HOULTON, Maine — The 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival celebration may have been missing a number of key attractions this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that did not deter people from enjoying the elements just the same.
With ideal temperatures and plenty of fresh snow to play on, local residents enjoyed sliding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and ice skating at Houlton Community Park over the three-day celebration.
“Everything went really well and people were enjoying themselves, which is always a key measure of success,” ,Nancy Ketch, one of the volunteer organizers for the winter carnival, said. “Everyone was following the guidelines and we received many expressions of appreciation for the activities.”
Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, a number of traditional events were not held this year, such as snowmobile rides, horse-drawn hay rides, a massive bonfire and the children’s coin scramble.
“We were certainly disappointed that we couldn’t hold all of the traditional events, so we are looking forward to being back next year even bigger and better,” Ketch said. “We also thank all those who helped to make the event possible — from sponsors, to volunteers, to those who came out and participated in the activities.”
Estimates on attendance were not immediately available, but Ketch said that numbers seemed to be down from previous years. The Hogan Tire free public skating at the John A. Millar Civic Center proved to be one of the most popular events. Those wishing to attend had to pre-register so that participants could be limited to 25 people per session.
“Having pre-registration for several activities kept numbers down from previous years, but those events, such as the skating sessions, were full to capacity and even had waiting lists for some time slots,” Ketch said. “The sliding hill was busy most of the weekend.”
James Gaddis, the son of Abby Gaddis, was selected as the winner of the “Snow Creation Contest.” People were able to make their own snow creation at their home and submit photos of their efforts for the contest.
In the fishing derby, held simultaneously at Drew and Nickerson lakes, the final results were as follows:
Trout — 1, Donnie Scott, 3.15 pounds; 2, Dustin Potter, 2.14 pounds; and 3, Dan Blake, 2.12 pounds.
Togue — 1, Greg Hill, 4.23 pounds; 2, Ted Russell, 3.81 pounds; and 3, Kyle Carver, 3.41 pounds.
Pickerel — 1, Pete Schools, 2.93 pounds; 2, Mark Drew, 2.90 pounds; and 3, Ryan Heath, 2.82 pounds.
Perch — Jason Matheson, 1.40 pounds; 2, Chuck Jones, 1.27 pounds; and 3, Randy Kneeland, 1.08 pounds.
Grant (left) and Michelle Leathers of Houlton enjoy cross-country skiing Saturday as part of the 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Liliana (right) and Suzanne Hiltz of Cary were having fun with snowshoes and cross-country skis Saturday as part of the 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Moosestomper volunteers Nancy Ketch (left) and Marie Carmichael work at the Houlton Recreation Department’s cross-country skiing and snowshoe station as part of the 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Enjoying a slide down Derby Hill is Tristan Hiltz of Cary as part of the 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Thomas Hiltz of Cary slides face first down Derby Hill as part of the 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Blaze Holmes of Houlton sports a patriotic face mask while sliding down Derby Hill Saturday as part of the 25th annual Moosestompers winter carnival in Houlton. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
