Grab your mittens, earmuffs, parka, and ice skates! Waterbury’s 3rd Annual Winterfest kicks off Friday night, Jan. 30th at 5 PM on Stowe St. with the official Ice Ribbon Cutting. Sponsored by the Alchemist, an Ice Sculpting demonstration by Chris & Heidi Fish, ice carvers from Northwoods Ice Craft and co-owners of The Blue Stone will be the official kick off to the 10 days of winter fun!
Immediately after the Ribbon Cutting, rush down to Anderson Field at 6 PM to skate around the ice for an hour, while nibbling cookies and watching the Annual Christmas Tree Bon fire. Then at 7 PM, off you go for the Tell-Off Extempo at the American Legion.
Then home, and early to bed, because Saturday, Jan. 31st is an event filled day starting with two concurrent XC ski events at 8:30 AM.
Cross County Ski from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Meet at Dac Rowe Fields for a delightful morning of recreational Cross Country Skiing for all ages and abilities on a Nordic course and State Complex Loop.
Bring classic or light touring skis for a morning kick-and-glide along the Cross Vermont trail.
Instruction will be provided for learning to XC ski at 8:30 and for learning to Telemark turn at 10 AM! We will ski the groomed Nordic loop in Dac Rowe field over to Winooski Street. Cross the street on to the Cross Vermont trail and ski along the river and back to Dac-Rowe.
Learn to Cross-Country Ski from 8:30 AM to 10AM. At Dac Rowe you can learn cross-country skiing basics - no experience necessary! We’ll focus on getting comfortable on skis while enjoying short loops around the Dac Rowe fields. Participants will need to provide their own classic or touring skis and are encouraged to bring water and a light snack.
Coed/pick-up Family Broomball Tournament starting at 10 AM and running to 4 PM at Anderson Field Outdoor Skating Rink. (You should have already signed up your team.)
Broomball is similar to hockey but without skates; played with five people and a goalie on the ice. Players wear their own boots/shoes and helmets are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. We provide the goals, sticks, and balls.
Join your neighbors to watch the fun if you aren’t on a team!
Volleyball Tourney kickoff is at 10AM also at Anderson Recreation Field. Who will make it to the playoffs on Feb 8? Family and Adult teams match up for the honor. You should have already registered at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4eadad2fabfd0-waterbury. Between tournament games and throughout the day, the net and ball will be available for pickup game between tournament games throughout the day - come play!
Learn to Tele Turn starts at 10 AM to 11:30 AM in Dac Rowe Field. Learn to do Telemark turns on the short sledding hills at Dac Rowe. This is a great opportunity to practice “free-heel” turning on cross-country, back-country or Telemark skis. Participants are encouraged to bring skis with partial or full metal-edges and supportive boots. We'll do short runs on the side hills, and practice climbing uphill too! Participants are encouraged to bring water and a light snack.
Ice Bucket Disc Golf Challenge begins at 10 AM at the Hope Davey Recreation Field in Waterbury Center. The GMPS Ice Bucket is back and ready to shatter records once again! The Ice Bucket is Vermont’s version of the ICE BOWL events that happen all over the country in a unified Disc Golf effort to raise money and food for local food shelves every winter.
FREE Demo Snowshoes will be held from 10 AM to 4 PM at the CC Outdoor Store on Route 2. Free snowshoe demos will be available. Drop in between 10 AM and 4 PM to get your pair and create your own adventure - or reserve for a specific date and time via e-mail: info@ccoutdoorstore.com. Limited availability: first come, first served.
Back to Anderson Recreation Field for the Winterfest Sledding Party, going on from 10 AM to 1 PM.
Bring your sleds, warm clothing, and get ready for a thrilling day on the slopes.
Sled Hockey-Sled Cats vs. Waterbury All Stars starts at 5:30 PM through 7:30 PM at the Ice Center. Come laugh with our "Waterbury All Star" former varsity hockey heroes as they are humbled by the paraplegic Vermont Sled Cats in a rousing game of sled hockey.
And finally, a Game Show from 7 PM to 9:30 PM, indoor and upstairs at the Reservoir on North Main St. A family-friendly game show-style trivia game with questions drawn from our community and Waterbury history. Teams will compete for prizes by correctly answering questions or solving puzzles in our multimedia presentation quiz.
Register in advance, $60 per team of 4-6 and pay at the door.
Running through Feb. 8, Waterbury’s Winterfest is a packed full schedule of all kinds winter activities. The complete 10 day schedule may be seen on the web site: waterburywinterfest.com, daily event schedules will be on FPF, and the Waterbury Winterfest Minute will be heard on WDEV each morning of Winterfest.
Feb 9, 2025, 3 to 4:30 PM
For the Love of Dogs Vermont RaffleFeb 11, 2025, 4 to 8 PM
Huntington Conservation Commission MeetingFeb 13, 2025, 6:30 to 8:45 PM