BY CRAIG GILBERT
Adanac Ski HillÂ?s February full of festivals starts this weekend.
Mayor Dave Courtemanche will be on hand for a skate with the mayor to kick off the party.
The carnivals will take place from noon to 5 pm each Saturday and Sunday until Feb. 29, with the exception of a ValentineÂ?s Day family party Feb. 14 that runs until 10 pm.
On Saturday, the large oval skating rink will be open, as will a groomed portion of the hill for sliding.
Citizens will be able to cross-country ski on the new Rotary Trail sponsored by the rotary Club of Sudbury, and Remax Crown Realty will be sponsoring sleigh rides from 1-4 pm.
Fire, police and ambulance vehicles will be on display as part of emergency services public information programs.
All of the festival days will feature skating, sliding, emergency vehicles, cross-country skiing and either snowmobile or sleigh rides.
Thanks to seniorsÂ? organization Club Amical, the chalet concession will be open between 11 am and 5 pm.
Next weekend the ValentineÂ?s Day party takes place.
The regular events will take place from noon to 5 pm, but from7-10 pm there will be a ValentineÂ?s skate and sliding party for teens and families sponsored by Z103. At 9 pm, there will be a ValentineÂ?s fireworks display from the top of Adanac.
On Feb. 21, the regular activities will be complimented by a snowshoeing clinic sponsored by RamakkoÂ?s.
The next day, the Caruso Club will fill the chalet concession stand with an Italian Tent of Treats.
On Feb. 28, sliders can find out just how fast they can go down the hill thanks to a radar gun provided by Science North.
Local art group Myths and Mirrors will have a graffiti snow wall for aspiring street artists.
As well, Sweetwater Aboriginal Drum Singers will perform.
Ward 6 councillor Lynne Reynolds heads up the volunteer committee that set up the month of festivals. The parties are a stop-gap measure to get something going at the ski hill, which was closed by council as a cost-saving measure during the 2003 budget process.
She said local businesses are encouraged to host their company parties or family picnics at the festivals since there will be lost to do and food to eat, she said.
Reynolds said she couldnÂ?t have got the festivals up and running without the help of her committee, which includes volunteers Mark Palkovits, Mark Gobbo and Gus Cacciotti and city staff members David Vedova and Karen Makela.
ReynoldsÂ? ward partner, Janet Gasparini is working with a committee of her own on the long-term plan for Adanac ski hill.
For the hill to reopen, council will have to approve operating funding for the hill, as well as capital investments on new equipment, and a lift system to replace the 50-year-old, uncertified lift system.