Buckhorn beat the winter blahs at BlizzardFEST |
It is cold outside. I don’t want to go outside. I will just sit here by the fire. All of these may be comments you heard this winter or even said yourself.
If you got yourself energized enough to attend BlizzardFEST at the Buckhorn Community Centre (BCC) in February then you know there were a lot of winter activities. Or you participated in activities with a winter twist.
On the outside of the centre winter life was happening. Soap bubbles in winter, why not? Snowshoe? Strap them on. The horses were waiting for passengers which they could pull around the grounds of the BCC in a wagon. You could toast your own marshmallow and drink some hot chocolate after your wagon ride. Snow bowling, snow golf, and frying pan toss were all available for you to test your skill.
Inside were area vendors with their wares. But first you could partake in some good home-cooked food offered by those brilliant chefs at the BCC. Culinary judges were tasting the mac ‘n cheese at the bake off. They were looking for taste, creaminess and creativity. Different kinds of cheeses were used and different kinds of pasta. Hot dogs and bacon were added in some versions.
Tummy full? Then let’s see what vendors were displaying their wares or activities. The Country Cupboard was there displaying all the various mixes it has to make winter meals interesting. Soups, cakes and cookies and lots of things in between were available. Sauces, vinaigrettes, and jams were available from Kawartha Country Wines. Custom fur sewing was on display. Design your perfect set of fur mitts, hat or clothing by Real Fur & Custom Sewing. Articles which have been custom sewn and quilted, stove towels and microwave cozies could be purchased to warm up food and you. Popcorn and cotton candy were calling if a snack was next. Artistic crafts featuring animals of the Canadian North were amazing.
And there were indoor games to focus on as well as crafts. If you attended, you may have decorated a top hat for your snowman.
Organizations such as the Buckhorn Carvers and the Kawartha Model Builders came to show their activities and events.
Music by the Brady Brothers wove the event together. The event brought community members together in what has been a very wintry winter.
Twenty community organizations and volunteer groups received a grant from the Municipality of Trent Lakes at the Feb. 17 council meeting. More than $60,000 was distributed to a variety of organizations in the municipality.
These grants are an effort by the municipality to support community non-profit organizations and volunteer groups. Awarded annually, the municipality aims to improve the quality of life in the municipality by supporting community projects.
The program is open for applications each year between November and January. The applications are brought forward to Trent Lakes municipal council, where an evaluation matrix is used to help determine which organizations are awarded and how to fairly distribute the funds.
In 2025, the community groups of Cavendish Community Ratepayers Association and Citizens for Alternative Transportation came together to host a collaborative workshop through grant funds. With a shared goal in making the roads in Trent Lakes safer for both people and nature, more than 20 community members generated ideas and solutions to implement into the future.
In the past 12 years, the municipality has been able to provide more than 200 grants to organizations and groups through this annual program.