With more than 100 activities across five carnival sites, it was hard to take in everything at the 51st annual Walden Winter Carnival, which took place in Lively this weekend, from Feb. 8-11.
It would be equally hard to list all of the activities in this article, but here’s just a few: a bonfire, fireworks, comedy evening, pancake breakfast, figure skating show, carnival train, maple taffy, kids zone, classic snowmobile show, cardboard box sliding competition, face painting, climbing wall, martial arts exhibit and a pickleball tournament.
“There are activities for people of all ages - on the ice, outside, inside, entertainment, bounce castles, little kids, older kids, adults, everyone,” said organizer Richard Eberhardt.
He said the carnival is a gathering place for the community, and has been for the past 51 years.
“You’re going to see your friends here, you’re going to see your family here, you’re going to run into people that you haven’t run into since the last carnival the year before,” he said.
“It's an opportunity for everyone to gather and have really good, honest fun. It's a great time for everybody, and you will come away feeling energized for the rest of the winter to come that we hope we’re going to have.”
Speaking of winter, given the unseasonably warm weather conditions Greater Sudbury has seen so far in 2024, Eberhardt said there were some impacts on the carnival.
“The worst part is the parking lots are mud piles,” he said. “Some of our outdoor activities have had to be adjusted. We've lost a couple things. But we like to say there are over 100 activities and events at the carnival. We may have lost one or two to the weather, but 99 per cent of everything that we have planned is still going just like we planned.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor.
