Lake George Winter Carnival draws large crowd over the holiday weekend

Warm temperatures, brilliant sunshine, traffic along Canada Street and sidewalks filled with shoppers — the scene in Lake George Village yesterday could have been plucked from July. Ice races on the lake had been canceled, but that did not put a dent in attendance at the third weekend of the Lake George Winter Carnival. On-shore events yesterday included a Human Foosball Tournament at Duffy’s Tavern, a snowman-building contest in Shepard Park, a polar plunge by MacDonald Pier, a doggie talent show and bonfire on the beach.

Entrants in the snowman-building contest had to work quickly as, with the temperature rising to 59 degrees, their main building material was quickly turning to slush. The lake, which was firm and holding ice fishing shanties in the morning, was covered with puddles by mid-afternoon. The few people that dared wander onto Lake George were quickly asked to return to shore by Winter Carnival officials. A helicopter, offering rides from the Fort William Henry Hotel, made regular runs over the lake.

Next Weekend, Feb. 25 – 26, the Winter Carnival continues featuring a chicken wing cook-off at noon on Saturday. The AMCE car ice races are scheduled, but, given the warm forecast, it appears unlikely the lake will be safe for vehicles. This will be the final weekend of Winter Carnival 2017 and the last chance to purchase Carnival raffle tickets for the two raffles.

The Winner’s Choice raffle is $25 per ticket. The winner may choose between two prizes, a 2017 Sea-Doo with trailer or a 2017 Kawasaki Mule SX 4×4. Tickets for the “Basket of Awesomeness” are $5. The basket, valued at $1,700, is filled with gift certificates from local businesses and local goods including a two-night stay at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Lake George, bags of coffee from Café Vero and wine from the Adirondack Winery. The Winery is hosting the “Basket of Awesomeness” and the prize may be viewed at the Winery Tasting Room on Canada Street during the week. Drawings will be held at the Carnival on Feb. 26 at 3:30 p.m. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win.

A full schedule of events for the final weekend of the Lake George Winter Carnival may be found at the Carnival website. Updates will be posted on the LGWC Facebook page.

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