The Luskville Community Centre was a popular destination for families, last weekend, as hundreds gathered to celebrate the annual Pontiac Winter Carnival.

According to one of the event’s organizers, Sylviana Geoffray, the event has been taking place for over 2 decades and has been organized by the Groupe Action Jeunesse (GAJ) for the last 14 years.

Hosted by the GAJ, the event was about giving back to the community by providing people from the region a chance to get together and enjoy themselves.

“We try to get everyone involved and not just Luskville,” she said.

The event officially kicked off on Friday evening with an announcement of winners of a drawing contest and a talent show, which featured several contestants and drew approximately 120 people to pack the hall.

In between performances, Montreal-based artist Jade Bernier, who was featured on The Voice, rocked the house with her angelic vocals.

On Saturday morning, festivities resumed inside the hall with a number of activities for kids to partake in including sandbag tossing, craft-making and colouring, while anyone with any kind of ability was invited to get up on stage and show off their talents.

Inside the canteen, volunteers doled out snacks and beverages to keep anyone from going too hungry or thirsty.

People were also encouraged to contribute to the GAJ’s new mosaic mural made of ceramic fragments and Italian Porcelain.

In the evening, 150 people filled the hall to indulge in a sold-out spaghetti supper, which raised funds for l’École Notre Dame de la Joie. Plus, Bernier hit the stage once again for a concert.

On Sunday, families kept the party going at Luskville Recreation Park, as people of all ages were invited to participate in a long list of exciting activities.

While warm conditions closed the outdoor rink for the day, folks were still able to engage in some tobogganing, snowshoeing and horse-drawn sleigh rides courtesy of Michel Alary.

With a number of prizes up for grabs, attendees gave their best efforts in a sleuth of different contests, which included an axe throwing competition, a snowperson building contest and a tuque decorating showdown.

While Geoffray found the weather disappointing, noting that she wished it was five degrees colder, it was a success nonetheless.

Pictured, Rafael Gariépy watches as Emma Julien goes all out on the air hockey table.

Jade Perrier along with Pontiac Carnival event coordinator Victoria Mestres-Lauren and Agnes Perrier work on the GAJ’s newest mosaic mural composed of ceramic fragments and Italian porcelain.

Danford Lake

From Bethany Hall to Heeney Park, Danford Lake was vibrant with families, on Saturday, as over 100 people celebrated the community’s annual Winter Carnival.

According to Mayor Carl Mayer, the event has been taking place for over 50 years, noting that he used to attend the event when he was a kid.

“It was always at the hotel, then, because the hall wasn’t here,” he said. “Once the hotel closed, we started having it here.”

Organized by the Danford Lake RA, the event was a way of giving the community a chance to have fun with their families and friends with no price of admission.

“We don’t make money on this,” he said with a laugh. “We lose money. The Mud Run is the one that makes the money for us. We do it for the kids.”

The event opened with a community breakfast inside Bethany Hall accompanied by a magic show, which drew around 70 people.

Outside, local resident Shawn Gabie gave people rides through the streets of Danford on a horse-drawn sleigh.

In the afternoon, families migrated to Heeney Park to partake in a number of outdoor activities.

From skating and shooting pucks on the outdoor rink, to jumping up and down snow banks and more, the little ones on hand seemed to be greatly enjoying themselves.

But the most popular activity was unquestionably the sled-dog riding.

With Otter Lake-based sled-dog racer, Ed “The Sled” Obrecht on site with his team of 10 dogs, people were invited to take turns riding his sleigh on a track that looped through the park.

Once Obrecht arrived at the park, a large crowd instantly flocked towards him to meet and greet the canines themselves.

Later on, the older folks were invited back inside Bethany Hall for some good old euchre with friends.

From around 8:30 p.m. until the late hours of the night, folks gathered inside Bethany Hall for a party, as Ottawa-based classic rock collective New Wave rocked the crowd with a dynamic set of tunes.

For Mayer, hosting such an event for the community is very important because it provides a reason for excitement in a typically-quiet small-town.

“There are no bands and there are no hotels around here anymore,” he said. “So, it gives people something to do, to get out and go dancing or whatever.”

On Jan. 25, the Danford Lake RA held its annual Winter Carnival, providing all sorts of fun activities for families from the area. Pictured, Shawn Gabie leads a group of attendees on a horse-drawn carriage on chemin Harrison.

Miley Bright and Jessica Lamourie stand in front of the ice surface during the Danford Lake Winter Carnival on Saturday.

Ed “The Sled” Obrecht and his 10-dog mushing team give Sylvie Roy and her granddaughter Juliette St-Jean a ride on a trail through Heeney Park, during the annual Danford Lake Winter Carnival. Native of Wakefield, Obrecht currently lives in Otter Lake and has competed in a number of big mushing events, including the Hudson Bay Quest in Churchill, MB.

Zachary Vautour works on his hockey skills on the Danford Lake outdoor rink on Saturday afternoon.

Campbell’s Bay

Despite closing permanently just before the start of the calendar year, the Campbell’s Bay Library was buzzing on Sunday, as plenty of families gathered to celebrate the town’s annual Winter Carnival.

According to Pro-Mayor Tim Ferrigan, the event is organized by municipal council and has been a staple in the town for decades, noting that he’s attended it more than a few times as a youngster.

He said that the event used to take place in February.

However, municipal council was forced to cancel the previous two carnivals because of shoddy conditions. So, they decided to move it to late January to get some nice cold weather.

While they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, the event still drew plenty of people to enjoy the day outside.

“As much as we want to say it hasn’t been good to us, really it’s been perfect because we’ve all been outside all day long,” he said.

Festivities kick off at noon with a variety of activities for kids, including sliding, snow people assembly and a snow castle challenge presented by Loisirs Sport Outaouais, which drew a large crowd of people to contribute.

“Some of it has been destroyed throughout the day,” he said with a laugh.

Volunteer Cletus Ferrigan cooked and doled out tons of hot dogs from the barbeque station on site.

Inside the library, attendees satisfied their appetites feasting on a number of delicious treats free of charge, including home-made chili and beans donated by members of the community.

While the warm weather turned the ice on the rink into a slushy surface, it didn’t keep people from enjoying themselves in a high-octane game of ball hockey between cross-town rivals – the Campbell’s Bay 3-Pitch Team against the Campbell’s Bay Rink Rats.

“We’ve been doing it for years,” he said. “They’ve been our main competitor for six or seven years.”

For Tim, hosting the carnival means a lot for the municipality because it gives local families a place to spend the day together and participate in free activities.

“It’s always fun,” he said. “You always get to see the young new families. We keep it relatively small, but the turnout is always good. It’s just fun to see the faces of the little kids.”

On Jan. 26, the municipality of Campbell’s Bay held its annual Winter Carnival, inviting the community to participate in all sorts of free activities. Pictured, Luca Beaudoin enjoys a couple of tasty treats while sitting in front of the campfire during the event.

Chase Carrière gives Felix Boucher a good slide on his toboggan on the outdoor rink’s slushy surface during the annual Campbell’s Bay annual Winter Carnival.

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