Saturday March 7 dawned a bit breezy, but the storm that was forecast had not yet materialized and the 9th Annual Rosthern Winterfest began as planned. The day started off at 8:00 am with a pancake breakfast in the lounge of the rink hosted by the Rosthern Community School Fundraising Committee who are raising money for new playground equipment at the new school. A Farmer’s Market got underway at 8:30 in the lounge of the curling rink. While the number of vendors was small, the products available ranged from homemade preserves to gel nail polish, Pampered Chef to Watkins.
The rink opened up for public skating at noon and then the afternoon’s activities got underway. There was something for everyone regardless of age. In the rink, the facepainters were busy as usual with many little ones anxiously waiting for some transforming artwork on their little faces. Another drawing card at the rink was the visit of Anna and Elsa and it seemed as if Elsa forgot to leave the storms behind as one followed her into town. If the storms never bothered Elsa anyway, they didn’t seem to bother the festival goers either as they braved the blustery weather to come out and enjoy the afternoon. Even the sleigh rides went on as planned. In the Lion’s Hall there were games for families to enjoy together.
The day wrapped up with Rosthern Fire and Rescue’s Casino night. This event has been running since 2014 and always proves a favourite with the community. A mere $10 got participants $25,000 in fun money to play the games with and extra fun-money could be bought for those whose winning streak left them a bit too soon. A fun-money auction was held at end the evening to help the lucky gamblers spend their winnings. To keep everyone safe Rosthern Transit was available to give people a safe ride home after their stint in the casino.
Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wakaw Recorder
