Visitors enjoy Willow State Winter Carnival in spite of cold weather

WILLOW — The 62nd Annual Willow State Winter Carnival drew a fair number of visitors in spite of the cold weather conditions.

According to Willow Winter Carnival committee chair Linda Oxley, the weather as a “huge blow to overall attendance” but attendees enjoyed the festivities nonetheless.

"The people who were able to come clearly had a good time," Oxley said. "I'm very pleased."

Oxley noted that numerous events were cancelled due to the weather, but they managed to hold onto important activities such as the 5K ski race and Homesteader Games. She commended the participants for persevering through the biting cold and keeping the spirit of the Winter Carnival alive and well.

“They were a hardy bunch," Oxley said.

The annual Outhouse Race is one of the most iconic events held at the Winter Carnival. Oxley said they had four teams participate this year.

“That was fun to see," Oxley said.

This year’s Winter Carnival was held Feb. 2 to Feb. 4 with a “pre-event” series of activities held Jan. 27. The Willow Area Community Organization, a community council dedicated to enriching the lives of Willow residents through various events and programs, hosts the Winter Carnival each year. Oxley said they have two primary goals for the Winter Carnival: fostering a fun community event to help people break through their “winter doldrums” and raise funds to support WACO’s various endeavors.

Each Winter Carnival typically features fireworks. Oxley said that she was impressed with this year’s fireworks display.

“We had a great firework show," Oxley said.

The Winter Carnival is also an opportunity for a variety of local vendors to sell their products.

“We had beautiful crafts and artwork being sold by vendors in the auditorium. That was lovely stuff," Oxley said.

A large number of local businesses from across the Mat-Su Valley provided over $5,000 worth of items and services for the mini raffle and over $14,000 for the major raffle, according to Oxley. She said that she was very grateful for the widespread generosity and support from all the sponsors who financially backed the raffles and other aspects of this year’s event.

“It's absolutely wonderful. It’s let us have atmosphere where we have a sense of community," Oxley said.

Oxley also expressed gratitude for the various participants for filling the Winter Carnival with life.

“We were delighted to welcome everybody,” Oxley said. “We hope they'll put it in their calendar to come back next year.”

For more information, visit waco-ak.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com