes and different age groups,” he said.
Also open to the public Saturday is the farm area of the park. Mascarin said they have some new additions to the farm including sheep and a newborn calf, which arrived earlier this week.
The New Year’s Eve Family Frolic will also feature live entertainment on the main stage, including Michael Jackson tribute act Smooth Criminals, the Grumpy Grampas and Flipper Flanagan’s Flat-Footed Four.
The evening ends with the fireworks show at 10 p.m.
“Everyone really looks forward to that component. You get the traditional ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ in the crowd,” said Mascarin.
New Year’s Eve Family Frolic at Fort William Historical Park runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dec. 31. Admission is $8.85 (HST not included) for adults and $7.08 (HST not included) for seniors and youth ages 6 to 18. Kids five and under get in free.
