There was a whole lot of fun during the nail hitting contest on Saturday afternoon at the Morewood Winter Carnival. There were two teams of three people competing in the initial contest. Smirlholm Honey Team was comprised of Glenn Smirle, Glen Briggs and Dean Broome, with the Green Team members being Brent Richard, Syd Van Der Zweep and Donna Sauve. From the left: Glenn Smirle and Donna Sauve are seen during their turn hitting the nail on its head during the relay. Thompson Goddard Photo

MOREWOOD – The cold weather didn’t seem to stop people from enjoying the 2023 Morewood Carnival held between Fri., Feb. 3 and Sun., Feb. 5 in this small North Dundas Community. The weekend long event was organized by the Morewood Recreation Committee, and it provided the chance to enjoy some family fun for visitors to the event. From the opening ceremonies on Friday, to the conclusion of Sunday’s Dart Tournament, there were plenty of activities both inside and outside the Morewood Recreation Centre and two events on Sunday at Morewood Presbyterian Church. Throughout the carnival people of all ages were able to enjoy skating on the outdoor rink adjacent to the centre, or perhaps toboggan down or play on one of the snow hills on the grounds.

On Friday evening, following the opening ceremonies at 7 p.m., the Morewood firefighters hosted a free family bingo evening that was well attended and on Saturday morning firefighters were cooking up a pancake breakfast complete with sausages, home fries, juice and coffee. Guests were able to enjoy the breakfast while visiting with friends and neighbours, bid on an item on the silent auction or visit the firefighters table to pick up information and a promotional item or two to take home.

During the afternoon on Saturday, the Chesterville & District Lions Club hosted a euchre tournament, with six tables of four enjoying the card game, while youngsters of all ages were able to enjoy activities at the Arts and Crafts’ table. There was a presentation by the Zoo Crew, a colouring contest, sponsored by McLaughlin Electric, and face painting by Jacky’s Face Painting thanks to the sponsorship of KT Consulting.

Outside the recreation centre, there was the opportunity to paint the snow wall during the afternoon, with Tawny Bryski-Wilson, a member of the Morewood Recreation Committee mentioning “The kids also really enjoyed painting our snow wall with our coloured water.” To the rear of the building a series of competitions were held, which included a tug of war as well as log sawing and nail hammering, with people who were watching or competing, able to warm up around contained wood fires.

The day ended with a community spaghetti supper sponsored by Camouflage Property Management between 5 and 7 p.m., and silent auction winners announced as the evening concluded. There were 35 items in the silent auction, with Bryski-Wilson mentioning many items went over the listed values and five items “ended in bidding wars.”

On Sun., Feb. 5, the Morewood Presbyterian Church hosted a Carnival church service that included a social time afterwards and a special presentation of the Zoo Crew between 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., with donations for the Winchester & District Hospital Foundation accepted during the event.

A dart tournament ended the 2023 Morewood Carnival during Sunday afternoon. It was described as awesome in a message from Bryski-Wilson who mentioned there were 18 players in the tournament with the top three teams being presented with prizes.

“We would like to thank all of our sponsors and donors, as without their support we wouldn’t be able to host events such as this one.