Outdoor Fun In Any Weather

When you live in Michigan, the cold winters leave you with two options: Hide inside until spring, or bundle up and get outdoors to take advantage of the many opportunities for recreation the snow and ice offer.

The Dwight Lydell Chapter in Belmont, Michigan, helped their neighbors do the latter through the chapter’s annual Winterfest in January. The chapter house and grounds were open to the public to enjoy ice fishing, cross-country skiing, archery, sledding, exploring on snowshoes, and building shelters and snow castles. Inside, guests enjoyed a hot lunch — including chili, cocoa, and cookies — and nature crafts such as building bird houses and learning how to turn their yards into beautiful winterscapes. Approximately 400 guests attended this year’s event.

“The sun came out, and once all those kids started running around, they didn’t seem to notice the cold,” says chapter President Georgia Donovan. “It was great to see our place transformed by all those happy kids and their families. Most of these activities don’t cost anything. Snow, ice, hills, and gravity are all free if we’re smart enough to preserve the space to enjoy them. We made some new friends at this event, and I believe some new members too.”