Fun on the Ice To Be Focus of Curtis Festival Saturday

The 13th Annual Curtis Winter Carnival will take place on South Manistique Lake in Curtis Saturday, February 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The entrance to the Carnival will be at the corner of Lake and Main streets. A $3 festival button is required to get in. Buttons are available at area businesses in Curtis throughout the week, and they will also be sold at the entrance on Carnival day.

Five buttons will be prize winners. At a 4 p.m. prize ceremony, each participant holding a winning pin will receive $20.

The Curtis Elementary School Volunteer Parents organization will host a spaghetti dinner Friday, February 16, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Curtis Community Building. The meal is open to the public. Adults eat for $5. Children eat for $2.50. There is a maximum charge of $15 per family.

The Great Northern Chili Bowl chili cook off will take place Saturday at 11 a.m., on the ice of South Manistique Lake. Participants pay $10 to enter their chili. Tasters pay $2 to sample and vote for their favorite entry. The grand prize is an inlaid chili bowl. This traveling trophy is currently held by Woods-N-Water Real Estate in Curtis.

The Curtis Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the event.

Throughout the day, participants can try their hand at ice fishing at the Curtis Fish Coop. Beneath the ice, 1,000 rainbow trout will be held in a fenced area. Adults will pay $5 to participate, and children younger than 14 will pay $3. Kids who catch the five biggest fish will compete in a "fish off." The child with the largest fish will receive a prize.

At 11 a.m. participants can try their luck at "turkey bowling," hurling a 10-pound frozen turkey down a snow bank alley at bowling pins. Those who receive the top scores will receive 10-pound turkeys as a prize.

A family snowman-building contest will take place during the Carnival.

Owing to low snowfall this year, snowmen do not need to be made of snow. The winning family will receive a $50 prize.

Youngsters with their own mini-snowmobiles can make use of a race track, for the Kids Mini- Sled Challenge.

Sunday, from 8 a.m. to noon, there will be an all-you-can-eat breakfast at the Community Building, sponsored by the Manistique Lakes Lions Club. Adults will pay $5 and children will pay $2.50. Proceeds will benefit the Curtis Elementary School Volunteer Association.

For more information, call the Curtis Chamber of Commerce at (906) 586-3700.

A schedule of events is on Page 8 of this week's issue.