4x4 drags, car races and chicken wings bring crowd to Lake George Winter Carnival Finale weekend

The line for the chicken wing cook-off began to form at 11:30 Saturday morning, Feb. 23, starting at the Shepard Park stage and curving up the walkway to Canada Street. Local taverns and restaurants, 14 in all, contributed to the event with chafing pans piled high with wings, each in a unique sauce — Cajun spices, Thai chili, thick barbecue and even a distinctly Italian entry, marinara coated with parmesan.

Out on the frozen lake, cars gathered in the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club pits readying for races on a curving track while 4×4 vehicles lined up by a straight strip of cleared ice for the ice drags. The Lake George Winter Carnival Finale weekend brought several thousand to town to celebrate and enjoy all the snow and ice Mother Nature brought this winter.

Lake George Winter Carnival Chicken Wing Cook-off — The Garrison took 1st place in the chicken wing cook-off. TRs at the Holiday Inn was voted 2nd and the Barnsider won 3rd place.

The lake froze solid this year. The Lake George Association called the official Ice In on January 22, the first time the lake froze from end to end since 2017. A frozen Lake George is no longer a given each winter as the temperature of Lake George is rising, so this year’s freeze was cause for celebration with ice fishing, ice hockey and on-ice vehicle races.

Lakeside taverns were packed Saturday and a boisterous crowd, along with the music of PJ Duo, filled the Lake George Beach Club deck overlooking the lake. The sidewalks on Canada Street were filled with pedestrians, crowds to rival the summer tourist season.

The final day of the Lake George Winter Carnival came with rain, forcing organizers to cancel the ice races and the Glacier Golf Tournament, but die-hard Winter Carnival fans simply moved off the ice and into the lakeside taverns for indoor Carnival activities or onto the amphitheater stage for karaoke and make-your-own sundaes.

2019 marks the 58th year the Lake George Winter Carnival has been offering a cure for cabin fever. The Carnival is held each weekend in February. Annual events include outhouse, snowmobile, ATV, car and 4×4 races, cook-offs, the Lake George Dogs Got Talent shows, polar plunges, children’s activities, bonfires and fireworks.

AMEC races were held on the ice Saturday, Feb. 23.
Carnival attendees walk across a frozen Lake George.
The Lake George Dogs Got Talent Show is hosted by The Dog Cabin.
Carnival attendees walk across a frozen Lake George.
Pony rides are offered in Shepard Park.
AMEC races were held on the ice Saturday, Feb. 23.
Revelers gather on the Lake George Beach Club deck.
Carnival attendees walk across a frozen Lake George.
King Neptune’s Pub sponsored 4×4 ice drags, which were held on the ice at Million Dollar Beach.