The 16th annual Winterfest kicks off this week on Thursday, Feburary 9, with after school sledding on the hill behind Marshview Middle School, a morning pickle ball session at the Mount Allison Athletic Centre, and skating at both the Tantramar Civic Centre, and Dorchester’s outdoor rink on School Street. It’s a fitting first day for the longstanding winter festival which is being offered for the first time in the brand new municipality of Tantramar.

Tantramar recreation director Matt Pryde says it was a bit of a challenge getting events across the municipality in the first post-amalgamation Winterfest, because planning typically starts months earlier. “Most of the planning happens before Christmas,” says Pryde, “when we were still technically working for the town of Sackville. But we were able to incorporate a few activities in Dorchester.”

In addition to the Thursday evening skate, Dorchester Village Square will be home to one of the ice sculptures created during Winterfest by artist Richard Chaisson, and the Dorchester outdoor rink will host a pickup game of hockey on Saturday morning.

Pryde says one of the most popular parts of Winterfest are the fireworks on Friday evening. “Before that show, we have music and hot chocolate and things like that a Bill Johnstone Park, that tends to be quite popular,” says Pryde. “The other one that’s quite popular is our Family Day at Beech Hill Park on Saturday afternoon, where we have sleigh rides and sledding and snowshoeing and things like that.”

Sunday sees back to back events at the Tantramar Civic Centre, with the Sackville Skate Club presenting an ice show at 1pm, a free public skate at 3pm, and the annual Town Versus Gown Charity Hockey game at 4:45pm. “It’s a nice little tune up for Super Bowl,” says Pryde.

Some community organizations also have events over the weekend, including a Church by the Lake Super Bowl party Sunday night, a staged reading of a Robert Munsch play on Saturday morning by Live Bait, and a magic show for all ages at the Middle Sackville Baptist Church on Friday at 5pm.

There’s food on the menu as well, with a Sackville Legion luncheon on Friday (11am-1pm), and breakfast served up by Sackville firefighters on Saturday morning (7am-11am at 31 Main Street.)

For full details and to find out how to register for activities and events, check out the town’s website, and the Winterfest brochure.