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‘Alice in Winterland’ starts Saturday in Grand Lake

Tonya Bina
tbina@skyhidailynews.com
Grand Lake, CO Colorado
Jimmy Gasner of Rocky Mountain Outfitters works on his snow sculpture on Thursday morning for this weekend's Grand Lake Winter Carnival. Byron Hetzler/Sky-Hi News
Byron Hetzler/Sky-Hi News | Sky-Hi News

Don’t be late for a very important date, as Grand Lake takes on a dream-like quality this Saturday.

The streets may be teeming with White Rabbits carrying time pieces, girls in blue frocks and white aprons, tea party guests, Queens of Hearts, Fish-Footmen, grinning Cheshire Cats, March Hares, Mad Hatters, doormice, and court royalty decked in spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts.

Grand Lake’s 2013 Winter Carnival has adopted the theme “Alice in Winterland,” and townspeople have been busily preparing for the celebration in the days leading up to the event.



The town’s Public Works Director Bernie McGinn reported on Wednesday that snow was being delivered from the town’s snow storage piles to eight of the town’s businesses for what will become snow sculptures conforming to the theme.

The recent snowfall has helped in the town’s snow-hauling efforts to ensure Grand Avenue is well-covered with snow for the celebration’s main event – the annual bed-sled races. Some bed sledders make an effort to look the part, so expect Alice in Winterland decorations and runners in costume.



The central block of Grand Avenue will be blocked off, and the Grand Lake Metropolitan Recreation District is supplying a groomer again this year to smooth out the racing surface.

Since an episode of Hotel Impossible is filming at the Western Riviera motel, it’s rumored a filming crew from the Travel Channel will be racing a bed sled this year as the Grand Lake Fire District attempts to defend its longstanding reign as bed-sled winner.

At this year’s teapot-curling event, will there be tea-party participants as imagined in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”?

The town’s public works department rushed a spare clutch to Grand Lake in order to fix the town’s Zamboni in order to make the ice-rink smooth for the curling event and skating later in the day.

New this year is free kids ice fishing located near the marina organized by Rocky Mountain Outfitters in Grand Lake, and a snow golf event in the town park organized by the Grand Lake Gentleman’s Club. Snow golf is replacing the flag football event of prior years. Public works is creating three golfing “greens” in the snow.

Otherwise, all of the traditional Grand Lake Winter Carnival events are returning, according to Winter Carnival’s lead organizer Doris Braun.

Braun reminds Grand Lake patrons to donate to the Carnival King and Queen contest to help support the Carnival and town fireworks for future years. This year’s candidate’s are: Diana Losier and Richard Gott of the Sagebrush; DJ and Alex Pritt of Pancho and Lefty’s; Jessie Yale and Terese Marie of Manes to Tame; Charlie and Maria Varela of El Pacifico; Ryan and Teresa Powell of Grand Lake Lanes; Kathy and Ted Ferrera of The Fat Cat Cafe; and Ken and Jen Fife of Grumpy’s.

– Tonya Bina can be reached at 970-887-3334 ext. 19603


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