If Jasper in January left you hankering for more winter festivities, you’re in luck. Hinton’s Winter Magic Festival kicks off Feb. 12, and it should help keep the February funk at bay.
This year, the 27-year-old festival runs from Feb. 12-23, and features 24 events, put on by organizations from across Hinton.
“The main goal is to get people active in the winter time,” said Monica Epp, Hinton’s recreation coordinator.
Epp said the festival features activities that showcase Hinton’s outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as its arts and culture.
“There’s lots of things for people to chose from; whatever they’re interested in, we’ve probably got it,” she said.
Chantelle Bambrick is helping to organize the Carnival Bonhomme—one of the festival’s signature events.
Bonhomme is a celebration of French culture, featuring Francophone music, food and winter recreation.
Feb. 16 at the Hinton Nordic Centre, children will have a chance to take their picture with the Bonhomme Mascot, who will be wandering the grounds handing out balloons.
The event will also offer up a selection of tasty French-Canadian cuisine, including tourtière, sugar pies, pea soup and baked beans, along with traditional snow sugaring.
The carnival also boasts free cross-country skiing and kick sledding for anyone to try, and with hundreds of people coming out every year, Bambrick said it’s one event not to miss, especially for families.
“It’s very friendly, very easy-going; they play some French music. It’s just a really great chance for families to get outside and enjoy winter and some French culture,” she said.
Another popular outdoor event is the Ice Fishing Derby, which will take place Feb. 14 at the Gregg Lake Boat Launch.
Epp explained that the derby offers a chance to check out ice fishing at no cost. Participants don’t need any kind of fishing license, they can just “come down and enjoy,” she said.
For those who fail to make a catch, she said the event will also feature outdoor activities like snowshoeing and skating, as well as hot chocolate and hot dogs to snack on.
Don Engerdahl is Hinton’s arts and culture coordinator. He said the ice fishing demo always brings in a lot of enthusiastic anglers to test their luck with a fishing line.
He’s been to the derby several times, and said it’s amazing to see people—especially the kids—spread out across the lake, screeching with glee when they reel one in.
“You hear them right across the lake—they get so excited,” he said.
He said he likes the event because it allows people to enjoy the outdoors in a unique way.
“What family doesn’t want to go out and do some ice fishing on the lake?” he asked.
Engerdahl also talked up Winter Magic’s arts events, noting that the popular Death by Chocolate event is back again this year after an absence from the festival’s lineup.
“It’s been a couple of years since this event has happened, so we decided that it would be the phoenix that would rise from the ashes, so to speak,” he said of the Break-a-Leg Theatre’s revival of the event.
The fundraiser for the ACT Centre takes place at Sweet Lou’s Lounge and Grill Feb. 15, and Engerdahl said it provides an opportunity for festival-goers to pig out on “decedent chocolate creations” provided by businesses in town and local residents.
“You just come out and it’s an all-you-can-eat chocolate extravaganza,” he said.
