Winter Fun Day – a time for everyone

Elmwood

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2025 (426 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Getting through a cold winter in Winnipeg can be difficult, but community events can help to make the season easier. Residents of Elmwood and the surrounding areas will have a chance to enjoy the season at Winter Fun Day on Feb. 8.

Winter Fun Day is an annual event that helps bring communities together, run by the Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Centre, the Elmwood Community Resource Centre, and two other organizations.

“Winter Fun Day is a free event to be held at Clara Hughes Park,” said Joanne Fondeur of Bronx Park Community Centre. This park is located between Chalmers and Martin Avenues.

As the Winnipeg for Free website notes, the event typically includes activities such as outdoor skating, tobogganing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and snowshoeing. Warm refreshments will also be available. Although the park is small, it should be large enough to accommodate the visitors who come to enjoy an afternoon of activities.

Having a community event in this park fits well with the neighbourhood’s goals. As the Friends of Clara Hughes Recreation Park’s website states, the purpose of their work is “striving to keep this a place that is safe and usable for the children and youth of the community.” At an event such as the upcoming community fun day, people will gain a better sense of their neighbourhood.

Even the location might become an inspiration for people attending. The park, which features a skateboard pod in the warmer seasons, is named for Olympian Clara Hughes. This much-decorated athlete is the only Canadian to win multiple medals at both the summer and winter Olympic Games. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Hughes graduated from Elmwood High School, and has now lent her name to this small but important park. She won two bronze medals in road-race cycling at the 1996 summer games in Atlanta, followed by a bronze medal in the 5,000-metre speed-skating race at the winter games in Salt Lake City in 2002. In 2006 in Turin, Italy, she won gold in the 5,000 metres and silver in the team pursuit.

Organizers of the Elmwood Winter Fun Day undoubtedly hope that the day will be cold enough for the winter-related activities to work well but not so frosty that the weather will deter people from participating. Even if the temperature drops or an icy wind is blowing, however, being part of this community event could be well worth the time and effort it takes. For the residents of northeast Winnipeg and beyond, the Elmwood Winter Fun Day is a good chance to connect with the people and places around them.