Winter activities and contests for children and adults will keep outdoor enthusiasts busy all day at the Curtis Winter Carnival Saturday, February 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on South Manistique Lake.

Ice skating, dogsled rides, and chainsaw sculptures are three new events that will be offered along with the ever-popular children's fishing contest and mini-snowmobile race, said Beth Nicholls with the Curtis Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event.

Tucked between Manistique Lake and South Manistique Lake, Curtis is a year-around resort community that has hosted the winter carnival for 16 years, drawing about 1,700 people to the event in 2009.

Volunteers work year around to prepare for it, including elementary students from Three Lakes Academy. With adult assistance, this year the students have made an outdoor ice rink. Skating is free, although participants need to bring their own skates.

Each year crowds are drawn to the circular track on the lake ice for the children's mini-snowmobile challenge, Mrs. Nicholls said.

"The kids absolutely have a ball," she said, "and they are so fun to watch."

Carnival entry buttons are $3. The numbered buttons will automatically enter participants into door prize drawings.

Some activities have an additional charge, including 20-minute dogsled rides offered by Nature's Kennel of McMillan. For $25 two adults or one adult and two children can enjoy the experience of traveling across South Manistique Lake and along a trail by dogsled.

For $2, participants can become judges in the chili cook-off as they sample entries and vote on a favorite.

People will watch as James Denkins of Cooks uses a chainsaw to carve sculptures.

Local residents already have been creating their entries in the snow sculpting contest, which will be judged during the carnival.

Adults and children will be able to test their luck at ice fishing. A wire cage filled with trout will be their target. The cage is submerged in the lake and holes will be drilled in the ice for fishing. Prizes will be awarded. Fishing costs $3 for ages up to 14 outdoors; for those fishing inside the heated enclosure, the cost is $5. For anglers 14 years and older, the cost is $5.

Food, hot chocolate, a bake sale, vendors, a bonfire, and a snow bowling game using frozen turkeys also are planned during the day.

At dusk, a fireworks display will light the sky above the lake.