The Kemptville Winter Carnival is coming to town!

submitted by Herb Cloutier, Carnival founder

The volunteer organizing committee for the inaugural Kemptville Winter Carnival is thrilled to announce a brand-new, family-friendly outdoor event February 3-5 at Riverside Park.

We’ll kick-off the event with our opening ceremonies and a ribbon cutting conducted by our Mayor, Nancy Peckford, accompanied by our title sponsor eQ Homes and the ‘Mayor of eQuinelle.’

The goal of the carnival is to gather as a community and celebrate the winter season, while bringing back regular use of the Kemptville Creek. However, due for a firefighter displaying a flashing green light is ignorance. This could be ignorance of what the flashing green light means, or ignorance of the fact that there is a firefighter behind them in the moment owing to another problem, such as distracted driving.

North Grenville

Fire Chief, John Okum, weighed in on the green lights issue. “The use of a green light does not give a firefighter the same au- to the mild weather we’ve had, the ice won’t be ready in time for this year’s event, so we are planning our festivities at Riverside Park instead of Curry Park this year and hope to bring the carnival back to the creek in 2024. thority as an emergency vehicle,” said Chief Okum. “The green light provides notice to other drivers that an emergency exists, and it is a volunteer firefighter responding to the emergency. The green light is considered a courtesy. Drivers should pull over if safe to do so and allow the responding firefighter to continue.”

But there will be plenty of fun for all ages, even without the ice!

You won’t want to miss the nighttime performances by our fire dancers, the snow sculpture artists, the dinosaur races, or the glowing fairy dancers!

The carnival will also offer a scavenger hunt, snow painting, and a variety of other fun activities for the kids, hosted by NG Pride.

Chief Okum explained that in some circumstances, the responding firefight- will, find the answers by just referring to your own bird books or even the dreaded internet! Which ever one it is, I hope that you enjoy what you discover. Stay safe and well.

Cheers, John Baldwin

Hop on the horse-drawn wagon for a ride through the winter wonderland, roast some marshmallows on the fire, enjoy some free hot chocolate sponsored by Brewed Awakenings, and have your family photo taken under the glow of the twinkle lights.

Did we mention there will be Beavertails?! That’s right, the Beavertail truck will be on-site all carnival long. You’ll also want to grab a smoked beef brisket sandwich or some chili from local Texan chef, Bruce Enloe.

Watch out for the charity barbeque that will be running all weekend by The Rotary Club and Kempt- ers are notified that their assistance is no longer required, so motorists may suddenly see the use of the green light discontinued.

Given the importance of firefighters reaching the scene of an emergency efficiently, Chief Okum shared a message with North Grenville residents.

“If you observe a vehicle emitting a green flashing light, please pull over if safe to do so and allow the vehicle to continue,” ville Youth Centre, with the food and drinks generously donated by the B&H: Your Community Grocer.

“A local community carnival like this will continue to grow for many years as families, and residents of all ages, enjoy a wonderful winter event designed to be inclusive and fun!”

We are still accepting volunteer and sponsorship applications. For more information, visit www.kemptvillewintercarnival.ca or email wintercarnivalkemptville@gmail.com he said. “It is a volunteer firefighter responding to a call for help. Please help us to help you!”

See you at Riverside Park!

Want to help do your part to make sure firefighters can do their jobs? Know the law, pay attention behind the wheel, and have compassion for what someone else is going through. Someone else will almost certainly be glad you cared.