There is lots to do — and lots to eat — at Barrie’s annual Winterfest.
Whether visitors were catching the lumberjack show, admiring the dinosaur sculptures along the path or getting their food fix courtesy of the many vendors, Saturday’s chilly temperatures didn’t keep crowds from coming out to enjoy the popular event.
Jacky Wu was braving the cold while manning his booth Saturday afternoon, selling Chinese candied treats consisting of fresh fruit coated in melted sugar.
“We have our own secret recipe where we dip it in the sugar and that sugar crystallizes with the fruit. With the recipe, it stays crystallized even with the sun and temperature increasing,” he said. “We do vendor events all around Ontario and we have a booth at Rideau Canal in Ottawa.”
The yummy treat, he told BarrieToday, has recently gained popularity thanks to TikTok.
“We just wanted to bring it here and share it with everyone,” he said.
“I went to school in Barrie … and Barrie is a great city to be in … except for the cold,” he joked.
Innisfil resident Michelle Kewell and her husband decided to bundle up their kids and head north to Barrie for some family fun.
“We wanted to get some fresh air and have some family time. The kids love dinosaurs and we knew that was the theme for this year,” she said while she and her family enjoyed a truly Canadian treat of maple taffy — maple syrup poured over snow.
One might not think goodies with the term “freeze” in the title would be particularly popular on day when forecasters predicted the temperature to dip to about -30 degrees Clesius with the wind chill, but customers continued to check out Mr. C’s Freeze Dried Treats at Will Dwyer Park.
The local business — created by Alliston-based stay-at-home mom Ally Cupello Butt — makes and sells a variety of candy that has been freeze dried.
Tammy Cupello was at Winterfest to tend to the booth, and said there was nowhere else she’d rather be.
“Barrie is a winter city. It’s a beautiful day and we have all been stuck in the house for a month since Christmas. Bring it on … This is the place to be,” she said.
Winterfest continues Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.