People will bundle up this weekend to participate in Snowsfest 2006 in Hessel. The event, sponsored and organized by the Les Cheneaux Chamber of Commerce, is Friday, February 17, through Sunday, February 19, and some new activities have been added to the slate of traditional events, including a snowshoe race across the Hessel Bay ice and Saturday afternoon clay pigeon shoot.

A complete schedule of events, with dates and times, is on Page 6 and Page 7 of this issue.

Most of the weekend’s activities will take place in and around the Snowsfest warm-up tent near Hessel Marina at the end of Pickford Avenue. The tent is expected to be on land, around the marina parking lot, and in open areas around the marina. Events taking place at other locations will be announced.

Signs of Snowsfest are starting to appear around the community, as businesses and residents create their entries in the snow statue and window decorating contest. Terrie Milligan, who is in charge of the contest, said at least 15 businesses have confirmed they will build a snow statue or decorate their windows or business in this year’s “toys” theme. Snow statues are encouraged and will receive the biggest prizes, but last year Mrs. Milligan introduced the window-decorating option to help replace sliding snow statue entries and give people another way to participate in years with little snow.

Another division for students at Les Cheneaux Community Schools will award one classroom with a traveling plaque. Entries can be made on the school’s athletic field in Cedarville, and will be judged Friday afternoon.

Window decorations will compete for a traveling plaque, while statues on Hessel Bay will compete for $100, $60, and $40 cash prizes. Piles of snow around the downtown Hessel area are available for statues. Some are already reserved, so competitors should register before they begin construction. Window decorations and statues should reflect the “toys” Snowsfest theme. Statues and decorations must be registered by Friday, February 17, before 2 p.m., when judging will begin. Results should be tabulated by 5 p.m. Friday, and winners will be announced at the Islander Bar on Pickford Avenue in Hessel. Winners will be announced again and awards will be distributed at the 7 p.m. snowman burning and bonfire that evening. The paper snowman is burned to symbolically hasten the start of spring, and is constructed for the event by Joni Izzard’s Cedarville High School art class.

Register for the snow statue or window decorating contests by calling the Les Cheneaux Welcome Center at (906) 4843935 or Terrie Milligan at (906) 484-2727 or (906) 484-7841.

Following the snowman burning, snowmobiles will depart from Hessel for the annual snowmobile safari, a scenic trek over the ice and through snowy woods. The free event is led each year by the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club, and anyone can join the safari. The trip will end with a hot dog roast at the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Clubhouse in Cedarville. Pastor Judy Arnold of the Hessel and DeTour Presbyterian churches will bless the snowmobiles at 7:15 p.m. before they leave at 7:30 p.m.

Snowmobile Club volunteers will return to the clubhouse to host a pancake breakfast Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. The meal will offer pancakes, sausage, and beverages. Funds raised from the breakfast will help support the club’s trail grooming and maintenance efforts.

Other activities throughout the day include a special children’s story hour at the Les Cheneaux Community Library on Hodeck Street in Cedarville. The annual craft show will be at the Community Center on M-134 in Cedarville, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring paintings, furs and leather goods, wood crafts, homemade candy, jewelry, fleece clothing, glass works, crochet, bird feeders, and wooden toys. Karl’s Cuisine of Pickford and Sault Ste. Marie will provide a food concession at the craft show. A guided, cross-country skiing tour at Peeka Boo Ski Trail will start at the trail head on State Avenue in Cedarville at 1:30 p.m., and anyone who needs skis for the tour can rent them from the Alternative Community Education School in Cedarville by calling (906) 4845025. Green “Ski” signs that start on the north side of M-134 in Cedarville mark the route drivers can take to reach the ski trail.

The popular dog show, with best dressed, best trick, and obstacle course events, has been moved from the morning to an afternoon slot, and will take place in Hessel. Horse-drawn wagon rides, dog sled rides, the golf on ice “closest to the pin” contest, children’s games, and food by UP N’ Smoke barbecue of Cedarville will be offered. Golfers can participate in the golf on ice contest by simply showing up at a station on the ice, and free golfing rounds at area courses will be awarded as prizes.

