Painting the Town White

 AO had the only car on the Main Street this weekend. Right outside their flagship store. That's fair, since they were providing a whole pile of snow toys for the occasion.



Which was?

Well, Huntsville decided it needed MORE snow, So they shut down Main Street and Rivermill Park, trucked in all the snow they could get a truck around, brought in the ski groomer from Arrowhead Park, set up a Snowboard Park and brought Winter to the Downtown.

It was called the Winter Comedy Festival -- and that's not because you could find yourself laughing at the snow-biking Moose in blue and yellow, but because headlining at Deerhurst and the Algonquin Theatre they had stand up comics, including Brent Butt and Jim Belushi.

Now, to be honest, I'm not sure how much shopping was going on along Main Street, but the Fun was unlimited.

Ski races came to town, and so did the Jack Rabbit ski program from Arrowhead. 



Breanne doesn't get poles until NEXT week, but she didn't care, zipping back and forth along the Main drag.  She was more than happy to show me her new skills.  Skiing is for Life, and is one of the best sports to have in your portfolio.

A pause at the Warming Centre set up in Partners' Hall resulted in some crazy face painting effects.   We saw a LOT of this design out and about! 

Age was not a factor!  Face Painting isn't just for Kid's when Huntsville paints the town.






You really can't have a Festival without music, and there was a rotating live show taking place on the Ny-Dock dock by the Royal Bank.  Never mind the snow that was falling like it wanted to be on a Christmas card, the day was mild, and the music was mellow.






 A bar crafted from ice housed the Beer Tent.  Now, me, myself, I'm not such a fan of cold beer when I'm standing outside in the snow, but to each their own.


Three Guys and a Stove were also out on the street, keeping people well fueled with soup, burgers, sandwiches and hot drinks.


Something new, and quite interesting, was the Craftsman Challenge.   Five identical (well, the plans were identical) Garden Sheds were being built on the street, over the three days.  They would be judged for the best workmanship, and then the sheds will be auctioned off at the Cottage Life Show, with the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity.

 What with our Mike being in the Construction course at Georgian, we felt honour bound to cheer for these guys...




It made for a really fun weekend, brought out the 'crazy winter hats', and lots of warm smiles.


In Rivermill Park, AO had set up a Riglet Park, a tiny little snowboard park where the widgets could be introduced to the sport.

Thanks to Chris Occhiuzzi for this photo of Dante learning how to balance on the board!

So here's a cheer to Huntsville, and another cheer for a winter that can be played with, by all ages.

You should be putting this Festival on your List for next year, if you missed this one. Or even if you didn't...   It's a great time.