SKOWHEGAN, Maine — As the calendar turns to March, some Mainers wait anxiously for the Spring Equinox on March 21. But most Pine Tree State residents are milking out the last few weeks of winter.
Cue the Second Annual Somerset Snowfest. The weekend-long festival included events from sledding, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and a winter triathlon.
“It showcases Skowhegan as a destination for outdoor recreation and local food which is our end goal," Kristina Cannon said. Cannon is the Executive Director of Maine Street Skowhegan, a co-organizer of the weekend.
Sunday's events all centered around Lake George Recreational Park. The winter triathlon had competitors race in three events, snow-showing, cross-country skiing, ending the race on a fat bike.
For those not competing, a warming hut with hot chocolate and chili was open all morning and for the adults, an ice bar was positioned right in the middle of the ice fishing derby.
Steve Hall works part-time for Mathieu's Cycle & Fitness, a sponsor of the race. He says the sport is growing as the new bikes allow riders to pedal in any conditions.
“It’s really popular in this part of the state and it’s something you can do anywhere," Hall said.
Starting in the early hours in the morning, Sean Clark and his family set up shop on the lake for the all-day ice fishing derby.
“We all have fun, everybody’s good nature, most people know everybody here, so we have fun. It’s a fun place," Clark said.
Clark said that his brothers have won Derbys before so there was added motivation to catch the biggest fish. As the afternoon continued, Clark still had the biggest catch of the day.
“Everybody hopes for first place, I hold first place right now, but we’ll see when weigh-in comes in," Clark added.
Justin Spencer is the Park Resource Manager at Lake George Regional Park. He said without help from sponsors, volunteers, and the community this event wouldn't be what it was.
“We had plenty of things for everybody to do and a lot of people had fun," Spencer said.
Spencer added that this event will back next year and the organizers will try to expand the triathlon and ice fishing derby for 2021.