PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — With temperatures in the upper 30s and plenty of sunshine, Saturday proved to be a great day for families to enjoy outdoor activities during the annual Family Fun Day at Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle.
Hundreds of families filled the park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 24 and took advantage of opportunities to try cross-country skiing, snow tubing and sledding and snowmobile tote rides that brought passengers around Echo Lake. The cost was $1.50 for people ages 12 to 64 and all skiing and tubing equipment was free.
Aroostook State Park Manager Scott Thompson said that the activities were a good way for families to enjoy the outdoors together and see what the park has to offer.
“Today is a great opportunity for them to try some healthy activities, get outside and enjoy this winter weather,” Thompson said.
Cars filled the parking lot next to the cross-country ski trails, as parents and their children received their skies and headed out one of three trails that offered easy, moderate or advanced options.
Tiffany and Nate Wheeler and their children Portia, 5, and Curtis, 8, attended Family Fun Day for the first time this year and started their day with cross-country skiing.
“We wanted to try skiing and thought that this would be a good chance to all be outside together doing something new,” Tiffany Wheeler said, as Portia and Curtis skied quickly ahead of her.
“I like skiing downhill,” Portia Wheeler said, after stopping for a moment.
“It’s fun to go really fast,” her brother Curtis Wheeler said, before taking off down the trail again.
Closer to the park entrance, dozens of children waited anxiously in line for their chance to go snow tubing or sledding. The youngsters went down one at a time and were all smiles as they speeded down the hill onto ice and snow-covered Echo Lake below.
“Both of my sons love sliding, so I thought today would be good to spend some time with them. This is our first year at the Fun Day and I definitely think we’ll come again,” said Angel McNeal, after sledding down the hill with her sons Caleb, 13, and Logan, 7.
“I like tubing because you could go really fast down the hill,” Logan McNeal said. After sledding, the family enjoyed a ride on one of four snowmobiles that took people on brief scenic adventures around Echo Lake, with Quoggy Jo Mountain visible in the distance.
Family Fun Day also is part of The Aroostook Medical Center’s annual Fit and Fun Winter Challenge Series, which provides free or low cost activities that encourage families to enjoy the outdoors and embrace healthy lifestyles. TAMC Community Health Specialist Jamie Guerrette said that Aroostook State Park is the perfect place to promote winter activities that The County has to offer.
“Having the event be low cost and with free equipment is a huge asset and I think it encourages more people to come. Then maybe if a family has never tried skiing before and they enjoy it, they might decide to come again,” Guerrette said.
(Staff Photos/Melissa Lizotte)
