It was a fun competition between members of the Morewood Recreation Association and of the Marionville Recreation Committee during the 2025 winter carnival. Following the tug-of-war between the two organizations they gathered for a photo on top of the snow hill outside the Morewood Community Centre. Thompson Goddard Photo

MOREWOOD – It was carnival weekend in Morewood and what an astounding success it was!  There were plenty of activities for people of all ages to enjoy. The weekend was organized by members of the Morewood Recreation Association (MRA) and firefighters from Station 1 North Dundas Fire Service in Morewood.

There was a great turnout for the opening ceremonies on Friday night in the Morewood Community Centre as well as the Firefighter family bingo which was organized by firefighters from the Morewood fire station. Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron, Councillors Gary Annable and John Lennox brought greetings from the Township of North Dundas, with all commenting on the community support for the winter carnival.

Brent Richards from the MRA expressed his thanks to the firefighters and members of the organizing committee noting how “we are a team”. He mentioned there were people from many different areas in Eastern Ontario who attend the event.

While the cold weather necessitated the cancelling of some of the outdoor events such as the tug-of-war, nail hammering and log sawing, there was still lots of things to do. Throughout carnival weekend people were able to skate on the outdoor rink, climb the large snow hill and toboggan down. After working up an appetite people were able to purchase snacks, drinks, burgers, hot dogs and fries at the indoor canteen!

On Saturday morning the annual Firefighter Breakfast was held, with people commenting the “turnout was awesome.” Throughout there were arts and crafts, a euchre tournament hosted by the Chesterville & District Lions Club, as well as entertainment designed for all ages and a community supper in the community centre.

New this year was a fun competition between Morewood and Marionville recreation committees. The triathalon consisted of a tug o’war, a chili tasting competition and a trivia contest. The idea of a fun competition arose as both Morewood and Marionville hold their winter carnival weekends close together. The team from Marionville arrived for the competition late Saturday morning, with the plans for the Morewood team participating in a similar competition at the winter carnival in Marionville between Feb. 7 and 9.

“Marionville triumphed in all the challenges of the triathlon, and the Morewood Recreation Association graciously accepted the defeat by buying a round of drinks for our competitors. Results were 26 (A) to 17 (B) for the chili and 9 to 7 for the trivia. We truly enjoyed the camaraderie! We look forward to seeing everyone next week in Marionville.” explained Jean-Paul Fauvelle and Brent Richard from the MRA in a message to The Record.

During the carnival the draw for a hand-quilted quilt was held, with proceeds provided to the building of the new Dundas Manor, with Gary Annable holding the winning ticket.

The organizers wished to thank “our sponsors, the fire department, the Chesterville and District Lions Club, and the individuals and businesses that contributed items for the silent auction.” A special thank you was extended to MRA members who volunteered them time to ensure the success of the 2025 Morewood Winter Carnival.

“We also appreciate Marionville for accepting the challenge. However, the biggest thank you goes to the members of our communities who attended and made this event a success year after year.” continued Fauvelle and Richard.

Upcoming events organized by the MRA include a Valentine dinner with a horse and buggy ride on Feb. 14 and on April 19 there are plans to hold an Easter Egg hunt as well as a Touch-A-Truck event. More information on this and other upcoming events can be found on the

MRA Facebook book page or by emailing the organization at Morewoodra@gmail.com.