Winter Fun Day coming up on February 21

Winter fun in the great outdoors is always the theme of Winter Fun Day, (formerly known as the Winter Assembly), hosted by Algonquin Outfitters in Oxtongue Lake. This year is the 15th annual Winter Fun Day, so plan to join us on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009. We changed the name of the Winter Assembly to Winter Fun Day, because, well, that's what it is - a fun day of winter activity!

Snow volleyball, sponsored by NorthOnSixty, is always popular

This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake store, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, sledding, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to have fun in the snow.

Chillin' and grillin' at Winter Fun Day!

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, help build an igloo, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter shelters, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games (don't miss snow volleyball!)and more! Snowshoe demos are being sponsored by the Atlas Snowshoe Company and Jason Wilcox of Atlas will be on hand to explain the latest and greatest snowshoes. You can also try some really nice skis and chat with Craig Podborski (yes, he is Steve's brother), who will be on hand with a demo fleet of Alpina cross-country skis and boots.

Dan and Joan Mahony of Ski for Life are returning Saturday and Sunday, offering two scheduled lessons (basic skate and classic) and a guided ski tour. Dan is a super-enthusiastic skier, creative instructor and his lessons will be oriented towards the novice skier and the "average" skier wishing to improve their technique and confidence.

Dan Mahony (2nd from right) really "gets down" in a ski lesson...

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available.

Winterdance dogs are friendly and always ready to pull!

The final schedule for the Winter Fun Day is not completely cast in stone, but in the meantime, here is a general overview of the day:

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 4 pm: dog sled rides. Please sign up to make sure you get a turn!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lesson, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, snow games, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.)

12 - 2: lunch break (light snacks and hot drinks available at Algonquin Outfitters)

1 - 5: afternoon program (skate ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, snowshoe race, ski tour, etc.)

Sunday, Feb. 22:

9:30 - noon: 15th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike

1 - 2:30: New! First annual guided ski tour of the Blue Spruce trail system, with Dan and Joan Mahony.

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Winterdance Dog Sled Tours.

AO's prize-winning blogger

Jeremy in his happy place

Some guys have all the luck. Jeremy Bessey, Algonquin Outfitter's rental and outfitting supervisor, made his first blog post on the interesting Outdoorsica site and won a very nice gift certificate! Of course, he does have to go to that giant outdoor store in Toronto to spend it but we won't hold it against him.

All kidding aside, congratulations Jeremy on a well-written and thoughtful piece. Anyone considering a career in outdoor world should definitely heed his words!

So now, how do those Google Ad Words work?????