Many winners at first Winterfest
By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer
Published on February 15, 2008
Although it's the middle of the winter and the greens and fairways won't be ready to play for several more weeks, Cherry Hill Golf Course was the place to be last Saturday.
The first of what organizers hope will be many Winterfests took place at the North Amherst site, bringing out an estimated 1,000 people, from young to old, to enjoy a wide variety of activities throughout the day.
For many of those in attendance, the highlight may have been the Cardboard Classic, where residents, town officials and employees competed in their own homemade cardboard boxes on a slope of snow.
Police officers defeated firefighters in their challenge, something Police Chief Charles Scherpa was only too happy to point out Monday morning.
And Larry Kelley, a longtime critic of Cherry Hill Golf Course and its municipal funding, beat back competition from Town Manager Larry Shaffer and Select Board Chairman Gerry Weiss.
Or as Kelley put it on his Only in Amherst blog, where he posted a photo of his daughter Kira in a sled, "The Kelley clan - Kira and Larry - smoked the competition."
The boxes were also decorated, with Weiss putting a "War is Not the Answer" sign on his box, and Fire Chief Keith Hoyle riding in a box that looked like a red fire engine.
Wipeout!
Even several of those not yet in office sledded, with Select Board candidate Diana Stein's "wipeout" still fodder for discussion at the Select Board meeting Monday.
Fellow Select Board candidate Irv Rhodes took home the prize in this competition and was given an official certificate reading "Irv Rhodes is hereby declared the winner of the Cardboard Classic Select Board Primary Race!!"
Winterfest 2008, sponsored by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Amherst Recreation and Leisure Services, also featured John Fuller and Swift Kicks band, a snow sculpture contest and chili cook-off, cross country skiing and snow shoeing and, to cap off the day, a fireworks show.
Cinda Jones, president of the Chamber, was excited by how well it went for the first effort.
"It was so amazingly gratifying to have the town come together in such a spirit of cooperation and fun," said Jones, in an email after the event.
"People just loved it," said Chamber executive director Patty Brandts, who originated the idea after seeing a winter carnival in Montreal.
"We've had so many positive comments about what fun they had."
Barbara Bilz, assistant director of Leisure Services, said people were supportive of the endeavor and it showed great collaboration.
"I think it was a fantastic event. I think it far exceeded our expectations," Bilz said.
Brandts said the goal next year is to make the event bigger and better.
Jones added that Winterfest may have served to raise the visibility and viability of Cherry Hill, though Kelley pointed out that the event still could happen at the site even if the golf course no longer existed there, which would be his preference.
Though the goal was having fun and building community, not necessarily making money, according to Jones, the event may have been profitable.
Brandts said organizers won't know how much was raised for another week, but they did sell about 1,000 buttons at $8 for adults and $5 for children.
Any money in excess of that to break even on the event will likely be used to cover the staff time used in organizing Winterfest.
Among the other winners were Crocker Farm School's entry for best design in the Cardboard Classic, and Atkins Farms Country Market for best chili, with the Lord Jeffery Inn taking second.
For the orange ball long drive, the youth winners were Avi Elkin and Aidan Bass, the women's winners were Mary O'Brien and Mary Donoghue and the men's winners were Matt Burto and Mike MaComte.
Meetings
MONDAY: Town offices are closed today.
TUESDAY: Jones Library Board of Trustees, 7 p.m., Trustee Room, Jones Library.
WEDNESDAY: Joint Capital Planning Committee, 8 a.m., Town Room, Town Hall; Munson Building Trustees, noon, Munson Library; 250th Anniversary Committee, 3 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall; Board of Registrars, 5 p.m., Town Clerk's Office, Town Hall; Planning Board, 7:05 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.
THURSDAY: 250th Anniversary Arts and Literature Subcommittee, 4 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall; Finance Committee, 7 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall; Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.
