Snowshoe Kawartha event in Fenelon Falls showcases Kawartha Lakes as all-season destination

Snowshoe Kawartha held in Fenelon Falls next month will kick off the Snowshoe Canada Ontario Cup Series again this year – and they hope to set a world record at the Feb. 3 event.

Dana Deathe, who handles communications for the event, says they will be “making an attempt for a world record” in participation numbers of both children and youth, 15 and under.

There will be a half km walk and a one km walk for this world record attempt.

This is the second year for Snowshoe Kawartha, which replaces a former festival called Snow Day. But really, says Deathe, it’s all about showcasing Kawartha Lakes as a four-season destination – and they expect the festival to only grow in the number of events offered.

This connects with Kawartha Lakes’ Economic Development strategy to market the whole City and to do so with all four seasons in mind.

“With Santa Day in November and now this great winter festival, this could be a fabulous annual draw in the month of February,” she says.

“We have so much to offer here in the winter time, I think we could definitely draw from other geographic areas.”

Snowshoe Kawartha offers both 5 km and 10 km snowshoe races, sponsored by Snowshoe Canada. All skill levels are welcome.

The races begin on Cameron Lake, then shift to clearly marked trails.

In the spirit of offering a wide range of activities though, there’s much more to do than just snowshoeing.

Bev Jeeves from the Maryboro Lodge Museum will be leading a Fenelon Falls history walk.

There will also be companies on hand to demonstrate the pros of owning a so-called ‘fat tire bike’ as a winter transportation option for people. There will be demonstrations of these all-season bikes for those interested.

Crokicurl

One of the most trending things to do may very well be the ‘crokicurl’ game planned on Cameron Lake. That would be curling inspired by crokinole.

It’s a life-sized version of the game invented in rural Ontario in the late 1800s, but this version is played on ice. Crokicurl had its debut in Winnipeg two years ago.

The ice fishing demonstrations with Bruce Earp are also expected to be popular, says Deathe.

“He makes his own lures and will be teaching participants a lot of things about ice fishing.”

 The day begins at 9 am for the start of registration and wraps up by 2 pm.

For all the details about the events, visit snowshoekawartha.com.