WC_011719

4 | January 17, 2019 | The winnetka Current NEWS
winnetkacurrent.com
Families escape the snow at Winnetka’s indoor Winter Carnival
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
The Winnetka Park District’s
annual Winter Carnival
held on Saturday,
Jan. 12, gave the winter
doldrums a run for their
money, keeping families
blissfully entertained with
hot games, cool prizes and
the kind of fun that helped
everyone forget about the
inches of snow falling to
the ground.
As hundreds of families
poured into The Skokie
School, they eagerly
tossed aside their winter
Join us Tuesday
boots and coats and lured
by the scent of popping
corn, the sound of upbeat
music and the temptation
to play one game after another,
knowing the chance
to walk away with prizes
and treats awaited them.
Recreation supervisors
Toby Ross and Kevin
Rutherford greeted guests,
handing little ones a gameplaying
passport that
would eventually become
their ticket to the coveted
prizes.
“We have a lot of great
prizes here today, so no
through Friday
Closed Sunday & Monday
Froggys
French Cafe
Monthly Special for January
Available for Lunch or Dinner
$16 per person BEFORE 6:30pm
CHOICE OF Soup: Lobster Bisque, Mushroom Creme, Butternut Squash
or Mixed Green Salad
ENTREE CHOICE OF...
Steak with french fries
or
Cassoulet Toulousin
or
Alaskan Scrod with Lobster sauce
child will leave without
a reminder of their trip to
their local winter carnival,”
Ross said. “There are
inflatable hockey sticks
and baseball bats, stuffed
animals, and so much
more. The carnival is our
way of treating the community
to a little homegrown
winter fun. This can
be a rough time of year,
and people are looking
for ways to get out of the
house, allowing kids to let
off a little steam; this is a
great place to do just that.”
The cherished event has
earned a stellar reputation
over the years, thanks
in large part, to the Park
District’s commitment to
making new additions year
after year.
“We always like to take
it one small step further,
thinking of creative ways
to up the ante,” Rutherford
said. “This year, we added
some extra carnival games
like Touchdown Toss, Star
Darts and Gone Bananas.
Not only are kids loving
these games, but so are the
parents. It’s great to see
the whole family having
so much fun.”
Other games that drew
attention were Frosty’s
bucket, ladder toss, washer
toss, hit-the-strike, snowman
and beanbag toss, just
to name a few.
John and Nicole Oertel,
who are brokers at Compass,
a real estate company,
handed out frisbees
and candy while happily
sponsoring the face painting
tent, too.
“This event is incredible,”
Nicole said. “It’s
packed and everyone is
having such a good time.
Winnetka’s Steve Weichhand (right) plays old fashioned
paddle ball with his 2-year-old son Carter.
Winnetka’s Shal Shen, 5, plays the bucket toss game
and wins a prize.
As a parent myself, it’s
such a treat to have a fun,
free, local event to attend,
particularly in the midst
of winter, when we are
all looking to get out. We
are so happy to be part of
Please see Carnival, 7
All main courses are served with three vegetables and a starch
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 847.433.7080
WWW.FROGGYSRESTAURANT.COM
306 GREEN BAY ROAD, HIGHWOOD
Not available for parties of 6 or more. Monthly Specials not valid on Holidays.
Winnetka’s Caroline Frezados, 5, tests her strength playing a game Saturday, Jan. 12,
at the Winter Carnival at The Skokie School. Photos by Jill Dunbar/22nd Century Media