The Town of Newmarket has a long weekend jam-packed with family fun Feb. 16 to 18.
Winterfest begins with a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. indoors Saturday at the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall, with outdoors fun offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Riverwalk Commons.
The activities include learn to curl with the York Curling Club, or bring your helmet and hockey gloves and try out sledge hockey, from 9 to 11 a.m. Ice skating is free from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 3 p.m., with the Newmarket Skating Club taking to the ice at 12:30 p.m. for a performance.
Three Paralympians, including Tyler McGregor, Claire Buchanan, and Brad Bowden, will also conduct a hands-on demo from 9 to 11 a.m. to teach people how to play sledge hockey. Participants can snap a photo with the Para-athletes following the demo.
About the Paralympians
Tyler McGregor has been a member of the Canadian Men’s Sledge Hockey Team since 2012. Since then, he has helped the team to several international medals, including a bronze at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi and a silver at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, where McGregor was alternate captain.
Claire Buchanan is a member of the Canadian Women’s Para Ice Hockey Team and was part of the silver-medal winning team at the 2014 IPC Women’s Sledge Hockey World Cup. She is also an elite wheelchair basketball athlete. Buchanan attended the University of Alabama, where she played on the women's wheelchair basketball team, winning a pair of NCAA titles. She has been part of the Canadian wheelchair basketball program for over a decade.
Bowden is one of the few Paralympic athletes to win a Paralympic gold medal in the summer and winter Games. A four-time Paralympian in para ice hockey, she also competed in wheelchair basketball at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, where Canada won gold. At the Torino 2006 Paralympic Games, Bowden scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal game. Four years later at the Paralympic Games in Vancouver 2010, he was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The entertainment includes Tim Burr the Circus Lumberjack from 1 to 1:45 p.m., and DJ Tyler Stevenson will be pumping out the tunes at the Ice Lounge all day.
All day outdoors, the kids can enjoy free rides on the Tim Hortons Express Train, the Snow Valley Tube Slide, and firetruck and police cruiser tours.
Indoors all day in the community centre, you'll find vendors, mad science fun stations, balloon twisting, Glama Gal kids spa, Scotiabank hockey zone, Sport Clips Haircuts Newmarket hair colouring, and community sports organizations.
Check newmarket.ca/events for an updated schedule of events.
On Sunday, Winterfest offers free skating and swimming at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex at 100 Eagle St. West.
Free skating runs from noon to 2 p.m. and free public swimming is offered from 2 to 4 p.m.
And on Monday, Family Day Fun is on at the Magna Centre at 800 Mulock Dr. and at the Recreation Youth Centre & Sk8 Park at 56 Charles St., with full day of recreational activities, including skateboarding, family pickleball and basketball.
Check here for updates and the activity schedule.
Family Day activities cost $2 per person for each activity. For a printable schedule click here.
Ice fishing is free across this province on Family Day weekend. You can find a local event by visiting: http://www.
