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Berthoud Snowfest combines old holiday favorites with new ‘snow-filled’ events

November 24, 2016 | Local News

By Katie Harris
The Surveyor

Berthoud is upping the ante this December with its biggest holiday event yet. The Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with Grace Place Church to create Berthoud Snowfest – an event that combines the traditional Christmas in Berthoud fundraiser and Parade of Lights with a snow-sculpting competition and several new activities for the community to take part in.

The majority of this year’s Snowfest events will take place Wednesday, Dec. 14, through Saturday, Dec. 17, with the Christmas in Berthoud fundraising portion running throughout November and early December.

The change to this year’s event stemmed from Berthoud’s acquisition of the sanctioned Colorado Snow Sculpting competition, an event previously known as Loveland’s Snow Sculpture in the Dark.

Cofounders of the competition, Steve Mercia and Kerry Ertman, were looking for a new location to host their event this year, and said they were “snow” excited to bring the event to Berthoud.

Deanne Mulvihill, executive director for the Berthoud chamber, said she’d been searching for just such as event to spruce up the town’s holiday line-up.

“We look for events that will bring business to Berthoud,” said Mulvihill. “We have the opportunity to bring wholesome Christmas excitement to Mountain Avenue and Fickel Park this year.”

The snow sculpting competition is just one of the snow-filled events new to Berthoud this year. The chamber has made an additional competition out of the snow preparation itself, by asking teams to sign up to stomp snow into forms for the sculptors to carve. The sculpting teams will draw numbers to choose the best-packed snow blocks, and the stomping team chosen first will win a prize.

Kids will have the chance to take part in the snow festivities as well this year, with their own sculpting competition. Teams of three can sign up to carve bucketsful of snow using nothing but a car snow scraper.

“We want to include the whole community,” said Mulvihill. “We’ll form groups of local judges and try to keep things relaxed and fun.”

In addition to the snow-packed events taking place Dec. 14-17, the annual Parade of Lights will be back that Saturday, and everyone’s invited to participate.

“The parade is a tradition now,” said Mulvihill. “It’s the only lighted parade that Berthoud’s ever had.” She advised participants to start gathering battery- or generator- powered lights early.

“You don’t need to have a business to walk, bike, horseback ride, or bring a float to the parade,” said Mulvihill. “All you need is some form of light, and you can join in on the fun.”

After the parade the show will move to Fickel Park for the lighting of the Christmas trees and caroling performances by local churches.

Throughout the weekend holiday vendors from previous years at Grace Place will be set up at Berthoud Community Center at 248 Welch Ave., and some new participants are expected to join in as well this year.

Additionally, snow sculptors will be making special appearances at local restaurants throughout Snowfest, mingling with the crowd and signing autographs. Their locations will be announced on Facebook at www.facebook.com/events/1808415212739286/ as the event nears.

Home and storefront decorating competitions are also in the works, and hay rides will be available on Dec. 17. Mulvihill encouraged guests to take a ride downtown and support local restaurants and vendors.

Registration is now available for the snow-stomping competition, kids’ snow-sculpting contest, and home and storefront decorating competitions by contacting the chamber at 532-4200.

To sign up to be a vendor, for parade entries, or to attend the kick-off event (details TBD) and meet the sculptors, visit www.berthoudcolorado.com/berthoud-snowfest.

Details, including dates and times, as well as updates can be found on the event website or Facebook page above.

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