GENEVA – Winterfest will once again bring a blizzard of fun to Geneva on Saturday, Feb. 7.
“Winterfest is always a great time,” City of Geneva Recreation Coordinator Myke Dowd said. “It gets people out in the downtown, and that’s always a good thing for the merchants.”
She said the unpredictability of the weather, however, can be a problem for the annual event.
“We have had blizzards and we have had 60-degree sunny days, so sometimes it’s hard to plan outside stuff,” she said. “But regardless, it gets people out.”
She was especially excited for the Fire and Ice event that will kick off Winterfest at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Rotary Pavilion in Geneva.
According to Dowd, the fire department fills a tower of ice with firewood, which is then set on fire. People can go and touch the ice with the fire behind it.
“I’m excited for the Fire and Ice, which is on Friday,” she said, noting that it gets people downtown on a Friday night to see the tower of ice. “I love how it glows.”
This year’s schedule of events includes the parade at 12:30 p.m. followed by a welcome by the Miss Winterfest royalty from 12:45-4 p.m. at the Geneva Community Center.
Roberta Horvath, the Miss Winterfest pageant coordinator, said the welcome by the queens will feature the new and the old Winterfest Court as well as any visiting queens, who will give introductions and a welcome.
“The girls are always excited to see other queens and the community come together,” she said. “It gives the old court a chance to see people they met during the year again before their reign is over and our new court a chance to meet them and talk about going to their festival.”
She noted that the outgoing and incoming Winterfest Courts will work together to have a snow globe selfie station located in the Community Center.
“I particularly like Winterfest because it’s a nice community activity to do during the winter months when there isn’t much else to do,” she said. “Everybody has been locked in because of the weather and the festival gives them a chance to get out and enjoy the community.”
At the Geneva Rec Center, a craft show will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sandy Mitchell Pavick, the craft show coordinator, said there will be 37 vendors.
She said the vendors include three authors, cottage bakery businesses, jewelry vendors, visual artists, sublimation vendors, make-up and skin care vendors, 3-D printing, goat soap makers, wood artists, tie-dye clothing artists, and dog treat vendors.
“The number for vendors is limited by the venue, but the traffic has grown every year,” Pavick said.
She liked all that Winterfest has to offer.
“As you know, there are other Winterfest activities, an ice-carving at the gazebo, a chili cookout, non-profits and festival queens at the community center, soup at the United Church, etc.,” she said. “I like Winterfest because it’s in the middle of the ‘bleak mid-winter’ when there aren’t a lot of things going on. It gives residents and visitors a chance to get out, socialize and explore the city, even when it’s cold and snowy outside.”
Here is this year’s Winterfest schedule:
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.: First United Methodist Church pancake breakfast
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Rec Center craft show
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Depot Lot vintage snowmobiles
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: VFW chili cook off
12-1:30 p.m.: United Church soup
12-1:30 p.m.: Park Street Church hot dogs
12:30 p.m.: Parade
12:45-4 p.m.: Welcome by the Queens at the Community Center
1:10 p.m.: Geneva Jazz Band
2 p.m.: Madison Jazz Project
3 p.m.: Jungle Terry
12:45-4 p.m.: Non-profits will also be in the community center:
Kiwanis, Geneva Public Library, Winterfest queens, Grapettes, Buckeye Pace, Rotary, “becoming a foster parent”
12:30-4 p.m.: Candy crawl at the local businesses
1-3:30 p.m.: Carriage rides
Winterfest is presented by the Geneva Business Association and the City of Geneva.
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