Winterfest returns to Moraine State Park with new soup contest
Moraine State Park’s annual Winterfest is set for Saturday, Feb. 8.
“It’s an event to showcase the park in the winter, provide an opportunity to come to the park and also spend a day out with a community event at the park,” assistant park manager Brian Flores said.
The event is organized by the Moraine Preservation Fund, the nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the park. The organization also runs the park’s Owlet Gift Shop at the McDanel’s Boat Launch area, and operates cruises aboard the Preston’s Pearl pontoon boat on the park’s man-made Lake Arthur.
Some Winterfest traditions will return this year, including disc golf, horse-drawn wagon rides and a chainsaw-carving demonstration by longtime Winterfest guest Damian Skal. Tamarack Wildlife Center also is returning, giving visitors an up-close look at raptor birds.
“We have a lot more vendors this year,” Cassandra Dixon, vice president of the Moraine Preservation Fund, said. “We have (some) returning vendors, who obviously are having great success at the event, and so they’re coming back. But we have a number of new vendors this year and some new food vendors I’m really excited about.”
This year’s Winterfest will feature one new component — a soup cook-off competition with entries from eight local restaurants: Brown’s Country Kitchen, Family Tradition, North Country Brew Pub, Rooster’s Coffee Bar, Twisted Oak Tavern, Maria’s Country Store, Union Brothers Brewing and Totalus.
Tickets to enter as a voter and taster are available online for $15 each, but are limited to 150.
“That’ll get you samples of the eight soups that have been put forward,” Dixon said, “and then you, as the taster, get to vote on five different categories. The categories are Best Overall, Best Flavor, Best Consistency, Most Creative and Most Comforting.”
Aside from the new soup contest, this year’s Winterfest will welcome an appearance from Wildlife in Need, a volunteer organization that rescues sick, injured and endangered wildlife in Pennsylvania.
“They’ll have a tent there talking about what to do when you find injured wildlife,” Dixon said.
Also returning this year is the annual photo contest, which recognizes the best pictures of Moraine State Park. A winner will be awarded in six categories: Best Landscape, Best Wildlife, Best Plant Life, Best Activity, Best Sunrise/Sunset and Best Avian/Water Fowl. All entries are due by Saturday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. and will be printed and put on display during Winterfest.
According to Dixon, the event will go on rain or shine.
“We’ve been really blessed with wonderful weather for the last five years that I’ve been involved,” Dixon said. “The event goes forward unless there’s extreme weather conditions. It would have to be terribly unsafe.”
