By Matt Kelley ; Outreach Director
Winter Family Fun Day has been an annual event hosted by DCC at Middle River Park in Machias for several years now. Occurring each year on the Saturday that marks the end of February break for Maine schools, the premise of the event is in the name: winter, families, and fun. The most popular part of the event has been and continues to be the custom cardboard sled race. For this, families craft cardboard sleds for children to captain down the sledding hill at Middle River Park. While the sled race remained the most popular part of the event, this year, some additions and changes were made to the overall event.
The Downeast region has received quality weather for winter recreation this year. The hill at Middle River Park has been receiving lots of use, and so have the trails at DCC properties throughout the region. Winter Family Fun Day does not always occur under such great conditions; some years, there has been no snow at all. As the date got closer, excitement built as it became clear that the conditions for the event were going to be great.
DCC and Bold Coast Runners have partnered for the past nine years to host the Bad Little Trail Run, which takes place at DCC’s Machias River Preserve. This is a partnership that DCC is grateful to have and is only more grateful now that the first Frosty Feet Snowshoe Run at Middle River Park has taken place. The event kicked off Winter Family Fun Day at 10 am with thirty-one participants defying the below-zero wind chill. There were two distance options, and snowshoes were optional. The run did not go down without a few hiccups, but that is just fine as it leaned into the “fun” part of the event with less of an emphasis on the “race”.
Following the completion of the inaugural Frosty Feet Snowshoe Run, families with cardboard sleds began rolling in around 11 am, a campfire was lit, Cobscook Shores began giving out cross-country skis, Gabby Brodek of the local 4-H explained the science of ice cores, and Steve Dunham of the DIF&W presented a collection of pelts and furs, all to attentive youth. Some brought their own sleds and were sliding on the hill, which had been packed down so well from use that some people even went down it without a sled at all!
Next was the cardboard sled race, happening at noon. 11 sleds were entered, and 16 youth in total participated in the event. The format for the race had changed. In previous years, all sleds went down the hill in one go, and the winner was whoever went the furthest. The topography of the hill fluctuates depending on where you are, so this year, each sled went one at a time from the same spot, receiving a push from a family member or friend. There would also be a winner of best design, voted on by the volunteers helping with the event. As mentioned above, the hill had been packed down very well and was prime for sliding. All who participated did an incredible job, had some great designs, and got a big cheer from the crowd observing them. The winners of the furthest distance were the Dunham brothers in their classic toboggan design with 4 bodies in one sled and the winners of best design were Aerland and Caid Mottram with the “Sea Lark” which was modeled after their father’s tugboat.
While winners were crowned, the fun is the most important part of the event, and that was proven when, after the awards were given out, many sleds, cardboard or not, continued to make trips down the hill for the next hour. People also continued to mingle by the fire, roasting hot dogs and making s’mores. Some youth stuck around and got lessons on cross-country skiing, some made their way around the trails at the property. By around 1:45, everything was mostly wrapped up, and people had been and were dispersing, and I believe many had a similar thought in their mind, “That was fun.”.