Back and better than ever!

By Vicki Gerdes

For The Ice Breaker Polar Fest, Detroit Lakes’ annual celebration of all things winter, officially gets underway Friday, Feb. 10, continuing through Sunday, Feb. 26.

The schedule includes a mix of familiar favorites and new events, according to Polar Fest committee volunteer Viva Lauinger, who is chairing the festival this year.

“There are well over 50 events people can participate in,” she said.

Through the generosity of the event’s sponsors, Lauinger added, the festival will once again have two nights of fireworks this year, on Feb. 11 and 25. Both shows will get underway at 7 p.m. on the ice of Little Detroit Lake, near the Pavilion. Each of the festival’s three weekends will have a signature event: The 13th Annual Poles ‘N Holes Ice Fishing Derby, hosted by the Detroit Lakes Breakfast Rotary, returns on Saturday, Feb. 11, with fishing from noon to 3 p.m. Then on Saturday, Feb. 18, the ULTRA Snowmobile Club will host its annual Vintage Snowmobile Rally and Swap Meet, with a snowmobile show on the Detroit Lakes City Beach starting at 8 a.m., and a ride starting at noon. And on Saturday, Feb. 25, the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes will host its annual Polar Fest Plunge, with groups and individuals plunging into the ice of Little Detroit Lake for fun and fundraising, starting at 1 p.m. There are some new events on the schedule as well, Lauinger noted.

“On Friday, Feb. 10, the same night as the Daddy’s Little Sweet- heart Dance, we have a Boys’ Night Out at the museum,” Lauinger said.

The event, which is intended for boys between ages 3-12 and their moms, grandmas, aunts or other special ladies, will run from 6 to 9 p.m. — concurrently with the dance at the nearby Historic Holmes Theatre, which is intended for girls ages 2-13 and their dads, grandpas, uncles or special friends.

Tickets for Boys’ Night Out can be purchased via the Becker County Museum’s online store, which can be found on its website, beckercountyhistory.org. The evening will include games, munchies, and an opportunity to check out all the science center’s exhibits.

Also on Friday, there are a couple of other

“new” events on the Polar Fest schedule: A special, Polar Fest edition of Detroit Mountain’s Burgers, Brews and Bands, which starts at 6:30 p.m., with local musicians Kyle Colby and Rachael Ianiro; and the Detroit Lakes VFW’s Cosmic Bingo, which starts at 7 p.m.