Bon Soo Winter Carnival is a bright spot in the winter months
With over 90 unique events planned across multiple venues, the volunteer-run Bon Soo Winter Festival promises fun for all ages this February.
Snow or shine (but hopefully shine), the 63rd annual Bon Soo Winter Carnival is coming up on February 13-21. The popular volunteer-run event promises to be a fun, inclusive environment for community members of all ages— bringing a little joy to a rather gloomy month.
“I really like that in the dead of winter, the community comes together to put on this event for everyone,” says Amelia Morris, Vice President of the Bon Soo Board of Directors. Originally from southern Ontario, Amelia herself bravely took part in the carnival’s polar plunge in her first year in the Soo. “The plunge is really popular— depending on weather conditions,” she jokes.
For those who are less interested in wintertime lake dips, there are over 90 unique events at Bon Soo, 30 of which are new this year. Taking community feedback into account, the organizers made sure to include events for all ages and demographics, from toddlers (children aged 4 and under are free) to seniors.
The Bon Soo Winter Carnival takes place at three main locations: The Machine Shop, the Downtown Plaza (which includes the art gallery and the museum), and Northern Superior Brewing Co. as the 19+ venue, plus the Bushplane museum next door.
Bon Soo Passes are available as either a collectible button ($12) or a jacket tag ($8). You need a pass for most events, and both pass options offer you the same access. If you’re wondering if an event requires a pass, you can check out the Bon Soo website for event-specific details. For example, events at the Downtown Plaza or Libraries do not require any fees or passes.
The 90+ Bon Soo events include activities like pickleball, cornhole, ball hockey, archery, volleyball and ringette; trivia nights; comedy; snow machine rides; art exhibitions; themed skates at the Downtown Plaza; a pancake breakfast; trailer rides; plus endless activities for kids like pony rides, dance parties, lego building, arts & crafts, cookie decorating, a Family Day skate, and more. There are also special 55+ events, like a Bon Soo Bingo Bash, chair yoga, and a Golden Bon Soo Dinner & Dance.
There’s a lot happening at The Machine Shop, like a Mario Kart tournament on the 17th, a fish fry on the 20th, and Tragically Hip tribute act, “The Luxury” (with special guests BookcluB) will be performing on the 18th. “I’m dying to try the fish fry, it sounds amazing,” says Amelia. “I’m really looking forward to the new events. Some of my favourites have been the musical acts.”
Bum Slides —a classic Bon Soo snow activity that is exactly what it sounds like— will be happening every day at The Machine Shop from 5-8PM. The frozen canoe rides (also sliding down a snowy hill, but on a canoe this time) are a popular classic as well.
Northern Superior’s Tap Room is also hosting several fun events, including an outdoor family movie with hot chocolate and treats on the 16th (Family Day), a Fire & Ice Hot Sauce Challenge on the 18th, and a comedy night on the 19th, featuring comedian Drew Behm, seen at Just For Laughs and known for his popular “Albert Accent” videos.
On February 20th at the Tap Room, there will be a SnowKeys Showdown— two pianos and two musicians, facing off in a high-energy, all-request piano duel. That takes place from 8PM-midnight and is an event not to be missed.
There are plenty of Family Day events to choose from, with a full day of programming for kids of all ages and their parents, grandparents and caregivers. These include a kid’s dance party at the Downtown Plaza, Hidden Hill’s pony rides (plus delicious beaver tails and Hogan’s Homestead Taffy Bar) at Clergue Park, activities at the museum, a “Grandparent & Me Craft Morning,” and Monday Morning Cartoons & Cereal at The Machine Shop.
On the weekend of February 14th and 15th, Algoma University is proud to host the 20th Annual Gathering at the Rapids Pow Wow, at GFL Memorial Gardens. This takes place from 1-7PM on the 14th and 12-4PM on the 15th.
Bon Soo Happy Hour is a fun new festival feature, running February 18–21 from 3–5 PM at participating locations. On the final two days of the festival, there are epic pickleball tournaments at The Tech, plus a screening of the classic film Fargo at the Bushplane Museum on February 20th.
For brave souls like Amelia, the polar bear plunge happens at the Bushplane Museum from 1-4PM with registration opening at 11AM. There is also a Bon Soo closing concert at the same location from 1-3PM, for everyone to enjoy post-swim.
Bon Soo is programmed to have a good balance of both indoor and outdoor events. This means that in the event of inclement weather, the show will be able to go on. Plus, Amelia points out, “There are newcomers, seniors, people with little kids, and people who are just intolerant to the cold.”
Another way the Bon Soo volunteer organizers make the carnival accessible is the pricing. With event passes priced at $8 (or $12 for the collectible passes), it’s an extremely affordable way to enjoy the Soo in wintertime.
“We want to provide people with value and with fun,” says Rachel Rankin, President of the Bon Soo Board of Directors.. “We get a lot of comments from people that it gives them something enjoyable to do out of the house in February.”
Interested in volunteering with Bon Soo? The carnival is always accepting more volunteers who can provide event support and generally help out where needed.
For more information about Bon Soo events, volunteering, raffle tickets and more, visit bonsoo.on.ca.
From SOOTODAY.com
