Usually, by mid-February, McCall’s Winter Carnival is a frosty memory for the year. But this year, the carnival is still on the snowy horizon, slated for the last weekend of February for the first time in decades.
Or, at least, organizers hope the horizon will be snowy.
For generations, the main attraction of the annual event has been the snow sculptures. While the number of sculptures has dwindled over the years from more than 100 to 20 or so, this year could see even fewer. But organizers say they’re hopeful, no matter what the weather brings.
“We’re still optimistic for a great vibrant celebration,” McCall Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Whitescarver told the McCall City Council Thursday.
She said the chamber, which organizes the event, is “breaking the rules” and will include more than just snow sculptures on its map of things to see.
“We’ve decided if Mother Nature does show up and provide plenty of snow, that’s great, however we have to be realistic. Whether it’s window painting, photo booths with cut outs, yarn bombing… where you can wrap a tree or light pole with colorful yarn… that will still be included, so hopefully business owners and organizations can participate, granted with the lack of snow.”
Other favorite events are still slated – including the Friday night Children’s Torch Light Parade, Saturday Mardi Gras Parade, fireworks, live music and more. There’s also a new corn hole tournament.
The chamber decided to move the carnival from January to late February and cut it from a ten-day celebration to three days after it said a survey of its members showed 70% were fine with canceling or shortening the signature event.
The McCall Winter Carnival is slated for February 23-25. The ten-day forecast for McCall does show a week of snow, so maybe there’s hope for those sculptures yet.
