THUNDER BAY - With several large snowfalls in recent weeks that have left massive snow banks and many sore backs from shoveling, it can be easy to forget to have a little fun in the winter.
And now, families who may not have the means to enjoy the thrills of flying through the snow down a steep hill can join in the fun with a little community support.
Bill Siver set up a sled donation bin at Balsam Pit Park where people can take or leave a sled. Called Seth’s Sled Donation, the bin is located near the shed in the parking lot at the park.
Siver said he heard on social media that a number of broken sleds were scattered around the park so he collected them and took them to the dump.
“There was some mention of less fortunate people not having some sleds to be able to slide on,” Siver said. “I had some pieces and materials at home so I made a bin people could come and donate used sleds and kids can have them here.”
The sleds are for anyone, Siver added, and it’s just meant to allow kids a chance to hit the hill, whether they have a sled or not.
“All kids want to come sliding,” he said. “Whether they don’t have a toboggan or break their toboggan. It’s just an easy way to provide for them.”
“It’s a great idea for anybody that wants to come out to the hill and doesn’t have a sled they can just grab one and borrow it for the day,” said Jason Figliomeni, who was at the popular sledding spot with his family on Saturday. “The kids have a lot of fun here.”
This weekend was the first time Figliomeni and the family hit the hill.
“We’ve been waiting for there to be enough snow and get a nice day,” he said. “There’s no shortage of snow this week. It’s been every day shoveling for us.”
But now that the shoveling is all done, it’s time to have some fun.
“I like hitting the jumps with the GT,” said eight-year-old Christian Ianni. “It’s not scary. Maybe that one time when I slipped. It was a little scary.”
Figliomeni said throughout the years there are always kids and families at the park taking turns flying down the hill. But now with sleds available for everyone, things can only get better.
“There are all kinds of stuff going on here, kids on their knees, on snowboards, on their butts, anything,” he said. “But now it’s another option.”
