Winter carnival fun for all

Nicole Wishart probably will spend the next few weeks nurturing the re-growth of the tips of her fingernails after losing them to the cold while sculpting her “South Park” snowman.
“I was mixing snow and water together outside to make slush for [my snowman] and every time I dipped my hands in the slush, they froze,” she said Monday.
“My fingernails got brittle and snapped off,” she added, admitting it sounded worse than it really was.
But in the grand scheme of things, losing nail length wasn’t so bad as the 17-year-old captured first place with her creation of the cartoon character “Chef”–winning a snowboard worth $400 from Skates and Blades.
Branda Avis, 16, who sculpted “Cartman,” and Wishart’s sister, Kristen, also 16, who designed “Kyle,” took second and third place respectively.
Fourth place went to Scott Avis and Nathan Shute, both 15, with their rendition of “Kenny.”
Skates and Blades owner Gord McQuarrie, who sponsored and judged the “South Park” contest, held Saturday in conjunction with the annual Little Amik Winter Carnival, said he was impressed with the work that went into the entries.
“[Registration] was better than I expected because at one point I didn’t have any,” he noted Monday. “Then all of a sudden they showed up.”
“South Park” was one of two new events unveiled at this year’s winter carnival, the other being the “Battle of the Businesses” held Saturday afternoon at the arena field.
Those participating seemed to have a good time although organizer Dawn Booth of the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce was disappointed it attracted only four teams of four people.
“It went over really well but I was surprised more businesses didn’t register,” she said Monday.
North Country Adjusters took top honours by winning all three events (snowman building, sled pull, and tug-of-war) over teams from Pharmasave, the Makabi Inn, and Rainbow Motel
“We had a ball, an unbelievable time,” enthused Keith Knapp of North Country Adjusters.
“It was good for the stress level [and] it’s just too bad more teams didn’t enter,” he added. “I would highly recommend more get involved next year.”
Overall, Booth said she was pleased with the turnout to the carnival, noting in particular the response to the new “Carnival Comedy” night Saturday.
“We must have had 150-200 people in there and everybody was roaring [with laughter],” she noted. “Hopefully we can get even more people out next year and buying tickets like they do for ‘Quest.’”