The Kenosee Lake Lions Club raised about $5,500 during its first annual Winter Carnival, deeming it a success.
President Daryl Safinuk said the club - which at less than a year old is still in its infancy - decided to hold the Winter Carnival to ensure the club held two major fundraising events a year. The second event is the annual Kenosee Lake Lions Club Golf Tournament, which is held in the spring.
The day kicked off with a pancake breakfast held at Moose Mountain Church of Christ from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Approximately 150 people came out for the community breakfast in order to support the Lions Club.
A hockey tournament had previously been scheduled to start at 11 a.m., however, warm weather the week previous caused the ice to melt, thus cancelling the hockey tournament.
All other activities went ahead as planned.
Snowmobilers, who were busy buying their poker hands all morning, hit the trails around noon for the snowmobile derby. With food available at one of the warming shacks along the trails, those heading out were gone for the day.
Around 1 p.m., the area around Little Kenosee became quite busy, as people came out to take part in the cross-country ski derby. The sun was shining and the weather had warmed up from days previous, making it a fantastic day to head out with alone or with friends and get some exercise.
Cross-country skiing worked much like the snowmobile derby, with food available as well at the head of the trail.
Once everyone had their fill of the outdoors, they made their way to the Rec. Hall at Kenosee Lake, where beef on a bun was served for dinner. Prizes for the snowmobile and cross-country ski derbies were awarded after everyone finished eating. There were also other door prizes and prize giveaways.
The night ended with a cabaret at the hall.
Money raised by the Lions Club to date has gone to various projects in the immediate area. The Lions helped build a playground at the village beach, working on a project to fix up the ball diamonds in the park, and helped with fireworks on Canada Day. This year, the group is looking at building a splash park near the beach.
While the Lions Club is still relatively new, Safinuk said they are a young, active club. There are 35 people currently involved with the club, which meets once a month during a dinner prepared by one of the members.
