Winterloo in Waterloo!
Posted Feb 16, 2013 06:17:07 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An old festival is back with a new name!
The 10th Annual Ice Dogs Festival returns to Waterloo this weekend but it has a new name; Winterloo!
The event runs from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. from Saturday February 16th to Monday February 18th. A variety of things to see and do will be in the Uptown Waterloo core and some activities are spread father through Waterloo.
Volunteer chair, Tracey Weiler tells 570 News the festival was re-branded because the great programming has evolved into more of a winter family festival. She adds they hope to take the festival forward for another ten years into the future, and they thought this historical day would be a good day to re-brand the event to open it up to a more broad audience.
Weiler tells 570 News this year’s fun interactive ice piece is an ice slide that kids are actually able to slide down.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Weiler says there will be a special dog sled team ice sculpture and families will be able to have their picture taken beside it.
Weiler emphasizes the programming of the festival has also evolved thanks to a number of community partners. THEMUSUEUM is one of those partners and they will have a a booth on side and a children’s craft. The Grand River Conservation Authority is also hosting snow shoe hike out at Laurel Creek.
One highlight is the second annual Chili Cook-off which takes place on Saturday at The Chainsaw. Local restaurants in Waterloo bring their best recipes to compete, and for a small price, you can taste all the entries.
There is also a hockey game you can watch between Waterloo city councillors and the Waterloo Siskins that will be hosted by 570’s Mike Farwell.
Another highlight to look for at the festival is the ice carving competition. Carvers from across Ontario come to carve sculptures on Saturday morning. They are then judged later on the in the afternoon and will be displayed at Waterloo Public Square for the remainder of the weekend.
Other events on the roster include the popular dog sled rides in the Regina Street parking lot in Waterloo on Sunday and Monday, trolley rides, a scavenger hunt hike, guided winter walks and a tumble bus for kids.
Weiler adds the event is free because it is hosted by the City of Waterloo, The Waterloo Public Square and the Uptown BIA. Other key sponsors include E-Solutions, Huskey, The Dean Group, Steel Wealth Management, Home Hardware and Raymond James.
To see the full schedule of activities for the three days, visit winterloo.com.
