ELF Festival Will Include More Events
DeTour Village

DeTour Village's annual winter festival, now being called the Everybody Loves Fun (ELF) Festival, will offer more activities this year and will take place all day Saturday, March 1. Cooking contests, a parade, snow sculpting, and sled decorating for children are planned. Many of the activities will be centered around the DeTour Village Hall on Superior Street. A bonfire will be offered throughout the day, and visitors will be treated to free hot cocoa and marshmallows.

"This year the festival has been revised a bit and has more activities to offer to people," said Judy Jones, one of the coordinators.

New to the festival is a hot wings cook-off and eating contest, which begins at noon. Any kind of wings can be entered.

Most of the activities will begin at 10 a.m. and finish by 4 p.m., although there will be a parade of lights through town with snowmobiles and all-terrrain vehicles that will begin at the hall at 5 p.m.

A children's sled-decorating activity will be held at 10:30 a.m. Participants can decorate sleds beforehand.

A chowder contest will be held. Participants can make any kind of thick soup to enter the contest. Soups must be entered before 11 a.m. Participants must bring their soup in a large crockpot to the hall, where it will be left until judging is finished. Awards will be presented after the contest.

A brownie bake-off will also take place. Judging will begin at 1 p.m. Participants will include elementary and middle school students, and adults.

The theme for this year's snow sculpting is fish, or any design related to fish. Each participant will receive a prize. Judging is at 10 a.m.

The festival is offering a miniature ice sculpturing contest with an open theme. Each participant will be provided a five-pound block of ice to sculpt. Judging will be at 10 a.m.

A craft show, offering a variety of handmade and artistic products, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the hall.

A snowmobile and walking poker hike will start at the Village Hall and continue around DeTour. Registration ends at 10 a.m., and all poker run cards must be turned in by 4 p.m.

A snowshoe sprint for both children and adults begins at 3 p.m. Snowshoes will be provided.

Tickets for the raffle drawings, including a 50/50 and general raffle, will be sold at the Village Hall. Drawings will continue all day.

The winner of the snow sculpture contest and poker run will be announced at the hall, which will be decorated with winter-themed art by elementary and preschool students.

Any proceeds from the event will benefit its sponsor, the DeTour Area Chamber of Commerce.