CONMEE — Though the weather outside is frightful — at least from a winter enthusiast's perspective — Conmee's first-ever winter carnival is still a go, the municipality says.
"The carnival is a go — snow or not," Mayor Sheila Maxwell declared on Monday.
"If there is a bit (of snow)," Maxwell added, "then we'll be doing snow painting, and if there is enough, we'll try to do some kind of sculptures."
The March 2 carnival at the municipality's Holland Road West community centre is also to include a hockey tournament, whether that's on ice or on a bare concrete slab.
According to Environment Canada, temperatures in the Thunder Bay area are returning to normal or near-normal levels this week, with daily highs in the range of -5 C.
Last week, the City of Thunder Bay temporarily closed skating at its approximately 40 outdoor rinks due to soft ice or complete surface meltdowns.
"When the temperatures drop again, we will get out and attempt to repair the ice surfaces," a city bulletin said.
City parks and open spaces manager Cory Halvorsen said Monday crews have re-flooded some rinks and hoped to have some back in service in time for this coming weekend.
As of Monday, the rinks remained closed, with the exception of the Prince Arthur's Landing facility, which is equipped with a refrigeration system.
The status of city outdoor rinks can be checked online at thunderbay.ca/outdoor rinks.
Meanwhile, it doesn't have to be chilly outside to enjoy a good meal, so Conmee's carnival chilli competition also remains in the event lineup.
Said Maxwell: "We can never know what Mother Nature throws at us, so we just go with the flow."
The Chronicle Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
