On Saturday February 25th, over 50 participants braved the negative cold temperatures and windy conditions to join us for our Annual Winter Family Fun Day.
After months without snow, the DCC Team was thrilled to have a few inches of fluffy white covering the Middle River Park hill. That morning we grabbed the hot dogs, started the fire and set up for day. Joined by our friends at Washington County 4-H who shared information on youth programming in our area, IF&W who shared information on Maine’s mammals with their skulls and furs resources, and volunteers from UMM who brought skis and snowshoes for everyone to try – we had a great group of community organizations coming together to host this winter event.
Families started arriving, sat in their cars for a few final minutes before stepping out into the winter cold and then started to prepare for the annual cardboard box sled races. We had 12 sledders ready to go! Caia, aged 3, came with the “Baby Crib” and all smiles! Finely, age 4, was dressed for the weather and came with a colorful sled the “Rainbow Rocket”. Lily and Josie, a team of sisters had a creative sled named “Alberto”.
After a brief registration period, racers lined up on the steepest part of the hill ready to race! Quickly the “Mud Mower” captained by Noah and Saphira, ages 13 & 8, took off down the hill – earning the prize of “Furthest Sled”. Marc’s “Silver Titan”, piloted by a few new friends was a close second. The sled named most creative, “The Stegosaurus” by Aerland, age 5, was an impressive sled capturing the attention of most on the hill and the “Hogwarts Toboggan” by the Hanson family wasn’t far behind. Other creative ideas were the “Smokey and the Bandit” named after Mason’s favorite movie, “The Cool Bus” by brother and sister team Nora and Jamie, team “Rainbow Fish” by Harper and Wren, and an impressive boat named after herself “The Emma L.”. Everyone did a fantastic job!
After the races and awards were presented, families warmed themselves with more sledding, s’mores, and hot cocoa. We are grateful to Machias Saving Bank, our sponsors for the event, who provided a donation that allowed our DCC team to get the supplies to keep bellies full and warm! Finally, a big shout out to Kevin Millay from 192 Tractor Supply who keeps Middle River Park plowed for free because he loves creating a safe space for families to sled.
