Sun, fun made winter carnival one to remember

Jerry O’Leary can be forgiven if he’s walking with a bit of a strut these days.
In fact, the mayor of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls, and everyone else involved in the 23rd-annual Nestor Falls Winter Carnival that wrapped up Sunday, probably are walking a little taller today.
The annual festival saw three days of virtually non-stop activities that had something for everyone, including sunshine.
“It was just a great weekend,” Mayor O’Leary remarked yesterday. “Mind you, it’s getting a little calmer over the years.”
Things kicked off Friday with the ever-popular chili cook-off, which was won this year by Kathy Mosbeck of Emo.
Maureen Hanson was second while the offering from Eddie Showalter and Gina Pope was judged third-best.
And for the first time, the cribbage tournament was moved to Friday instead of the traditional Saturday to ease some of the congestion at the Nestor Falls Community Hall on that day.
Top honours this year went to Chuck Hanson and Gladys Jolicouer, who took home a $150 gift certificate from Dalseg Fine Foods, two gift certificates from Green’s Barbecue Bar, and $80 in cash for their efforts.
Rosaire and Elaine Mercier finished second and took home two $50 gift certificates from Falls Hardware, two pizza coupons from Green’s Barbecue Bar, and $30 in cash.
Third place went to Chuck Harrison and Cynthia Cave, who won two pizza coupons, two decks of cards, and $15 in cash.
On Saturday morning, the annual fishing derby kicked off at 7 a.m. This year, 116 people put down $15 to compete in four categories: crappie, walleye, trout, and pike.
There were prizes for each category and a target “slot” size. In each case, prizes were awarded for the angler whose fish came closest to the target size without going over.
In the case of crappie, the size was 12 inches, for walleye it was 14 inches, for trout it was 20 inches, and for pike the ideal size was 22 inches.
In each case, at least one fish hit the perfect length and in three of the species, there were multiple winners, resulting in the drawing of lots to determine the winner.
Paul Evans of Nestor Falls took first prize in the crappie category, walking away with buzz stick and tackle box.
Darren Anniak of Winnipeg won a Sentara rod and reel combo for second place while Steve Niskala of Emo finished third to win a Woodstream ice bucket and storage liner.
Five other fish came in at exactly 12 inches.
The top walleye went to Jess Swenson of Sioux Narrows, who won a Woodstream tackle box, while Cory Holmstad of International Falls took second place and a Guillevin jacket.
Charlie Kelly of Nestor Falls won a car maintenance set for finishing third.
Three other fish had come in at the 14-inch target length.
The top trout was caught by Eddie Showalter of Nestor Falls, who won a cooker and tip-up ice fishing rod.
Tom Judson of Emo took home an ice fishing rod for second place while third place went to Niskala, who walked away with a Plano tackle box and sportsmen’s combo pack.
Tara Kelly of Fort Frances took top pike honours, winning a Coleman cooler for her efforts, while Jamie Krukoski of Nestor Falls won a Flambeau tackle box and fishing tool for placing second.
Not all the best fish won prizes, however. Heather Landon of Kenora brought in what derby organizer Mark Story said was “the biggest fish of any species I’ve seen in this tournament in the five years I’ve worked it.”
Landon, 11, who probably weighs no more than 90 pounds herself, seemed dwarfed by the 33.5-inch lake trout she reeled up through the ice. Its weight was estimated at 15 pounds.
Meanwhile, Samantha Brown, 12, of Nestor Falls came in with a pike that measured just under 30 inches long.
There also was a special grand prize open to everyone who entered the fishing derby, consisting of Lowrance X-51 depth finder. Mack Dickinson of Bemidji, Mn. won that prize.
A poker derby also was held Saturday, in which participants had to travel to up to seven checkpoints to have their sheets signed and then be back at the community hall by the 4 p.m. deadline.
Upon checking in, each contestant was dealt one card for each stop made along the way, with the best five-card poker hand taking home half of the entry money.
This year, 87 people entered, which Mayor O’Leary said was more than before.
“I thought there were more people [in the poker derby] this year because people could get to the checkpoints two ways,” he remarked, noting the course was accessible to cars this year and not just snowmobiles.
The big winner this year was Mary-Ann Piche of Winnipeg, who drew an ace-high flush and won $435.
Second place—and a moose wall hanging—went to Gladys Jolicouer for three tens while three sevens were good enough to capture third place and a loon clock for Dean Brown.
Meanwhile, up at the curling rink, there were a variety of races and a scavenger hunt for the kids as well as a “blind” curling tournament, consisting of eight teams composed of adults and kids.
The Nestor Falls foursome of Carol Petri, Jessie Whaler, Myndi Siemens, and Parker Johnson took top honours there.
There was a dance at the community hall Saturday night that went on until 1 a.m. Then for those who could drag themselves out of bed on Sunday, there was a $2 pancake breakfast starting at 8:30 a.m.
For the more energetic crowd, there also was a hockey skills competition to wrap up the weekend.
Zander Chalupsky of Nestor Falls took top honours in the six-and-under category while Parker Johnson of Nestor Falls was second.
In the seven-nine age group, Blake Morken of Emo was first, Jeremy Shypit of La Vallee was second, and Finn Chalupsky of Nestor Falls was third.
Kyle Goertzen of Nestor Falls was first in the 10-14 age group, followed by Clint Brown of Nestor Falls in second and Theron Holden of Fort Frances in third.
And in the 15-18 category, Tyler Cottam of Nestor Falls was first, followed by Travis Showalter of Nestor Falls in second and Gabe Whitford of Winnipeg in third.
All in all, the popular late-winter festival was an unqualified success that perhaps could best be summed up by Mayor O’Leary. “The sun was shining and the beer was cold,” he quipped.
On a more serious note, the mayor made a point of acknowledging and thanking the many volunteers who made this event possible by their hard work.
“That’s what really warmed my heart,” he stressed. “It was all very positive.”