Third annual Faraday Winter Fun Day brings out the kid in everyone

February 18, 2025

By Michael Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Faraday Winter Fun Day was back on Family Day weekend for its third year on Feb. 15 at the Faraday Community Centre. Put on by the Faraday Recreation Committee and the Faraday Firefighters’ Association, the day featured a plethora of winter activities for kids of all ages. Amanda Stone with the Faraday Recreation Committee says this year’s fun day attracted over 200 people and went really well.

The Faraday Winter Fun Day is modelled after the original Leonard E. Yaskolskie Winter Fun Day that used to take place at the Faraday Community Centre, and was brought back three years ago and proved to be very popular with the community. The day featured two Zoo to You shows, fire trucks on display, a barbecue, a campfire and marshmallows, a snowshoe trail, face painting, hot drinks, a skating rink, a tobogganing hill, a family ice or snow sculpture contest (with prizes donated by the Bancroft Lions Club), and many more indoor and outdoor activities.

The family ice or snow sculpture prize finalists were the Crowe, Brant and Mackinnon families who won the first place prize for their shark sculpture, Rhyenn MacKinlay who won the second place prize for her ice pop sculpture, and Brendon Burgess who took home the third place prize with his octopus sculpture.

On the day of the event, they had an amazing attendance, with over 200 people coming by to enjoy the festivities, beating last year’s number of 150. Stone said that overall, it all went very well.

“The second Zoo to You show was just as full as the first one. So, we’re really happy with the turnout and we got more people than we were expecting,” she says.

Stone told Bancroft This Week they even ran out of some stuff, so next year, they’ll have to keep that in mind. She also says they already have a few extra things booked for next year, so she says that’s exciting, as it’ll be a little different.

“I wasn’t sure if the weather was going to impact our attendance but if it did, we didn’t notice. We definitely had a good turnout. It was a great day!” she says.

Stephanie told Bancroft This Week that her family comes every year to the Faraday Fun Day.

“It’s always a hit with the kids. We always have a great time!”