Winter carnival set to start

January 27, 2006

JODI SNYDER/For the Frontiersman

WILLOW - It may be cold outside, but that's part of the charm of the 45th annual State Winter Carnival in Willow.

Every year, during the last weekend in January and the first weekend in February, the community of Willow hosts the event, drawing out the locals as well as visitors from around Alaska who brave the chilly temperatures and make the drive into the heart of Mat-Su. This year's carnival begins tonight and runs through this weekend and next.

Scheduling the carnival during what is often the coldest part of winter did not happen by accident. The weather is what prompted the carnival to start some 45 years ago. Even when temperatures have fallen

to minus 35 and lower, the winter carnival goes on.

&#8220It gets people out of the house and gives them something to do in the dead of winter without freezing to death,” said Krista Grilliot, Willow Area Community Organization chair, and chair of this year's carnival. &#8220They can pop outside and participate in an event, then come back in and get warm,” she said. &#8220There is stuff to do outside and inside, so there's something for everyone.”

The first night of winter carnival, the community center hosts the annual kickoff dinner. Only 250 tickets are sold, and they usually sell out quickly. At the dinner, the 2006 king and queen (typically a longtime Willow couple well known for their participation in community events) are crowned, community awards presented, and a mushers drawing is held for the Earl Norris open-class sled-dog race. The evening wraps up with a fireworks display held on the community center grounds.

Other evenings during the carnival are reserved for a teen dance, the annual talent show and bingo. The days are filled with outdoor fun, crafts and other games, and, of course, carnival food - grilled hamburgers, chili dogs and hot cocoa.

&#8220Anywhere from 50 to 300 people can be found on the grounds and in the building during carnival at any given time, depending on the events taking place,” Grilliot said.

Popular homesteader events like wood chopping, ax throwing and Swede and cross-cut sawing contests have long been a part of the carnival, but this year they've been given a new twist. While each contest will have the usual individual winner, there will also be a cumulative scoring factor added to each win. At the end of the carnival, the man and woman with the most points will be declared the overall winners.

This year's carnival theme is snowshoes, which spawned a new contest: a statewide search to find the best pair of homemade snowshoes. Anyone with a pair of homemade snowshoes is asked to bring them to the community center, where they will be collected and displayed during the carnival. Judging will take place just before the carnival ends and the winner receives, ironically, a new pair of snowshoes.

On Saturdays and Sundays during the carnival, the center is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., offering a variety of events for children and adults. While many of the events are free to enjoy, some of them require an entry fee, and there is a $1 charge per vehicle for parking.

Outdoor events include the outhouse challenge, ice bowling, a snowshoe race, a snowmachine poker run, homesteader events, a number of cross-country, skijoring and sled-dog races and the popular dog weight-pull competition.

Once the cold sets in, spectators and competitors alike move inside to warm up as they browse among the booths where local artists display and sell their work. Children participate in indoor games. The community center kitchen serves up a steady stream of hot food and drinks.

Other indoor activities include storytelling and crafts in the library, ice cream-eating contests, and chess, pinochle and cribbage tournaments. Dancers and musicians perform in the center daily. The old log building beside the center, where the carnival used to be held years ago, houses a display of arts and crafts and offers yet another place to get out of the cold.

While the carnival gives lots of Alaskans something to do in the dead of winter, it also serves another purpose - raising about $15,000 annually. The money is used to offset the costs of operating the Willow Community Center.

&#8220This building is really expensive to keep open,” Grilliot said, &#8220especially this time of year.”

Grilliot credited the carnival's staff of dedicated volunteers for making the event possible.

&#8220There are a few key volunteers who come to the meetings and help make decisions, but then there are all those other people who take on little portions of responsibility and just run with it,” she said. &#8220It takes a lot of people helping out, and a lot of organization, to pull it off.”

As always, a raffle tickets are available for a host of prizes, including a snowmachine, ATV, cash and heating oil. Many local establishments plan events to coincide with the carnival, and the PTA sponsors a breakfast buffet at Willow School each morning from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., Nancy Lake Marina hosts an ice-fishing tournament and local pubs offer live music.

The Willow Community Center is located at Mile 69.7 Parks Hwy. Lodging is available in the area. For more information on events, call 495-6633.