The carnival is coming.
"On Sunday, Feb. 12, everyone is invited to join our celebration of winter from 11 a.m. to
5 p.m.," said Downtown Prince George executive director Colleen Van Mook, who was, during the leadup to the 2015 Canada Winter Games, one of the key members of the bid committee and initial organizers.
Now she is stickhandling one of the important legacy events from the Games.
"Bring your hockey sticks to join a fun road hockey game, get inspired with our snow sport demonstrations, give the snow slide a whirl, enjoy a ride on the Cottonwood Express or test your talents at snow art and activities," she said.
"You can be witness to a spectacular showcase of snow carving art that will feature award-winning talent from international sculptors Peter Vogelaar and John Mckinnon."
The carnival will also be the premier of a sweet new contest. It will leave you wanting s'more. It is the site of the first There's SMORE Downtown event. Teams can still be entered and there's already a contingent of competitors experimenting with their own special variations of the ever popular campfire treat known as the "s'more."
All the proceeds from the s'more contest will go to charity.
Downtown is the heartbeat of the local economy, so business has a place in the carnival. The Prince George Farmers' Market and the Legion Winter Market are both going to have a presence, there will be merchant exhibitors, a winter food court, and the carnival situated in amongst the wide array of shops and boutiques that are resident to the city's core.
This is also the next step in high-end winter entertainment for the city, as the Coldsnap Music Festival runs Feb. 3-11 starting with a free outdoor concert in Canada Games Plaza their first night, and ending on their last night with a Ramada Ballroom concert in partnership with the city's francophone community that acts also as the opening ceremonies of the Ensemble Nous Clbrons Nos Festivals d'Hiver.
The more partnerships and collaborations that can be concentrated into this window of winter, the more exciting future carnivals will be, in downtown Prince George. It will help stick the community together like hot marshmallows and chocolate between layers of cookie. Who doesn't want s'more of that?
