One good thing about winter coming a lot earlier this year is that the annual Concord Parks and Rec winter carnival this Saturday at White Park will feature some of the most important aspects of the celebration – snow and ice.
Since sledding down the park’s big hill and skating on the pond are two of the biggest draws of the winter carnival, it’s kind of important to have those options available. So even though we’re all about done with slippery sidewalks and frigid temperatures, there’s no reason not to enjoy the season.
“It’s just good-old family fun,” said Recreation Supervisor Laura Bryant. “Taking advantage of what Mother Nature has given us.”
So grab your sled for a few runs down the hill. Something tells us after the cold snap, followed by the annual January thaw, you can get going pretty fast on that hill.
The skating pond opened early this year and has been helped by the cold weather. Bring your skates and take a few laps or practice your triple axels. If enough people are interested, there may be some fun skating races for the younger kids.
And depending on the condition of the snow, there might even be a snowman-building competition.
The winter carnival will be held from noon to 4 p.m. and is free for anyone who wants to attend. The hope is for a nice balmy day, but if it is on the chilly side (it is January, after all), Parks and Rec has you covered. Beginning at 1 p.m., there will be a bonfire to warm you up after all that winter fun.
There will also be a food vendor (TBD), but maybe you want to bring a picnic to try to will spring to come.
And don’t forget that Parks and Rec offers all kinds of great winter opportunities with the skating ponds at Rollins Park and Beaver Meadow Golf Course – in addition to White Park – as well as groomed cross-country ski trails at Beaver Meadow and Memorial Field. As always, things are subject to change, so it’s a good idea to check out facebook.com/ConcordParknRecDept for more info.
Also, looking ahead a bit, there will be the first-ever Concord Nordic Bill Koch League ski race for kids in pre-K through sixth grade on Jan. 27 at Beaver Meadow. Cost is $5 for advance registration (before Jan. 24) and $7 for day of.
For more, contact organizers Joe Ayotte at joseph.ayotte@gmail.com or Bryant at lbryant@concordnh.gov.
Insider staff
