Heather Latter
Despite a lack of snow, the “Snoasis 3” family fun day went off without a hitch Saturday at the Fort Frances Public Library.
“Planning outdoor events in March is always a gamble,” reiterated Duane Hicks, president of the “Friends of the Museum,” which once again organized the event.
Hicks said when the milder temperatures arrived earlier this month and the snow began melting, an emergency meeting was called.
“We didn’t want to cancel the whole thing so we made last-minute changes to provide some fun activities for kids that didn’t rely on snow,” he explained.
So while there was no snow castle-building or snowman-making contests, Hicks said most of the activities easily were modified.
For instances, instead of using snowballs for the snowball-tossing contest and the “Frosty Toss,” they used rolled up socks to throw.
Meanwhile, the frozen bubbles simply became a station to blow bubbles while the scavenger hunt for chocolate eggs was hidden in shredded paper instead of the snow.
The committee still was able to have an obstacle course, a mini-putt golf course, tic-tac-toe, and a ping-pong ball bounce, as well as adding chalk drawing to the snow-less parking lot.
Inside the library, face-painting was offered while library staff read stories to children.
The “Friends of the Library,” meanwhile, served up cookies and hot chocolate.
Over at the arena, Charlotte Bazylewski and several other volunteers ran “Rocks and Rings” curling for kids while the Memorial Sports Centre staged a toonie swim.
However, in keeping with the winter spirit, Mother Nature brought some chilly temperatures for the event.
“The weather was deceiving—with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky, it was still quite cold,” remarked Friends’ member Sarah Marusyk.
“It was also odd to have ‘Snoasis’ without snow but we made the most of it.”
“It was a bona fide success,” enthused Hicks, noting it’s different to track just how many people came out for the event.
“But judging from the number of ‘Auger Dogs’ we gave out, we probably had 200 or so children and adults,” he remarked.
“That was how many we had last year.”
“Our ‘Auger Dogs’ were a hit again this year,” enthused Marusyk.
“You just can’t beat a barbecued hotdog—especially when it’s spiral-cut and free!”
Hicks also said it seemed the families who came out enjoyed the event once again.
“Looking around at the activities Saturday, it was evident that children, especially younger ones, really enjoyed themselves, and their parents and guardians were happy to have such an event to bring them to,” he noted.
“I think the kids and their parents enjoyed the activities we had on-site,” echoed Marusyk.
“There was a fun variety and a few children even made use of a lone pile of snow beside the arena.”
But one of the real improvements over last year was the increase in volunteers who came out.
Hicks said it partly could be due to the event becoming more known, since it is the third year for it, but also the “Friends of the Museum” put more effort into seeking out helpers.
“We knew that we could do more with more volunteers,” Hicks reasoned.
“In addition to our core group of ‘Friends’ members, we had at least a dozen adults and teens help us out,” he noted.
“There was a few who we didn’t even know were coming and just showed up Saturday morning.
“It was a pleasant surprise.”
Hicks said having more helping hands allowed the event to run smoothly.
“[And] it adds to that feeling of it being a community event,” he remarked. “People working together, donating their time, to make something happen for the benefit of all.”
He added the spirit of volunteering certainly was in the air Saturday.
“When the younger generation sees others volunteering, it I can inspire them to do the same,” he explained.
Near the end of the event, Hicks said a five-year-old boy came up and told him he wanted to help out with “Snoasis 4” next year.
“He helped a younger boy find a plastic egg in the scavenger hunt earlier in the day and felt good about it,” Hicks recalled.
“Now that’s what I call the spirit of volunteerism.”
The “Friends of the Museum” is thankful for their volunteers and those who attended the event.
They also acknowledged the support received from several local businesses and organizations, who either donated goods, like Canada Safeway, or lent them use of items, such as the Town of Fort Frances or NCDS.