The Snowsfest Snowmobile Poker Run is Saturday and will include stops at 12 area businesses. Stops include the Runway Bar, Kewadin Casino, and the Islander Bar in Hessel, Cedar Pantry, AngGio’s Restaurant, Cattail’s Cove, and Bumpas’ in Cedarville, the Albany Bar, Main Sail Restaurant, and Village Inn in DeTour, the Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace, and Rock Bottom Tavern in Moran.

Participants gather stamps from all the businesses they visit, and redeem the stamps for cards at the end of the run. Registration will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Snowsfest warm-up tent. The event will end at the Islander Bar in Hessel between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Poker Run will begin in the warm-up tent, and participants can head in their own direction from there. The Poker Run can be completed by snowmobile, automobile, or any other means of transportation.

A chili cook-off also will be held Saturday, featuring more than 20 entries from businesses and local residents and piñatas to entertain children. There is still plenty of time to enter the contest, organizer Kathy Mudloff said, since entries will be taken through 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The judging will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Judging is done by popular vote, and anyone who wants to taste all the recipes and vote for their favorite can do so for $3. Children will be able to try hitting the piñatas at various times throughout the contest.

“We would like people to register early so we have enough room to accommodate them, but we certainly won’t turn anyone away if they bring a chili down,” Mrs. Mudloff said.

The Snowsfest Committee will provide electrical outlets to keep chili warm, and table space. There is no entry fee. Participants can enter chili in the individual or commercial divisions with a Best of Show awarded for each. The best commercial entry will receive a plaque and gift basket, while the individual winner will receive $50 and a gift basket. Those who would like to enter a chili should call the Les Cheneaux Welcome Center at (906) 484-3935 to sign up and obtain rules.

A new Saturday clay pigeon shoot, sponsored by the Les Cheneaux Sportsman’s Club, will join the organization’s traditional Sunday shoot to accommodate a growing number of interested shooters. The shoot will be at noon each day, and anyone can participate by showing up with their shotgun, either Saturday or Sunday, at the Les Cheneaux Sportsman’s Clubhouse, east of Cedarville, at 3829 East M-134.

Anew event, the Snowsfest Big Foot Snowshoe race, will start at the warm-up tent at 1 p.m. Registration is free, and everyone who enters will receive a premium chocolate or health bar. People who enter the contest will travel a 1.5-mile course across the bay, to Marquette Island and back again. People of all fitness levels, ages 10 through 60 and older, are welcome to participate. Contestants should bring their own snowshoes, or they can request snowshoes on a first-come, first-serve basis. Men and women will compete in different divisions, in the following age categories: age 10 to 14, 14 to 17, 18 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, and 60 and older. Trekking and ski poles are permitted, and participants can walk or run the course. Individual times will be recorded, and winners will be determined by time and age category.

Anyone who needs to rent showshoes can do so for free, by calling Woods and Water Ecotours at (906) 484-4157. Participants can register in advance or at the Snowsfest tent. Organizer Jessie Hadley hopes to make the race a permanent Snowsfest event, and she wants it to attract participation from outside the area, as well.

The dog show has been moved from the morning to 2 p.m., after the children’s games and the end of the chili cook-off. The show will be immediately followed by the Clark Township emergency services ice rescue demonstration at 2:30 p.m.

The annual Snowsfest Cardboard Box Sled races will conclude Snowsfest events Sunday at 2 p.m. The races and sled judging will be held at Les Cheneaux Community Schools sledding hill in Cedarville, behind the elementary school. Racing will begin at 2 p.m., and participants can register for their sleds by calling (906) 484-5001 or the Welcome Center at (906) 4843935. Prizes will be awarded in various creative categories, as well as to the race winners. Consideration is given to entries that use the “toys” theme in their construction. Entry forms are available at Les Cheneaux Community Schools and the Welcome Center in Cedarville, or at the hill the day of the race.

Snowsfest buttons are $4 and are required for all events, and people can buy buttons at area businesses from now through Snowsfest weekend. Some events may require additional charges.