By Mark Squibb/February 3, 2022
Mark your calendars because Conception Bay South’s Winterfest is just around the corner.
Ward 1 councillor and recreation committee chairperson Shelley Moores said planning for the event began before the Christmas holidays — and before a rising number of COVID cases pushed the province into a modified Alert Level 4.
“At that time, we were full steam ahead for an in-person Winterfest, because at that time we were at a good place with COVID,” said Moores. “We probably spoke too soon and jinxed it all, but anyway we were planning and coming up with all kinds of ideas, of things we could do differently, things that were really popular in the past, and then of course when we met after Christmas all of that had changed.”
As Covid cases rose and the province moved into the new alert, the question facing the Winterfest committee was whether to offer both in-person and online events, port the entire festival online, or cancel the festival outright.
The committee, which is comprised of about a dozen community volunteers, a handful of town staff, and Moores, the council representative, decided to move ahead with Winterfest and offer as many in-person events as possible.
“We feel that we needed this, and that in our community people are exhausted and tired of being inside,” said Moores. “We needed something to lift people’s spirits.”
Folks looking to attend the many in-person community events, such as family skates, snowshoe treks, and campfires, will have to pre-register and stick to their bubble. The town will also offer many virtual actives, such as cooking lessons and bingo.
“We all have done so much to prevent COVID from going through our communities, and we have been following all the guidelines, and I just think that everyone is really missing those community activities,” said Moores.
One event Moores is particularly excited about is a comedy night with John Sheehan.
“This is going to be an in-person event, so I think it’s going to be exciting to have that,” she said. “Everyone needs a good laugh right now after everything we’ve been through the last couple of years.”
Tickets for the 19+ event can be purchased for $25, plus HST, from the town.
There will also be a number of ongoing activities and initiatives held throughout the week, such as the business passport program. When folks show their passports at a participating local business, they in turn receive a sticker. Completed passports can be turned into the Town Hall for a chance to win a prize.
The festivities begin on February 12 and run through February 20. For a full schedule of events see pages 9 to 11 in this week’s Shoreline.
