Ninth annual Easthampton WinterFest set for Feb. 12Date: 1/11/2022 EASTHAMPTON – The Easthampton WinterFest is returning for its ninth year on Feb. 12 with a combination of online, indoor and outdoor events.
Spearheaded by the Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee, the goal of the Winterfest each year is to raise funds for Nashawannuck Pond and to develop public awareness about ongoing efforts needed to keep the pond healthy for future generations.
The festivities officially began on Jan. 2 with a few different online events including a Nashawannuck Pond photo contest, a snowflake making contest, online pond trivia and Mt. Tom Homemade Ice Cream’s flavor contest. An outdoor scavenger hunt across the entire city also began on Jan. 9 and will continue until Feb. 1, and a snowflake making contest began on Jan. 7 and entries will be accepted until Feb. 7. Anyone participating in the snowflake making contest must either mail in their submission to the Steering Committee at 50 Payson Ave., or drop it off in person at 50 Payson Ave.
Beyond that, the rest of the activities and events will be happening on the actual day of the Winterfest on Feb. 12. Activities throughout the day include cut your own snowflakes, two nature hikes with related activities at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, a clay snow people workshop, a live trivia contest, a storywalk, an ice carving demonstration, a community fire and wagon rides.
Additionally, Historian Dennis Picard will be sharing the story of Easthampton’s ice enterprise during the historical ice harvest on that day at 12 p.m. The day ends with the Fire & Ice Gala at Boylston West Room at the Keystone Mills, which will feature live music and dancing with a performance from Johnny and the Flashbacks Pioneer Valley premiere dance band and appetizers by Meyers Catering. Ice carvings by Mike Rondeau will be featured on the Keystone Patio for this event.
Most of the activities throughout the day are free and open to people of all ages. The gala will be a ticketed event. Tickets are $40 per person
Despite having the full slate of events prepared, Beth Tiffany, a member of the six-member Steering Committee that helped organize the event, told Reminder Publishing that cancellation of some indoor events could be a possibility if COVID-19 cases do not subside.
“We were doing good until a couple of weeks ago,” said Tiffany, adding that the committee has been in touch with the Board of Health and will wait and see what happens as the day gets closer. “Honestly, right now, everything that is inside are at risk of cancellation or postponement.”
While the amount of money raised differs each year, Tiffany said that the committee typically raises about $5,000 each year from community businesses and sponsors. Since most of the activities are free, the sponsorships typically pay for these events.
“This Winterfest is our largest fundraiser for the continuing maintenance and health of the pond,” said Tiffany. “We monitor the invasive species, erosion sediment, and we test for cyanobacteria when necessary.”
The committee participates in a continuous loop of fundraising outside of the Winterfest to maintain the health of the pond each year through different restoration projects. To learn more about what the committee has done and is currently doing, visit https://www.nashawannuckpond.org/. To learn more about the activities and events occurring on Feb. 12 and leading up to that date, visit https://www.nashawannuckpond.org/winterfest.html#event=64851451;instance=20220107000000.
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