Tri-Town Winter Carnival celebrating 50-year anniversary

Feb. 7—BRASHER — The Tri-Town Winter Carnival will be celebrating a milestone 50-year anniversary when it kicks off on Feb. 15 with a theme of "Cheers To 50 Years."

The event featuring four fun-filled days of activities for all ages has been organized by the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce with a small group of volunteers.

"We are running with a very, very small group of people. We're talking about 10 people or less contacting different businesses, contacting different groups and trying to get them in to do events to bring people to our local area and see what our town is about," chamber secretary Nancy Dimick said. "We've been planning since at least November. We actually started planning before that because we started looking for entertainment in the summer."

Although official opening ceremonies aren't scheduled until the following night, Feb. 15 activities include Sip and Paint from 6 to 8 p.m. at the The Red Barn at Pike's Place; skating drills competition from 5:25 to 7:35 p.m. at the Tri-Town Arena; snowman/sculpture contest with a deadline of 4 p.m.; and royalty announcement and costume party from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Riverview.

This year's Senior Royalty are David and Sharon Burl from Brasher Falls, while Kim and Ed Russell will represent the town of Brasher, Tari and Dave Burnett will represent the town of Lawrence, and Mary Jo and Dave Thompson will represent the town of Stockholm.

The prince and princess are seniors at St. Lawrence Central High School.

"Our princess is Miss Ruby Passon and this year's prince of Winter Carnival will be Harlee Hartson," Dimick said.

Opening ceremonies are set for 6 to 11 p.m. Feb. 16 at Pike's Place. Cocktails will be served from 6 to 7 p.m., royalty will be announced at 7 p.m., dinner by Gibeon's Galley will be served from 7 to 9 p.m., desserts by Kenna's Cookies will be available from 8:30 to 10 p.m., entertainment hits the stage from 8 to 9:30 p.m., and DJ Wendy Crump will spin tunes from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

Comedy entertainment will be provided by Bryan Hatt and Patrick Haye. Critics have dubbed Hatt fearless, fast and funny.

Hatt has appeared on CBC, the Comedy Network, and has his own comedy special. He actively headlines in clubs from coast to coast and has opened for comedy legends, such as Gilbert Gottfried and Tom Green.

Haye has performed in comedy clubs, such as Yuk Yuks and major festivals, including Just for Laughs. He's known for his comedic storytelling and observational style.

Among the Feb. 17 highlights is a snowmobile poker run that will be held rain or shine, snow or mud. The stops include the American Legion in Brushton, Riverview Restaurant in Brasher Falls, High Peaks Winery in Winthrop, Cedar View in Helena, The Jug in North Lawrence, the Pit Stop Diner in North Lawrence, the American Legion in Winthrop, Pike's Place in Brasher, Town Line Market in Brasher/Winthrop, ABCD Hardware in Winthrop, American Legion Post 1479 in Hogansburg, Speedway Plaza in Hogansburg, Speedway Power Sports in Hogansburg, Not Another Damn Cigarette Shop in Hogansburg, and ending at the Riverview.

The Tri-Town Winter Carnival parade steps off at 11 a.m. at ABCD Hardware and ends at St. Lawrence Central School.

"We've had it in a snowstorm and this year we're hoping it's not. It was so snowy you couldn't even see them," Dimick said.

The day also includes a Kids Zone from noon to 3 p.m. at St. Lawrence Central Elementary School. The activities include bounce houses, hot chocolate bar, carnival games over the years, family swim, fun camp coding, crafts, interactive stories, a story time event, and temporary tattoos by Glow.

"New this year is outhouse racing," Dimick said.

That will be held starting at 1 p.m. at Helena General.

The day rounds up with fireworks that will be shot off from behind the Tri-Town Arena beginning at 8 p.m.

The Feb. 18 activities include food and games being held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lawrenceville Fire Department. The events include a 50's diner, tug of war, bed races, wheelbarrow races, and volleyball in the snow.

The weekend wraps up with closing ceremonies from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Pit Stop Diner in North Lawrence.

The full schedule of events can be found on the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TriTownChamberofCommerce.