It started with pancakes and ended with skiing but in between there was an unseasonable amount of silliness at the weekend’s dog day themed Wintervention.
Festivities began with a pancake breakfast at Blairmore Lions Pride Hall. Then participants ran a five-kilometer Sole Survivor fun run to work off all that pancake batter and syrup.
Dozens showed up at Blairmore’s Gazebo Park for a frying pan toss and a human dog sled race for the chance to win cash prizes.
Event organizer Richard Valley explained the very simple rules; “You go 150 feet with the sled, turn around and hit the finish line.”
Gifts were awarded to the team wearing the best costumes. The team calling itself Sled Zeppelin, which included Colin McManus, Darren Davis and Kirk Hawthorn, won both the race and the contest.
The first prize was $300, the runner up netted $150 but seeing as how only two teams competed, everybody went home a winner.
“I’ll tell you how it was. I was on the back and my daughter Amanda and my son-in-law Chris were in front pulling and I just whipped. I had the whip out and I just whipped them and as they were slowing down I whipped them again,” joked runner-up human dogsled musher Deb Cancade. “And we had an awesome time.”
Evening activities included authentic English cuisine at the Blairmore Legion.
There was also a summertime themed dinner, silent-auction and dance at Elks Hall. Country Encounters provided a catered meal and the Shannon Smith Band provided live entertainment. Despite the chilly weather many partygoers showed up in summertime themed fashions, Darren and Heather Davis won the prize for best costume.
The third annual Wintervention was wrapped up with a late night cross-country ski.