WinterFest warms downtown Green Bay

With snow and winter temperatures here to stay, the ninth annual WinterFest on Broadway will offer a variety of seasonal activities for people of all ages.

 "WinterFest is an opportunity for us to highlight what Green Bay has to offer during the winter besides the Packers," said Jeff Tilkens, events coordinator for On Broadway, Inc. "We all love the Packers and football, but there's more to Green Bay than that."

WinterFest is presented by On Broadway, Inc. According to On Broadway's website, the organization  is a non-profit created to improve the Broadway district and create a vibrant downtown community.

The festival will be held on Broadway Street in downtown Green Bay between Dousman and Howard Streets Jan. 28. Various events will run throughout the day, beginning with a breakfast at Taste of the South at 8 a.m.

Throughout the day, guests are free to enjoy Kites Over Leicht, the Neville Public Museum's "Moneyville" exhibit, snow sculpting, snowboarding demonstrations and other events including an ice carving competition.

The competition returns for its ninth year with the theme of Wisconsin's Great Outdoors. Sculptors will have until 3 p.m. to complete their works of art before the judging begins.

Registration for the ice carving competition goes until Jan. 27. Tilkens said the ice throne, featured at previous festivals, will be carved from 14 blocks of ice and will end up around five feet wide and six feet tall. Spectators can watch the throne come to life during the day on Friday and take pictures in it on Saturday.

Tilkens said the ice sculptures in the competition will be completed around 3 p.m. and will be on display along Broadway as long as the weather stays below freezing. Last year's sculptures were up for two weeks due to icy temperatures.

Unpredictable Wisconsin weather can affect any event, especially one with a majority of events held outside, but Tilkens said WinterFest has never been postponed or cancelled due to weather.

New to WinterFest this year is the Tri-State Alaskan Malamute Club dog pull competition. Tilkens said the dogs are harnessed to a weighted sled and have 45 seconds to pull the sled as far as possible.

"It's a relationship between the dog and master," Tilkens said. "It's as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge. It's going to be very exciting for people to watch."

According to the Malamute Club's website, it hosts several of the largest pulls in the U.S. and has some of the top weight-pulling dogs in the nation. There aren't any dog pulling competitions in Northeastern Wisconsin, and Tilkens said On Broadway, Inc. is excited to introduce the competition to the area and watch it grow.

On Broadway, Inc. also added the WinterFest Base Camp this year so guests have a place to warm up, relax, enjoy foods and beverages, make crafts and listen to live music by Rob Anthony, a locally based recording artist. The base camp will be set up in an empty building on Broadway Street.

The WinterFest planning committee collaborated with local vendors to present the new Arctic Grill, a trailer grill serving brats and hot dogs, both inside the base camp and outdoors. Tilkens said all proceeds from the Artic Grill will benefit On Broadway, Inc.

WinterFest also worked with the shops on Broadway Street to present the Shop ‘Til You Drop event. Tilkens said many of the shops will have extended hours and sales during Shop ‘Til You Drop.

"WinterFest is right in the middle of all our shops," Tilkens said. "It's completely supported by all our businesses, and we integrate all our businesses into our events. A lot of our volunteers are from the businesses, too."

Tilkens said WinterFest is entirely run by volunteers and expects to have at least 100 volunteers helping out Jan. 28.