The snow and cold naturally didn’t deter the Barrie Winterfest crowd.
They went for horse-drawn wagon rides, admired the ice sculptures, warmed by the fire pit and roasted marshmallows during the city’s annual winter festival Saturday at Heritage Park and Meridian Place.
“We come every year. It’s a tradition, coming out and celebrating winter,” said Louise Jackson of Barrie, who arrived with husband Brian and their children, Healey, 10 and Vanessa, 12.
“It’s just great to see our events back.”
The mercury dipped to -23 degrees Celsius in the morning, but rose to -5 C Saturday afternoon, although Winterfesters still had to deal with the cold wind coming off Kempenfelt Bay.
“You just have to dress right. It’s about being layered properly and you can have fun in winter,” Louise said.
Brian said he most enjoyed watching their kids have fun, especially on Snow Valley’s mini-tube slide in the Heritage Park parking lot.
“And the ice sculptures are awesome,” he said. “The lumberjacks are doing a whole lot of cutting with the chainsaws. It’s a lot of fun.”
Healey and Vanessa were also ice sculpture fans.
“I like walking around and seeing them,” Healey said.
“My favourite thing would probably be the tube slide and the ice sculptures,” Vanessa said, “as long as you stay warm.”
The festival continues Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Barrie Winterfest kicks off Hello Winter, which celebrates the city’s winter spirit throughout February.
For more information on Barrie Winterfest, visit barrie.ca/winterfest.
